If I Could Buy Only One – June 7th Vintages Release

We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from the June 7th release, which one would it be and why?”

Bachelder Wismer Foxcroft Gamay Noir Niagara Cru 33 Whole Cluster 2022, Ontario, Canada
$32.00, Lifford Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)
Sara d’Amato – I’m craving wines with personality, not pretence–and this week, the Wismer-Foxcroft gamay noir nails it. Bright red fruit, enhanced by a crack of black pepper and earthy, stony intrigue give it both depth and charm. Substance without heaviness, this quietly seductive, texturally compelling, lighter red is grounded in place but is hard to put down.

Huff Cuvée Peter F. Sparkling 2021, Ontario, Canada
$39.00, Huff Estates
David Lawrason – Both sentimentality and value drive my selection this time. I recently caught up with Huff winemaker Frederic Picard at an event in Toronto. I had met him soon after he arrived from France to take up his post at Huff in about 2003. He was responsible for making the very first County traditional method sparkling wine, which was revelation to most at the time. And here we are over 20 years later with bubbly being a County signature, and Frederic not missing a beat. This is 100% chardonnay but the label does not say ‘blanc de blancs’. It has gentle yet complex nose of fresh croissant, apple pie, barley sugar and crispy shallots. These flavours carry with authority and excellent focus on the palate. The acidity is riveting and so is the flavour intensity, leaving lemony, mineral finish. The length is excellent. All yours for a price well below the base rate for Champagne.

Kir Yianni Xinomavro Rosé 2024, Macedonia, Greece
$19.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
John Szabo -The theme this week is pink and so is my only one for the June 7th release: Kir-Yianni’s 2024 Xinomavro Rosé. Like, say, nebbiolo or nerello mascalese, Greece’s great xinomavro grape is already pale in colour at the best of times, and features firm, juicy acids and plenty of savoury character (xinomavro means “acid-black”, but only the first part is really true). This makes it an excellent candidate for rosé production, here made from 40-60 year old vines grown in Macedonia and using the direct press method to yield an intense, energetic, complex and engaging wine, bone dry and crunchy, another fine wine from Kir Yianni. Chill and go!

Barbadillo Pastora Manzanilla Pasada, Do Manzanilla Sanlúcar De Barrameda, Spain (375ml)
$21.95, All The Right Grapes
Megha Jandhyala – I think sherries can be some of the most intriguing and compelling wines in the world. My “only one” this week is an exquisite example from Barbadillo, their Pastora Manzanilla Pasada. This is a relatively rare style of sherry, wherein a Manzanilla is aged for a minimum of 7 years, until after the veil of flor (yeast) that protects the wine from oxidation has disintegrated. Also, this is an “en rama” sherry, meaning that it was not fined or clarified after bottling, only lightly filtered (Barbadillo was a pioneer of this style). As a result, it is rounder and more nuanced than a typical, clearer sherry. All this to say, this is a special wine, bone dry and silky, delicately saline, with delightfully nutty and toasty flavours and aromas of hay, green apple skin, and lemons. That all this complexity can be appreciated for just a hair over $20 means that buying a couple of bottles of this is a foregone conclusion for me!

Use these quick links for access to all of our June 7th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

Lawrason’s Take – June 7th
Megha’s Picks – June 7th
John’s Top Picks – June 7th
Sara’s Selections – June 7th