Buy the Case – April 2021 #2

Great wines to buy by the case

These are not 97 point wines.

With the recent proliferation of online wine sales, our inboxes, like yours, are overflowing with offers that look too good to be true. It’s tempting to click and purchase. But if you’ve lost all confidence in hyper-inflated scores and florid descriptions, we can’t blame you. In fact, we agree with you. A few wines are worth it. Many are not.

But we have a solution to buying wines by the case with confidence.

WineAlign was established a dozen years ago to help consumers make better, more informed wine purchases at the LCBO. Then we introduced the WineAlign Exchange, our curated wine subscription service of mixed private imports. Now, we’re going one logical step further: making the best of the best private import wines available to you to buy by the full case. The WineAlign crü tastes hundreds of wines each month to find a small handful on which they all align; they’re a demanding bunch. That’s why you trust them. And these ‘aligned wines’ are what we can now offer to you by the case. 

We’re delighted to introduce this service to help you drink better wine with the convenience of home delivery, while eliminating the hazards of the unknown. From the hundreds (thousands) of wines imported into Ontario each month, the WineAlign crü tastes and cherry-picks the best. To make the cut, we require unanimous consensus (rather rare!). Many of these wines already make it into the WineAlign Exchange subscription service. But some we find some good enough to buy by the full case. These are the wines we’d like to offer you from time to time.

Wines are sold in 12 bottle cases unless otherwise indicated. Click on the [Buy A Case Now] button to purchase a case and have it delivered directly to your door.

Bel Colle Roero Arneis 2019, DOCG Roero Arneis, Piedmont, Italy
($23.00/bottle, Mondo Vino)

In 1977, three brothers (Franco, Carlo, and Giuseppe) established the Bel Colle winery in Verduno along the north-west edge of Barolo DOCG. Over the decades their work with nebbiolo has stood at the center of their operation, and their Barolos and Barbarescos have been lauded and sought-after. In particular, their work with the Monvigliero vineyard (which some have referred to as the “Grand Cru” of the Verduno area of Barolo) has garnered notice. The winery was purchased in 2015 by Luca Bosio, an innovative young winemaker in the nearby Asti region who represents the fourth generation of his family to tend vineyards and make wine in Piedmont. Bosio seized the opportunity to purchase such a prestigious property in Verduno, which is known for producing wines that are more delicate with an exceptional elegance and spicy, floral character. To the north of Verduno lies the Roero region, famous for the white arneis grape giving Bel Colle immediate access to this region as well.

Review – Bel Colle’s 100 per cent arneis from Roero terroir is beautifully mid-weight and also in alcohol (13.5 per cent), with an extra layer of hue, texture and intangible impression. Low temperature skin contact for 36 hours is followed by “classic” winemaking, meaning 15 days of steel fermentation, then six months perched and soaking on its own yeasts. The white and yellow flowers, delicate honeysuckle, pure citrus and sweet herbals of arneis are all engaged. Beautiful, beautiful wine.  Value, 92 points – Michael Godel (See more reviews here.)

Food Pairings: try with less-intensely flavoured dishes like creamy pastas, white meats (chicken, turkey), fish and lighter cheese sauces.

Drink: 2021 – 2025

Quantity: 10 cases

Bel Colle Langhe Nebbiolo 2018, DOC Langhe, Piedmont, Italy
($27.32/bottle, Mondo Vino)

In 1977, three brothers (Franco, Carlo, and Giuseppe) established the Bel Colle winery in Verduno along the north-west edge of Barolo DOCG. Over the decades their work with nebbiolo has stood at the center of their operation, and their Barolos and Barbarescos have been lauded and sought-after. In particular, their work with the Monvigliero vineyard (which some have referred to as the “Grand Cru” of the Verduno area of Barolo) has garnered notice. The winery was purchased in 2015 by Luca Bosio, an innovative young winemaker in the nearby Asti region who represents the fourth generation of his family to tend vineyards and make wine in Piedmont. Bosio seized the opportunity to purchase such a prestigious property in Verduno, which is known for producing wines that are more delicate with an exceptional elegance and spicy, floral character. To the north of Verduno lies the Roero region, famous for the white arneis grape giving Bel Colle immediate access to this region as well.

Review – While you may be waiting for the window to open on Bel Colle’s most remarkable Barbaresco Pajoré 2017 and Barolo Monvigliero 2016, what you can and must do is step into this nebbiolo. From younger vines grown in the Langhe and with no expectation for patience or aging, Bel Colle’s is essential nebbiolo, fresh and restrained, calming and refreshing, righteous and right where it belongs. The purity of fruit is spoken with utmost Langhe clarity, unencumbered, without unnecessary make-up and the kind of wine no one could possibly resist. The essence of nebbiolo, the extract, distillate, tonic, tincture and so, so fine. 92 points – Michael Godel (See more reviews here.)

Food Pairings: great with sausages, duck, pork shank, beef cuts like ribeye or prime rib, or pasta dishes with tomato-based sauces.

Drink: 2021 – 2025

Quantity: 10 cases

Vino Lauria Zio Paolo Nero d’Avola 2018, IGT Terre Siciliane, Italy
($28.39/bottle, Le Sommelier)
Certified Organic

Vito Lauria is a Sicilian local. After studying winemaking in Friuli, he returned home in 2005 to take over his family’s winery in the west of Sicily, renovating the vineyards, focusing on organic viticulture. He focuses on Sicilian indigenous varieties, like Grillo, Catarratto, Fontane Bianche, and Zibibbo for whites, plus Nero d’Avola, Perricone, and Frappato for reds. His 70 hectares of vineyards are spread throughout Alcamo, ranging from 600-1000 meters and on clay and calcareous soils.

Zio Paolo is the first wine that Vito made and it takes its name from the vineyard, the expansive land around Alcamo. This organic Nero d’Avola is fresh and bright, with the pure strawberry and wild berries preserved from time in stainless.

Review – This is an organically produced nero d’avola, and one of the richer, riper yet lively versions in some time. Very generous, gushing with flavour. It sports lovely fragrance of purple rose, sweet plum/blackberry jam, a hint of licorice and light oak. It full bodied, fresh and packed with fruit. Tannins do a fine job of supporting and containing the exuberance here. Excellent length. A real joy to drink.  93 points – David Lawrason (See more reviews here.)

Food Pairings: try with rich meaty meats like oxtail soup, beef stew, steaks and burgers.

Drink: 2021 – 2023

Quantity: 20 cases

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