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Lawrason On Wine

January Archive

The Issue of the Year

Posted on January 2, 2007

As the new year dawns unseasonably mild in Ontario—with yet another week of above-freezing temps already showing on the forecast charts—there can be only one issue of earth-shattering importance to the wine world. That would be global warming and the many environmental issues that spin from the eye of this ever-growing storm.

Value Hunting Under $15

Posted on January 8, 2007

A Toronto newspaper recently kicked off 2007 by listing best buys under $10, and, although well intended to cater to drained pocketbooks, it struck me, with a couple of exceptions, as a dreary line-up. Can’t we get beyond $10 when taste actually matters? Jump to $15 as your median for buying good everyday wines and you will find many wines that are correct, show their varietal and regional character and attain good balance. They may not have the nuanced complexity, finesse and length of finish of more expensive wines, but they should be satisfying and problem free. January is the time to bargain hunt at the LCBO’s Vintages stores, and a few good under $15 bottles were released on Saturday. Here are 10—listed in decreasing price order—all showing availability at www.lcbo.com as of Monday morning, January 8. By the way, we are now providing LCBO product numbers to speed and narrow up Internet searches for wines at stores near you.

Notes from Tawse Cellar

Posted on January 15, 2007

I spent a couple of hours on Friday at Tawse Family Estate in Niagara, tasting from barrels of 2006 whites and reds just beginning to form into wines. At this stage, any winery’s barrel cellar is a giant hatchery, each barrel an individual offspring from different grape varieties, vineyard microclimates, clones or rootstocks. And each of these rests in a different oak incubator—French, American, Hungarian, even Canadian—from different forests, and coopers (barrel makers). The level of organization required is remarkable: following each barrel and noting its characteristics; making blending decisions based on flavour profiles; volumes required of a certain label; how much the grapes cost and for how much the wine might sell. I gained renewed respect for the winemakers and their teams, and what they are going through at this time of year. It is a frenetic, creative time, where teams either pull together or the wheels fall off.

The Wine of the Week & The Napa Follies

Posted on January 22, 2007

Errazuriz 2005 Carmenère **** ($13.95, LCBO #16238, Aconcagua Valley, Chile)
And now for something very affordable. New to the LCBO general list and a huge value if you like your reds black and deep and even. Chile has struggled to tame carmenère—the late-ripening, often green-tasting monster that is becoming its signature. But like the Concha y Toro 2005 Carmenère I heavily recommended before Christmas, this new Errazuriz version finds the handle at an amazing price. The nose drenched in cassis, mint, leather and wood smoke—all well proportioned. It’s full bodied, dense and elegant with firm but deeply embedded tannin. Considerable oak on the finish is the element that ties it all together but fruit is not lost. Excellent length. Drinkable now, best 2008 to 2012, ideal for a lamb roast.

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I first traveled to Napa Valley, California, in 1978 when wine was new and exciting, when the Robert Mondavi winery was less than 10 years-old; when once legendary names like Inglenook and Beaulieu were the establishment, and new enterprises like Grgich Hills, Joseph Phelps, Cakebread and Heitz were just beginning to generate some buzz. It was a time of wonderment, promise and innocence, with a sense that this bucolic crease in the coastal ranges north of San Francisco might one day be able to produce great cabernets and merlots to rival Bordeaux. There was not a lot of self-confidence back then, but there was plenty of humility.

Wine of the Week & Michel Rolland in Toronto

Posted on January 30, 2007

Chateau Fontenil 2004 Fronsac ****
Bordeaux, France ($49, Vintages 35907)
This property near Libourne in Bordeaux’s right bank is the domicile of winemaker Michel Rolland, the subject of this week’s feature. The Fronsac appellation is famous (or infamous) for having a strong mineral flavour and austere tannin; it’s interesting, but hardly mouth-watering merlot. Fontenil shows that minerality too, but embroidered by the perfectly ripened berry fruit and fine tannin—a lovely wine with poise, purity and nuance. I’ve not tasted a Fronsac like this before, but I did recognize its place. It's part of a special Vintages offering (see below).

David Lawrason

David Lawrason

David Lawrason has worked full time as one of Canada's leading, independent wine writers and educators for over 20 years. He was the founder of Wine Access magazine and Globe and Mail wine columnist for 13 years before becoming resident wine guy at Toronto Life, where he pens a monthly column and writes an exhaustive review of LCBO general listings for the annual Food and Wine Guide. As a wine educator he has taught sommelier programs at George Brown, Humber and Niagara Colleges, and has run popular public courses in Toronto since 1988. He has visited every major wine major producing country in the world, while focusing recently on the booming Canadian wine scene, as founder of the Canadian Wine Awards program, and Canadian wine columnist for Wine Access.

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