Buyer’s Guide to Vintages August 16th Release

A Bushel of Adventurous Late Summer Whites (that are not Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)

by David Lawrason, with notes from John Szabo MS, Michael Godel and Megha Jandhyala

The cover of the Vintages catalogue offers up a bland main course of Summer Smart Buys, with a side of “Favourite Greek Wines.” I am more pumped than that. I am actually excited by the wide range of whites that offer great diversity, typicity and complexity. They are adventurous alternatives to mainstream chardonnay and sauvignon. And as we anticipate the end of the sweltering summer of 2025 these are wines that will still refresh but offer more weight, character and power for the cooler evenings coming in late August, September and into October.

Let’s begin with Greece, which gets its own section leading off our picks below, and some insights from John Szabo. My overall observation of late is that the quality and value of Greek whites and reds is ascending rapidly, and that stylistically they are delivering wines of tension, structure and a certain of quench — white and red — that really works with Greek cuisine, of course, but also amid the kind of heat we have experienced this summer. And yes, Greece is hot too. So, is there an intrinsic, ancient link to the development of a Greek wine style based on climate? The Muses are musing on this very question as we speak.

I move eagerly to South Africa, and a pair of chenin blanc-based whites by two rock star properties in the interior arid Swartland: Badenhorst and Mullineux. I visited both in one day last December, along with Sadie Family Wines — the holy trinity of wineries that are elevating not only Swartland but all of South Africa on the world stage. They are making wines of great power, dimension and expressiveness, that are among the most expensive in South Africa. Vintages selections are lower tier but still deliver the goods. Don’t hesitate to purchase if still on the shelf.

Next, two surprising Niagara whites. Chateau des Charmes is not often in the forefront in the Niagara discourse, as it goes through transition from ownership by the Bosc family. But the soul of this property has always been the viticultural experimentation that Paul Bosc Sr. did in establishing a vine nursery in the 1980s. One of the varieties that seemed to work was savagnin, a white from the Jura region of sub-alpine France. I remember quite glorious Chateau des Charmes savagnins in the past — made in the oxidative Jura style. This “new” Saviagnin take is brighter, fresher and intriguing flavour wise.

And then there is the “what’s this?” white called Weiss, a virtual label from the Collab Wine & Beverage project housed at Marynissen in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The winemaker is Jeff Moote who has had a coming out recently with his powerful and precise Divergence wines. Weiss is a bright, balanced blend of Niagara-grown viognier, marsanne and pinot gris. The first two varietals are native to southern France, so hardly expected in Niagara. But Moote has sourced them (marsanne is planted at Kew Vineyards on the Beamsville Bench) and rendered a fine, spicy and exotic white.

Segue to the south of France, where Michel Chapoutier and chef Yannick Alleno have delivered a rare (in Ontario) 100% northern Rhone marsanne from the St. Joseph appellation. I was first alerted to the power and potential of solo northern Rhone marsanne during my first visit to Chapoutier way back and have really not experienced many examples since. But this one delivers finesse, elegance and power for a relative song.

From the Rhone over to Northeast Italy, where we find a selection of very good pinot grigios that seem to carry a bit more gravitas and ripeness than the norm. Is this climate change in action, or picking later for more weight, alcohol and almost tropical flavours? Whatever, pinot grigio is seeming less boring than in years passed. There is also an organically grown Soave at a very good price.

And still in northern Italy but moving into the realm of tall bottle aromatic whites there is a terrific dry gewurztraminer from Alto Adige, where it is speculated that gewurz originated. Elsewhere in central Europe, a mature Alsatian sylvaner offers insight into the durability of the rich, dry whites of this warmer northeastern corner of France. While further east at about the same latitude the steep slopes of the Kamptal region along the upper Danube offers a scintillating young, mineral riesling. There is a very elegant, unusual arinto from Portugal’s Vinho Verde. And finally, from New Zealand, the return of the excellent Greywacke Pinot Gris, which is always a cut above.

We do recommend some excellent reds below as well, but this collection of whites simply struck me as an unusually large, diverse and intriguing group to explore at the perfect time of year. Please, proceed to our picks below, arranged as always in ascending price order within the categories.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages August 16th: Greece

Skouras Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2024, Peloponnese, Greece
$19.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
David Lawrason -This is a classic assyrtiko — a bold yet elegant dry white with fine herbal lemongrass and tropical fruit aromas. It is medium-full bodied, fairly dense yet so energized, with some heat and bitterness and salinity on the finish. Fine fruit presence here amid all the other intriguing distractions.
Megha Jandhyala – Herbal, citrusy and faintly saline, with a botanical and tonic-water infused finish, this is a familiar and approachable rendition of assyrtiko. At under $20, it also represents good value.

Atlantis Dry White 2024, Santorini, Greece
$27.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
John Szabo – Even with recent price increases, Argyros’s Atlantis White remains one of the fine white wine values of southern Europe. It’s labelled as PGI Cyclades, but younger estate fruit from Santorini finds its way into the assyrtiko-dominant blend (with a splash of athiri and aidani), along with purchased fruit. One wonders how much longer it will be possible to make this wine from any Santorini fruit, as grape prices on the island have skyrocket into untenable territory. A terrific by-the-glass option, or house white, for now.

