Gray Monk Pinot Gris 2012

Gray Monk Pinot Gris 2012 ($17.99, SKU 118638) This was brought to a dinner by a tasting panel member. It surprised all of us with its fruity taste and went well with a Mediterranean dinner. Pinot Gris wines were usually quite dry but this was different. The amazing thing was there was some wine left over and I put it in the refrigerator. I forgot about it until a week later and finished it with dinner. It was still very fruity. It amazed me that such an economical wine had such staying power. At this price, it would be a great summer barbeque wine.

Famille Perrin Vacqueyras Les Christins 2010

Famille Perrin Vacqueyras Les Christins 2010 (WS91, $26.99 SKU 585315) I found this displayed prominently across from the cashiers at 39th & Cambie. I bought it because this was a southern Rhone red wine and the region usually offered good value wines. I opened it with a variety dinner (lobster tail, beef steak, vegetable with dips and tomato sauce chicken). It took an hour to open up in the glass, but it was a wonderful offering. The nose was pleasant and the palate was smooth. There were taste of berries and a hint of pepper. It went well with most food. According to Wine Spectator, it can be enjoyed now or cellared until 2018. There is ample stock in the system.

Birichino Malvasia Bianca Monterey 2010

 

Birichino Malvasia Bianca Monterey 2010 ($18, SKU 880302) Now back to basics: trying to find good value wines in the LDB stores. I went by the 39th & Cambie store three days ago and found an U.S. white wine marked down from $25.95 to $18. The grape was Malvasia Bianca, which I vaguely remembered from my trip to the Napa Valley last year. I opened it with some salad and seafood. It was amazingly aromatic with a strong pleasant floral fragrance. There was medium body and moderate fruitiness on the palate. It was apparently an old grape that originated from Greece and now grown in California. The same wine from Sterling Winery retailed for US$30 and was not as aromatic as the Birichino. Now this was a one time buy at the liquor store and there were only 7 bottles left on the shelves with the U.S. wines as of Sunday afternoon. The SKU does not show up in the liquor store website, so you will have to ask one of the consultants.

Batasiolo Barolo Vigneto Corda della Briccolina 2006

Batasiolo Barolo Vigneto Corda della Briccolina 2006 (WS95 pts., $75.00, SKU 329425) Forgive me for writing about another expensive wine, but this was another spectacular  value. I had my eyes on this Italian wine for a few months as it was a great deal: $75 for a 95 point wine. But it was not on the shelves at the LDB store. So I asked one of the wine consultants and she found out that there were two bottles on hold for three months. Since the person did not pick it up, I was able to purchase them. Wine Spectator indicated it will mature between 2014 to 2030, another of those wines that should be put in the cellar and forgotten. I knew that Barolo wines needed lots of time in the cellar, typically ten to twenty years. However I could not resist my urge to taste a high rating wine before it was ready to see how wine tasters could see into the future. So I bought an extra bottle and opened it with the help of one of my tasting panel members. He opened it at 11:30 a.m. and left it in the bottle and decanted it at 2:30 p.m. He remarked that it initially tasted like soya sauce but evolved nicely over the next six hours. By the time dinner was served at 6:30 p.m. the wine was coming into its prime. Barolo were generally a rougher wine that needed some tasty food. We served it with a Moroccan style lamb shank and some beef ribs with a heavy sauce. The wine was a full body heavy hitter. There was a surprising amount of fruit even though it was so young. The tannin was strong, so it should do well in the cellar for the next fifteen to twenty years.

LDB website indicated there are 80 bottles in the system. There are no more at 39th and Cambie and two bottles at Alberni and Bute. Ironwood has 4 and Park Royal has 17 bottles. Again this did not fit my usual criteria for my blog but the value was irresistible. The U.S. release price was $90 and it was only $75 here. Try to get your wife to buy it for your birthday or your children to buy it for Father's Day. Then put it at the back of your cellar and mark it for one of your milestone birthday or anniversary.

Domaine Faiveley Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru Les Porets-St.-Georges 2010

Domaine Faiveley Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru Les Porets-St.-Georges 2010 (WS 95 pt., $96.99, SKU 531624) This was mentioned by one of the newspaper wine columns and it caught my attention. This was a Burgundy wine with a high rating and under $100. Wine Spectator indeed rated it at 95 points and suggested drinking it between 2015 to 2028. I bought a few bottles for my cellar and decided to wait a few years. Then I did further reading and found that 2010 was not a typical year for the Burgundy wines. The climate was cool and wet in the early season and a smaller quantity grapes made it to harvest. The wine-makers had a more difficult time compare to great vintages like 2005 and 2009. That was what made the 2010 version of this wine interesting. First the price: same as the 2009 vintage while the U.S. release price was $155. Then the rating: it was considered "Collectibles" by Wine Spectator. I could not resist such an interesting offering and opened one bottle. I used my Burgundy glasses and did not decant the wine. The nose was wonderful to start and it kept growing on me. Even though this was before its maturity, there was still a good balance of fruit and tannin. The finish was long and my tasting panel all loved it.

 

This was not part of my usual economical, easy to drink wines that I wrote for this blog. But given the unique value, I felt I had to let everyone know about it. This would be a great gift for your sons to give to you for Father's Day. It should be cellared for at least another five years, preferably ten to fifteen years. LDB website indicated there are 24 bottles in the system and 17 in Vancouver. Do not go to Alberni and Bute as those 4 bottles are all 2009 vintage (WS92 pts., same SKU, same price). I saw one bottle at 39th and Cambie that is 2010 but I could not tell which vintage the rest of the 12 bottles are. So be careful when you go buy one.

Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2010

Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2010 ($26.59, SKU 372474) This was introduced to me by a tasting panel member. He noticed that it was on sale at the 39th & Cambie LDB store $11.40 off the usual price. So I checked it out and confirmed that this was indeed a "Grand Reserve" wine and the original price was $37.99. The grapes were sourced from Santa Barbara county (54%) and Monterey county (46%). I tasted it with dinner and immediately noticed the quality of the wine. The nose was pleasant. It was medium to full body with lots of fruits. There was medium aftertaste. Given that it was on sale, this certainly was a great bargain. I tried to check the stock online but could not even find the SKU or the wine. I saw nine bottles on the shelf. So go get it if you like a reasonably priced US chardonnay.

Chalone Chardonnay 2009

Chalone Chardonnay Estate Grown 2009 (WS88, $24.98, SKU 858373) This was the first time I saw this wine available in B. C. I was introduced to this by a tasting panel member two years ago. He brought a bottle back from the States and noted that this was a famous producer of Chardonnay there but the wine was not available locally. When I saw this appeared in the LDB store, and the price was the same as the U.S. release price, I immediately bought one and opened it over the Easter holidays. I tasted it with some take-out Chinese and Western food. It was refreshing and fruity but not too sweet. This was not a lame wine as the alcohol content was 14.5%. It should go well with seafood. There is ample stock in most of the stores.