Buyer’s Guide to Vintages October 19th Release

Holiday Wines, Teaching Moments and Fact-Checking the BC situation
by David Lawrason with notes from Sara d’Amato, John Szabo and Michael Godel (and wishing Megha Jandhyala success on her WSET Diploma exam this week)

Thanksgiving leftovers should be just about done, but Home Depot is already selling fake Christmas trees amid the Hallowe’en displays. Darth Vader v. Santa Claus in Aisle 3.

But we wine fans really know the holidays are upon us when Vintages starts to dole out those pre- packaged holiday gift items, and heavy hitter collectors’ wines — often the same ones they have done for 20 years. We rarely have access to taste and review them, but I can confidently predict they will be excellent quality and overpriced.

Below we recommend more reasonably priced wines and better buys in the very large October 19 release. There are gems from good old, reliable and always intriguing Italy, which is featured in the Vintages catalogue this month. Is there anyone who doesn’t gravitate to Italian wine?

But as we taste through these selections other unexpected themes and teaching points emerge. For instance, you can purchase two Italian volcanic whites to really get a handle on the flinty/smoky ambiance these soils impart — Inama 2022 Soave and Tornatore 2022 Etna Rosso. Likewise, there is a random alignment that introduces the energy of emerging, cooler clime Atlantic coast wines of South America— Wapisa 2023 Malbec from Rio Negro in Patagonia, and Bodegas Garzon 2022 Tannat from Maldonado in Uruguay. And from Spain a chance to truly grasp the appeal of uber-classic Rioja via three wines from Vina Tondonia.

The Okanagan Situation: Facts and Opinions

Feel free to jump right to our picks below, but I want to report on the non-existent 2024 harvest in B.C., and all the ramifications unleashed by a polar vortex cold snap on January 20 that reduced the harvest to a drop in the bucket, and caused widespread, but not universal, site-specific replanting of vineyards.

I spent four days in the Okanagan and Similkameen over Thanksgiving, visiting 10 wineries and tasting many other B.C. wines at Kitchen Party events. I got all kinds of firsthand facts and opinions on the situation.

Fact number one is that, ironically, 2024 woulda’ coulda’ shoulda’ been a great vintage in the Okanagan. The season had limited excessive summer heat, no wildfire smoke and wonderful warm, dry conditions through September and into Thanksgiving weekend. Only thing missing is grapes. None of the wineries I visited are making 2024 wines from B.C. grapes.

Fact: Some wineries that are financially weaker are up for sale or out of business. Those that are in for the longer haul are wasting no time going to Washington for Bordeaux varieties and Oregon for Burgundian pinot and chardonnay. There is steady stream of trucks driving overnight into Washington to pick up early morn harvested fruit, then returning home to process same day. They report fairly easy paperwork passage at the Osoyoos-Oroville border crossing. This process is so far along that some U.S. sourced wines are already on shelf.

Fact and opinion: This practice has been authorized by the B.C. government, for a period of three years, which may or may not be long enough to see replanted B.C. wineries get back into production. But the powers that be have not yet come down with the approved verbiage on the label to designate that the fruit/wine is imported under this three-year window. Obviously, the wines will not be VQA, nor are they allowed to use American Viticultural Appellations. But how exactly they will be identified for consumers is not yet set in stone. Meanwhile the horse is bolting from the barn, creating an unfortunate window of wild interpretation. Most wineries it seems are at least creating graphically distinctive labels, but an exact statement is required.

Fact and Opinion: The price of Washington grapes is 40% lower, on average, than B.C. grapes. So, you can imagine the economic joy and imperative of going to Washington. And if you combine this advantage with the opinion (by one winemaker I talked to) that the fruit is of equal or better quality than that from B.C., one can wonder how temporary this whole exercise will be.

Fact & Opinion: So, some in the industry and media are concerned that this three-year window of importation spells the end of B.C. VQA and an industry built on local terroir. One winemaker characterized this opinion as people “running around with their hair on fire.” My answer is to get this stuff properly labeled now, then let a duly informed marketplace decide.

Opinion: I have faith that those, like me, who care about the identity of B.C. wine — especially given all the recent work to create unique sub-appellations — will ensure that idea keeps going, in whatever direction Mother Nature dictates. She is the boss!

FYI: We were pleased to be highlighted in the September 21, 2024 Vintages New Releases magazine as a review source that the LCBO trusts. WineAlign is listed among the most respected wine publications in the world. When it comes to wine contests we also run the National Wine Awards of Canada where all wines are tasted blind by our panel of judges.

Source: Vintages Magazine September 21, 2024

Here are our picks from the October 19 release, arranged in ascending price order.

Buyer’s Guide October 19: Sparkling and White Wines

Alois Lageder Terra Alpina Pinot Grigio 2022, Alto Adige, Italy
$19.95, Mark Anthony Group
Michael Godel – No matter what you think you know or feel about point grigio, the grape is elevated from Vigneti delle Dolomiti vines and this from top producer Alois Lageder is a prime example of the ennoblement. Separates this varietal wine from the sea of northern Italian ubiquity.