Kir Yianni Ramnista Xinomavro 2020, Naoussa, Greece
$38.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
John Szabo – The late Yianni Boutari, founder of the Kir-Yianni estate was undoubtedly a pioneer and key figure in reviving and promoting the fortunes of the Naoussa appellation of northern Greece, and especially its protagonist red variety xinomavro. I’ve had 20+ year-old bottles from this single vineyard, and I can report that the wine ages magnificently, and I can also say that current vintages, like this 2020, are even better. It bears a resemblance to nebbiolo in its pale garnet colour and abundance of acids and tannins, though this example shows thorough ripeness, also more profound fruit. It’d be worth buying multiple bottles to follow over the next 10 to 20 years.
Michael Godel – A vintage of varietal depth that has settled and folded into itself nicely. Now at peak, musky aromatics melding with sweetly rustic flavours with as much earth as fruit.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages August 16th: White Wines

Abcdarium Arinto Vinho Verde 2023, Vinho Verde, Portugal
$16.95, Louis Charles Agency
David Lawrason – Arinto is widely used in Portugal to bring natural acidity to white blends. Here it is a rare stand alone. It has fairly lifted, almost delicate aromas of yellow florals, peach, lemon and subtle spice. It is light bodied (12.5%) taut and even. The poise earns extra marks.

Crios De Susana Balbo Chardonnay 2024, Mendoza, Argentina
$16.95, Profile Wine Group (Barrique)
Michael Godel – Crios is cool and delightful chardonnay, just tight and tart enough to remind that acidity matters, springs into action and helps to elevate the fruit.
Megha Jandhyala – This is an inexpensive chardonnay whose appeal lies in its inviting cheerfulness and bonhomie. It should please most people regardless of their wine prowess, making it approachable in more than one sense.

Mucchietto Organic Soave 2023, Veneto, Italy
$18.95, Mark Anthony Group
David Lawrason – This organically grown Soave shows a very ripe nose of peach with yellow raisin, dried flowers and hay. It is medium bodied and quite rich yet poised with a fine seam of acidity and minerality. Very generous, well balanced and satisfying.

Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2024, Swartland, South Africa
$19.95, The Living Vine
John Szabo – This continues to remain one of the finest white wine values out of South Africa (and thus the planet), a wine I love for its seamless texture, its range of tonic and white-fruited flavours, gently honeyed, and the unexpected length. Buy. Enjoy. Tell no one.
Michael Godel – Unwavering energy, spirit, drive because of quality, integrity and passion. Loving the sweetness of acidity and the way the wine carries forth.

Battersea Weiss 2023, Ontario, Canada
$26.00, Marynissen Estates Limitged
John Szabo – An unlikely blend of viognier, marsanne, and pinot gris from Niagara — I’d be completely lost trying to identify it blind, admittedly, but I’d be intrigued, to be sure, by its of waxy, lactic, yellow-fleshed orchard fruit flavours with surprising range and intensity, and complexity.

Loimer Kamptal Riesling 2023, Dac Kamptal

Loimer Kamptal Riesling 2023, Kamptal, Austria
$28.95, Le Sommelier Inc.
Michael Godel – Technically not a dry riesling yet the aromas indicate an aridity, beguiling and attractive, of fruit and composite energies. A white wine as versatile as any.
Megha Jandhyala – This is delightfully rich with flavour, and fresh, supported by vivid acidity. Given its intensity and balance, it is a versatile addition to the dinner table, pairing well with rich and creamy dishes like clam chowder and spice-infused curries from India and Thailand.

Peter Zemmer Gewurztraminer 2023, Alto Adige-Trentino, Italy
$29.95, 30 50 Imports
Michael Godel – Arch-classic gewürztraminer, exotic and stylish, clean, modern and with less residual sugar. There are ways to make great use of such a complex and adaptable wine.
David Lawrason – This is a brilliant, high-altitude gewürztraminer — leaner than those of Alsace — but so expressive of the variety. This lifts off with exotic orange, ginger, lychee, licorice and all kinds of spice. It is medium weight, firm, rich and dry with great flavour intensity and length.

Greywacke Pinot Gris 2023, Marlborough, New Zealand
$32.95, Connexion Oenophilia
Megha Jandhyala – Kevin Judd has crafted a striking pinot gris here — sleek and rich, yet firm. Flavours range from flinty to succulent stone fruit, all engaging and in harmony with one another. Faintly sweet and inspired by Alsace, yet distinctive in its own way, this pinot gris has a timeless charisma.

