The whites

Last column, I wrote about the red wines available in the “Vintages Essential” collection at the Bay Street store in the Station Mall, and so this week it is time to check out the whites; of course, the Great Northern Road store will have most of these and more, but when a trek up the highway is not convenient, you can generally be satisfied with the downtown selection.

Ontario is being increasingly recognized for the excellent quality of its Riesling, a grape ideally suited for our “cool climate” conditions as they present themselves in Niagara.

In fact, one of the wines on the September 13 Vintages release, the Charles Baker 2011 Picone Vineyard, $35.20, is considered one of the top 20 Rieslings in the world in the medium dry category by Riesling authority Stuart Pigott.

Charles, the Director of Marketing and Sales for Stratus Vineyards, has followed his passion in pursuit of the production of great Rieslings, and since 2005 has worked with the Picone Vineyard to create this top notch wine – but you have to order it in by Tuesday if you want to try it - none is scheduled for the Sault.

But, as I was saying, there are some other fine Rieslings on the Bay Street shelves.

Megalomaniac “Narcissist” 2011, $17.95 has a citrus backbone along with some apple and pear notes, while Cave Spring Cellars’ Estate Bottled 2011, $17.95, is slightly drier with the suggestion of lemon and mineral along with good intensity.

At Featherstone, the sheep are tasked in the vineyard to eat leaves off the vine, exposing the grapes to the sun, and Black Sheep honours that relationship in the Riesling’s name, with the 2012, $16.95, off-dry with some lushness balancing the acidity and a whiff of the classic petrol on the nose.

Vineland Estates Elevation Riesling 2011, $19.95 employs the clone that Hermann Weis brought to Canada in the mid 70’s from the family’s famous St. Urbans -hof Estate in the Mosel region of Germany.

This lovely wine, capable of aging, balances sugar and acid impeccably with stone fruit and citrus in play.

Ontario Chardonnay is also well represented, with the Malivoire 2011 Chardonnay, $19.95, given a little time to breathe, showing some light oak and vanilla with good balance and mineral notes on the finish.

Tawse Sketches of Niagara 2011 Chardonnay, $19.95, from a winery dedicated to organic an biodynamic methods, honours that style with a very clean but appealing wine, balancing creamy apple and lemony citrus flavours, along with a touch of oak and good typical character.

There are half a dozen California Chardonnays, including the J. Lohr Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2012, $17.95, with a big nose of tropical fruit and butterscotch, peach and apple flavours balanced with good acidity, yet carrying some creaminess and toast from oak aging.

Kendall Jackson’s Vintner’s Reserve 2013, $19.95, is also 100% barrel fermented, and emphasizes the tropical fruit with big flavours in a rich style, while the organic Fetzer Bonterra Chardonnay 2012, $19.95, comes across in a cleaner style, with flavours expanding and evolving as you sip.

There are a number of French whites, including the old vine La Chablisienne 2009, $24.95, a concentrated, un-oaked steely white ideal for seafood.

From New Zealand, Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, $18.95, is a classic gooseberry and passion fruit lip-smacker, while the un-oaked Kim Crawford East Coast chardonnay 2013, $18.95, provides citrus notes associated with theMarlborough region and peach/nectarine flavours associated with Hawkes Bay.

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, $17.95 is Vintages top seller, for good reason – a great sipper, it pairs equally well with seafood and with chicken dishes, crisp enough on the finish, yet carrying good fruit flavours on the palate.

Whatever kind of white you might desire, Vintages Essentials should have what you need.

September 13 Release

It is $40 a bottle, but La Rioja Alto Vina Ardanza Reserva 2004 was #22 on the Wine Spectator’s “Top 100” list for 2013 and earned a “Robert Parker Jr.” 93 as well –however you describe it, the nose is gorgeous and expressive, the flavours juicy, fresh, and “penetrating”, the tannins polished, the finish subtle but long and pure… 12 bottles are expected, but there may be much greater demand, so phone in by Tuesday if you want in on the action - 705-759-7740.

Another Spanish red, Muruve Crianza 2010, $17.95 is also highly touted, promising “flavors of loamy, rooty black fruits [while] chocolate and coffee finish long” according to the Wine Enthusiast.

Stobi Vranac 2010, $13.95 is one of those rarely seen Macedonian reds with a kinship to Zinfandel and Primitivo, and it is quite appealing with good dark fruit flavours, while Pegos Claros 2010, $14.95 from Portugal may be the sleeper of the release, with hefty tannin, big concentration, and dark ripe fruit,.

Coppi Peucetico Primitivo 2007, $13.95, will please you both for its quality and price, considered a superb value by the Toronto Star for its “earthy plum, mint, black cherry and cedar delivery.”

South Africa’s Stellenrust Wild Yeast Barrel Fermented chardonnay, 2011, $17.95, entices with its bold aromas, good crisp middle, and nutty, caramel notes on the finish.

For a different take on Chardonnay, Cave Spring Estate Bottled Chardonnay Musqué, $15.95 pushes the scale to the aromatic side with melon and peach on the nose, and lush flavours of ripe fall apple and melon.

There are many other good finds on this release, so happy foraging.