Skouras Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2023, Peloponnese, Greece
$19.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
Sara d’Amato – A notable textural experience, this wild ferment assyrtiko features toasty lees and a pleasant degree of underlying verve that elevates the citrus and saltiness of the palate. Grown at 620 meters in elevation, yet still richer and more concentrated than many of its Santorini counterparts.

Inama Vin Soave Classico 2022, Veneto, Italy
$22.95, ROY + CO. SELECTIONS INC.
John Szabo – Fine ripeness on this warm 2022 vintage Soave from regional leaders Inama — I love the seamless texture and lingering finish, and the contained orchard fruit flavours, oak free, pure, so well done. Drink or hold up to a half-dozen years.
David Lawrason – Ditto, don’t miss it.

San Giacomo Del Comune Di Gavi 2022, Piedmont, Italy
$22.95, Stem Wine Group Inc.
John Szabo – A Gavi of uncommon complexity and interest, an appealingly stony and citric, apple-driven oak-free example, with a streak of zesty acids and good lingering finish. Plenty of wine for $24.
Michael Godel – If you would like to experience a perfectly honest and expertly produced direct-to-your-needs Gavi made with the local cortese grape, then this from Tenuta San Giacomo is about as ideal as it gets as a place to start. This is just spot-on correct and satisfying northwestern Italian white wine.
David Lawrason – This exemplary Gavi packs complexity and structure – a serious but not heavy white. Expect complex and generous honeysuckle, flint, ripe yellow raisin and subtle herbs. It is medium weight, fleshy yet shows a fine core of acidity and minerality.

Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc 2023, New Zealand
$23.95, Vinexx
David Lawrason – This bright, pristine and well-balanced sauvignon is a Marlborough favourite. Expect fairly intense aromas of green mango, grapefruit, fresh mint, subtle bell pepper and celery — all so well-proportioned. It is medium weight, fresh, yet serious.

Blomidon Crémant Style Extra Dry Sparkling, Nova Scotia, Canada
$34.95, Le Sommelier Inc.
John Szabo – Properly tight, clean and stony, with no shortage of stony-flinty-smoky character, a classic aperitif style. Bring on those east coast oysters.

Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2021, Mosel, Germany
$39.95, Select Wine Merchants
David Lawrason – Delicious, precise, late-harvest German rieslings like this are becoming rare in the marketplace, so latch on to try a great one. The nose is sensational — with peach-apricot, lemon, linden blossom, honey and slate minerality. It is medium sweet, yet so refined with excellent length.
John Szabo – What a lovely wine! So fragrant and elegant, floral and classically styled, sweet but well balanced by those Mosel acids. Delicate, finessed yet long and intense. Drinking well now, but of course this will hold well into the 2030s.

Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay 2022, California, Usa
$149.95, The Vine Agency
Sara d’Amato – There’s no pretending this is a bargain, but it is a premium-priced wine that won’t disappoint, from a house that works with a single, proprietary chardonnay clone that they’ve been honing since 1980. The resulting low-yielding, small-berry fruit translates into an unparalleled experience of sophisticated decadence.

Buyer’s Guide October 19: Red Wines

Villa Wolf Pinot Noir 2022, Pfalz, Germany
$18.95, Select Wine Merchants
Sara d’Amato – From a warmer, drier climate in western Germany, the Pfalz is a region to watch for elegant spätburgunder, a.k.a. pinot noir. Punchy and engaging, this is not the delicate German pinot noir of old, but rather a supple and flavourful find without any significant oak. Lightly peppery, effortlessly drinkable, and varietally distinctive.

Wapisa Malbec 2022, Patagonia, Argentina
$21.95, DB Wine & Spirits
David Lawrason – This is a delicious “lighter’ malbec” from the cooler Atlantic coast of Patagonia. It is very fragrant and floral with violet, fresh mint/evergreen, mulberry/pomegranate fruit. It is medium-full bodied yet quite tender and juicy.

Garzón Reserva Tannat 2022, Uruguay
$23.95, Mark Anthony Group
Michael Godel – Streamlined, honest, direct and pure. Juicy ripe fruit with a spirit and airiness with thanks to prominent Maldonado elevation. So well made, and the super plus is the lightweight bottle. Bravo on so many levels.

San Polo Rubio 2021, Tuscany, Italy
$24.95, Profile Wine Group (Vin Vino)
John Szabo – Sangiovese with 10% merlot and 5% cabernet franc, this is terrific wine for the money, so honest and forthright, comfortably balanced and elegant, a sheer delight to sip. This would be at ease on the table with many Tuscan wines at twice the price. Drink or hold up to 5 years.

Invivo X, Sjp Marlborough Pinot Noir 2022, Marlborough, New Zealand
$27.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
David Lawrason – This is a bright, lively and quite intense pinot with real class and a bit more structure than many at the price. The fruit is very generous cran-raspberry with flecks of evergreen, rose and harmonized oak. Quite juicy and mouthwatering with fine tannin.