Alléno & Chapoutier Croix De Chabot Blanc 2023, Rhône, France
$39.95, Profile Wine Group (Vin Vino)
John Szabo – A co-pro between Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno and celebrated vigneron Michel Chapoutier, this is a broad and rich, ripe, fleshy, honeyed, maturing marsanne with an exceptional amount of flavour and complexity on offer. It’s a rich white for equally rich dishes, or cold winter nights, or both.
Michael Godel – Croix de Chabot Blanc is varietal marsanne taken from a single vineyard, clean with great richness in the most effective, swaying, sing-song and balanced way.

Mullineux Old Vines White Wo Swartland 2024, South Africa
$39.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
John Szabo – Another magical Old Vines White bottling from the Mullineuxs, a riff on citrus and custard pear and pot pourri mixed with fresh lilies and honey-slathered wet, hot stones, with a full, fleshy palate. There’s massive flavour intensity and depth, and length. Such terrific wine, such class. Drink now through 2030.
David Lawrason – Chris and Andea Mullineux have been awarded South African Winery of the Year five times by the highly respected Platter’s Guide. This Old Vines white is based on chenin blanc with clairette blanche and grenache blanc. It has a very appealing yet understated nose of candied pear, honey butter, flint, florals and spice. It is full bodied, firm and powerful — yet so well balanced and deep. In the world of great whites, a steal at $40.
Megha Jandhyala – This is a special white wine — an improbable combination of concentration, complexity, clarity and elegance. I cannot decide what I am more taken with, its prismatic flavour profile, silky texture, or memorable, nuanced finish. In any case, it is thoroughly enthralling.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages August 16th: Red Wines

Domaine Brunely Ventoux 2022, Rhône, France
$15.95 Origin Wine & Spirits
John Szabo – A really pleasing wine at the price, impeccably made and delicious in the end. No great shakes of structure or complexity, but at $16, this is exactly what I want, and then some.

Château Saint Roch Chimères Grenache/Carignan/Syrah Côtes Du Roussillon Villages 2022, Midi, France
$19.95, Glencairn Wine Merchants
Megha Jandhyala – Warm, plush, and dense, this inky blend of grenache/carignan/syrah from Roussillon is full of varietal and local character. I recommend lightly chilling it to showcase its supple red fruit flavours and temper the warmth of its palate

Hither & Yon Grenache/Mataro 2023, South Australia, Australia
$24.95, Buyers + Cellars Wine Purveyors
David Lawrason – This very generous, chillable BBQ red pours fairly pale thanks to the 70% dominance of grenache. Expect lifted, classic strawberry/cherry jam, a streak of peppermint, cinnamon and wood spice. It is medium bodied, warm and smooth with good acidity, fine tannins and excellent length.

Louis Latour Morgon 2023, Beaujolais, France
$25.95, Mark Anthony Group
John Szabo – Clean, sophisticated, impeccably made cru Beaujolais from the storied house of Louis Latour, and attractively priced, worth buying several bottles of to follow over the next few years, delicious as it is now.

Wending Home Cabernet Franc Estate Vineyard 2021, Ontario, Canada
$29.95, Wending Home Estate Winery
Michael Godel – First tasted blind and this second go leaves me duly impressed. This time knowing full well what wine is poured but no change in attitude or assessment — only reinforcement — because Wending Home’s 2021 defines the beauty and potential of Niagara cabernet franc.

Bachelder Bai Xu Niagara Cru 32% Whole Cluster Gamay Noir 2021, Ontario, Canada
$29.95, Lifford Wine & Spirits (Select Wine Merchants)
Megha Jandhyala – As beguiling and graceful as it will ever be, this silky gamay, made from the oldest gamay vines in Canada, is ready to savour. Nuances of age add dimension to its fruity, floral, delicately peppery flavour profile.
David Lawrason – Such grace and energy here! This is from gamay vines planted in 1981 in Four Mile Creek, purchased by Jackson and Amy Bai in 2015. It is not a “carbonic” gamay, instead traditionally fermented then aged 17 months in old barrels. So, it behaves like pinot noir. Now maturing, it has moved into a very calm, tidy and elegant place. It is light bodied with fresh, juicy acidity, modest alcohol and just an echo of tannin.

Caparzo Brunello Di Montalcino 2019, Tuscany, Italy
$59.95, The Case For Wine
John Szabo – A beautiful Brunello from the exceptional 2019 vintage, also drinking wonderfully now. It will immediately transport you to the Tuscan countryside, a wine of both power and finesse, finely drawn and detailed with a very persistent finish.

Renieri Re Di Renieri 2021, Tuscany, Italy
$61.95, Connexion Oenophilia
Megha Jandhyala – This blend of Bordeaux varieties is arresting in its adolescent beauty. Potent, rich, and spry, it will mellow and integrate in a couple of years, morphing into a velvety wine of finesse, whilst retaining its concentration and complexity.

And that is a wrap for this edition. We will return, with Sara d’Amato back aboard, to review the August 30, Labour Day weekend release.

Use these quick links for access to all of our August 16th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

John’s Top Picks – August 16th
Lawrason’s Take – August 16th
Megha’s Picks – August 16th
Michael’s Mix – August 16th

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