Chateau Pipeau St.-Emilion 2010

Chateau Pipeau St.-Emilion 2010 (WS91, $49.99, SKU 287292) I tried the 2009 vintage of this wine and was not very impressed. But the 2010 vintage came out at the same price and same Wine Spectator rating. However friends of mine have bought cases of this for their regular dinner party use and got good comments from their guests. So I decided to give it a try. The nose was fruity and pleasant when the bottle was opened. The color was dark red good legs on the glass. The body was medium to full with medium finish. This wine, being from the right bank Bordeaux region of St.-Emilion, was merlot based and can be opened earlier than the other left bank Bordeaux. It went well with Chinese food take-out. So it was not surprising that my friends received compliments for bringing this to Chinese dinners. Ideally it should be decanted for an hour or two and enjoyed with some well-marinated pork or chicken roast. Wine Spectator said this wine can be opened now or cellared until 2024. This is not an economical wine but remember that 2010 was an exceptional Bordeaux vintage and getting something for less than $50 is not easy. There is plenty of stock in all of the LDB stores.

Dr. Loosen Spatlese Riesling Urziger Wurzgarten 2011

Dr. Loosen Spatlese Riesling Urziger Wurzgarten 2011 (WS93, $35.95, SKU 515700) I have been waiting for the arrival of this wine and I finally found it two weeks ago on the shelves. This was a German Riesling made with the grapes that are picked at least seven days after the normal harvest. The sweetness code on the shelves is 3 (0 is very dry, 10 is very sweet). It had a good nose and lots of fruits. There was taste of tropical fruits. Because of its medium body, it complemented Chinese dishes of halibut cheeks and tiger prawns well. There is another version the Wehlener Sonnenuhr that has a sweetness code of 7 but I found that one too sweet for Chinese food. There is stock at 39th and Cambie, Alberni, Park Royal and Richmond Brighouse.

Chateau Rahoul Graves 2010

Chateau Rahoul Graves 2010 (WS90, $26, SKU 184986) This was one of the lowest priced Bordeaux 2010 that I picked up at the end of September 2013 at the Bordeaux release. I opened it for an early tasting. As this came from the Graves region, it had a lot of mineral taste on the palate. Wine Spectator indicated drinking between 2014 to 2021. The wine can certainly use a few more years of cellaring. So if you are one of the lucky ones who got your hands on some bottles, hold on to them and be patient. Unfortunately, there is no more stock in the LDB system.

Sterling Chardonnay Vintner's Collection 2012

Sterling Chardonnay Vintner's Collection 2012 ($15.99, SKU 643874) I wanted to find an easy drinking chardonnay for everyday drinking and tasted this economical offering. I took it to a Chinese restaurant and opened it with a routine Chinese dinner. I like chardonnay because it has a fuller body and usually more fruity than the other white grapes. Sterling is a big vineyard in Napa Valley with a wonderful winery on top of the hill. There was a floral nose and a bit of oak. The fruit was easy to appreciate. At this price, I did not expect too much but this wine exceeded my expectations. For a everyday drinking chardonnay, I think this is a good value. There is plenty of stock in all of the LDB stores.

El Petit Bonhomme Ruede Verdejo 2012

El Petit Bonhomme Ruede Verdejo 2012 ($13.99, SKU 79046) This was a Spanish white wine that was introduced to me by the winemaker at the LDB store. There was more body and taste than the Obsession Symphony and should go well with fish dishes. This is a good value summer food wine.

Ironstone Obsession Symphony 2011

Ironstone Obsession Symphony 2011 ($16.99, SKU 355784) This white wine was brought to my barbeque party but didn't get tasted until recently. It was a grape that was a cross between grenache blanc and muscat that was grown in California. The wine was quite refreshing with medium buttery body. I tasted green apple and apple. It tasted well with baked Chinook salmon. It can also be a sipping wine to start a dinner party.

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (WS94, $59.99, SKU 836759) This will probably turn out to be one of the best value wines this year. BUY IT NOW. I was looking for the 2009 vintage of this wine which was No. 8 of the Top 100 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year in 2012. This showed up two days ago at the Cambie and 39th LDB store. The rating is the same as the 2009 vintage. I tasted the regular version of this wine (2010 Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, WS88, $44.99, SKU 352583) and thought it was a good cabernet sauvignon. One of my tasting panel members mentioned that he tasted an older vintage of the regular version with some serious wine drinkers and they all thought it was a reserve wine. So with such good history, I would say the 2010 Reserve version is worthy of cellaring for five to ten years. This is a Sonoma Valley cabernet and Beringer is a consistent winery. At this price, one cannot go wrong.