Tawse Quarry Road Pinot Noir 2021, Ontario, Canada
$35.95, Tawse
David Lawrason – The higher altitude, fringy Quarry Road site is one of the best in Niagara, always delivering more tension and depth, it seems, than most. In this lighter pinot vintage it has offered up a classic, complex Burgundian pinot. It is firm, a touch lean and sour-edged but well composed with excellent focus and length.
Sara d’Amato – Highlighting another top pinot site from the Niagara region, this organically farmed find is bright and light but not shy on complexity or length. A naturally spicy wine that features aromas of black pepper, thyme, cherry and botanicals. Well-poised and cleanly made with delicate, drink-me-now tannins and a juicy palate.
John Szabo – Tawse’s 2021 pinot from the cool and windy Quarry Road vineyard in the Vinemount Ridge sub-appellation on top of the Niagara Escarpment. This is at a fine stage of development, delivering ample floral perfume, old wood spice and lovely silky-firm texture. In the world of pinot, this has to be counted among the sharp values. Drink or hold another 5–7 years.

Château Le Puy Emilien 2020, Bordeaux, France
$37.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
David Lawrason – This is a real beauty — a very elegant merlot-based Bordeaux from a limestone-based plateau. Expect lifted, enchanting classic Bordeaux aromas of ripe blackberry, violet, generous cedar, tobacco and spice. It is medium bodied, lithe and graceful with very fine tannin.
Michael Godel – Great Côtes de Bordeaux fruit for the vintage, earthy and edgy but mainly to serve a purpose of spirit, energy and life. Tannins suggest five purposed years of service ahead.
John Szabo – A “natural” wine of its own admission, Le Puy has been farming their vineyards organically for 400 years. This low-sulfite expression includes slightly oxidative fruit character and some leathery-barnyard notes, though it all seems to work curiously well, a genuine agricultural product with all of the beautiful ups and downs of nature.

Tornatore Pietrarizzo Etna Rosso 2021, Sicily, Italy
$37.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
John Szabo – Wild strawberry and wild herbs, dried earth and tonic qualities feature here, one of the best vintages so far for this single-contrada bottling from Tornatore. I find the balance impeccable and the palate seamless. Drink or hold into the early 2030s.
David Lawrason – What a beautiful, bright aromatic display with lifted cranberry, botanicals and myriad spices. It is medium weight, intense and juicy with fresh acidity, warmth and all-round great energy. Tannins are gritty but constructive. The length is excellent.

Hidden Bench Locust Lane Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020, Ontario, Canada
$49.20, Mark Anthony Group
Sara d’Amato – An excellent vintage from a distinguished vineyard, this pinot noir is an absolute delight to drink right now, and its price is more than fair. I like the organic aroma profile with notes of mossy wet stones. The palate shows some pleasant bottle-aged character and is lightly leathery with a soothing dose of juicy red cherries. Well-integrated oak spice contours the fruit and doesn’t take away from the complex and expressive nature of this single-vineyard pinot noir.

R. Lopez De Heredia Viña Bosconia Reserva 2013, Rioja, Spain
$54.95, John Hanna & Sons
Michael Godel – Words like cultural, traditional and heritage define the meaning of Viña Bosconia. A classic Rioja in an altered appellative state of affair because this notion of saffron (a touch of botrytis perhaps) elevates the character and behaviour to act almost giddy, excited and liberated.

Castello Di Ama San Lorenzo Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2019, Tuscany, Italy
$76.95, Halpern Enterprises
Michael Godel – The Gran Selezione is a name of fantasy but also connected to the vineyard that lends this top-tier appellative wine its name. A very important vintage because there are times when Gran Selezione must be accessible early with unequivocal structure allowing it to age.

Buyer’s Guide October 19: Fortified Wines

Barbadillo Solear Manzanilla, Jerez, Spain
$13.95, All The Right Grapes
Sara d’Amato – Like fino sherry, Manzanilla a dry fortified wine made from the palomino grape and aged under flor yeast, but it differs in that it is made around the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda instead of Jerez. Packaged in a very convenient half-bottle size (as these wines don’t last long open in the fridge), this richer-than-the-norm style opens with aromas of salty sea breeze followed by an ethereal mouthfeel with notes of fennel, crisp apple and green olives.

Churchill’s LBV Port 2005, Douro, Portugal
$36.95, John Hanna & Sons
David Lawrason – This perfectly matured LBV has a clear, lovely nose of cedar, clove, licorice, Christmas cake and warmed berry compote. Quite exotic. It is full bodied, warm and rich, and very smooth. A bit boozy and hot but has all the character of a mature vintage port at one-third the price.

And that’s a wrap for this edition. We return two weeks hence with our picks and thoughts on the November 2 release. – David

Use these quick links for access to all of our October 19th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-Premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.
Lawrason’s Take – October 19th
Michael’s Mix – October 19th
Sara’s Selections – October 19th
Szabo’s Smart Buys – October 19th

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