WHITES
86 Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc 120 2002
Valle del Lontué, Valle del Curico, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Viña Santa Rita
Distributed By: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants
Santa Rita continues its work with sauvignon blanc clones and the results are impressive. The 120 series is purely varietal with no oak ageing (except for the Cabernet Sauvignon). The '02 version is extremely fresh on the nose with gooseberry and grapefruit aromas and very similar flavours. Expect a tangy grapefruit rind aftertaste that is slightly alcoholic. Serve well chilled all summer.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-20 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $9.75; BC $10.99 General; MB $9.90; ON $9.00; SK $11.95
CSPC: 275586; UPC: 089419007091
86 Concha y Toro Chardonnay Casillero del Diablo 2001
Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile
Produced By: Concha y Toro
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Open mineral/lime rind and green apple nose that is quite appealing. Similar lime rind and green apple flavours with just a touch of lees in the finish. Slightly alcoholic but a solid introductory chardonnay in the cooler elegant style.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-25 by AG
Prices: AB $11.25; BC $12.95 General; MB $10.45; NF $11.57; NS $12.95; QC $11.85; SK $12.95
CSPC: 270355; UPC: 7804320256900
86 Terra Andina Chardonnay 2001
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Terra Andina
Distributed By: Winspeer International Group Ltd.
Pleasant open nectarine spicy lees nose with a touch of nuttiness in the background. The entry is slightly fat and oily showing some heat with more baked apple and spicy nut lees in the finish. Consumers will like the mouthfeel but more fruit in the flavour would be better next time out.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-01 by AG
Prices: AB $11.95; BC $12.95 Specialty
CSPC: 631077; UPC: 830212000037
86 Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2001
Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile
Produced By: Viña Santa Rita
Distributed By: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants
Clean and fresh marked with citrus rind, citrus oil and gooseberry undertones. More citrus rind flavours fill the mouth that are tart and dry in the finish. This is a fun, mouth-puckering sauvignon that needs food.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-31 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $11.90; BC $13.99 General; MB $11.95; ON $11.95
CSPC: 275677; UPC: 089419007138
86 Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc 2002
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Terra Andina
Distributed By: Winspeer International Group Ltd.
Kiwi grapefruit sweaty grapefruit rind aromas mix with similar grapefruit rind and sour green apple flavours. The finish is bitter but balanced and soft. A no big deal summer sipper.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-31 by AG
Prices: AB $11.95; BC $12.95 Specialty
CSPC: 622597; UPC: 830212000105
85 Les Fumées Blanches Sauvignon 2001
Languedoc, South of France, France
Produced By: Jacques & Francois Lurton S.A
Distributed By: Maxxium Canada
Clean grapefruit rind and mineral nose. Round supple entry more citrus flavours and medium depth. Easy sipping wine that would pair well with light seafood or appetizers. Well made worth buying.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-31 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $10.99 Specialty
CSPC: 472555; UPC: 721298769522
85 Tyrrell's Long Flat White Semillon Sauvignon 2002
South Eastern Australia, Australia
Produced By: Tyrrell's Wines Pty., Ltd.
Distributed By: Maxxium Canada
Tight mineral passion fruit nose streaked with asparagus and jalapeño. Soft entry but crisp apple green melon citrus finish. Not for sipping but will work well with Chinese.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-31 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $10.99 General
CSPC: 183715; UPC: 093452516007
85 Julius Wile Chardonnay 2001
California, United States
Produced By: Julius Wile & Sons
Distributed By: The Bacchus Group Inc.
Buttery peach melon perfumed honey apple nose with similar honey-apple fruit flavours in a soft, simple, clean fresh style. Surprisingly good value for California and well worth trying.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-31 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $11.95
CSPC: 294728; UPC: 5002403069023
85 Miguel Torres Sauvignon Blanc Santa Digna 2001
Valle del Curico, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Miguel Torres Chile
Distributed By: Pacific Wines & Spirits 95 Ltd.
Quite an expressive cool-climate artichoke, grapefruit rind and bell pepper nose. Intense gooseberry sweaty mineral rind and a touch of artichoke. More of a Marlborough-style sauvignon with good balance but its herbal. Perhaps best served with a bowl of mussels.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $13.95 Specialty
CSPC: 520031; UPC: 8410113005213
REDS
88 Promessa Rosso Salento 2001
Apulia, Italy
Produced By: Fusione SRL
Distributed By: Empson Canada Inc.
Look for a pleasing blackberry jam and spicy peppery nose streaked with gamy/sausage meat flavours. The entry is sleek, round and smooth on the palate which helps offset the dry “Italian” tannins in the finish. A well-made, flavourful southern red. Killer value
Last Tasted: 2003-01-26 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $14.25; BC $13.95 Specialty
UPC: 8026705601108
88 Tarapaca Carmenère Reserva 2000
Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Viña Tarapaca Ex Zavala
Distributed By: Corby Distilleries Limited
Much better intensity here. Smoke pepper spice and ripe cassis/cherry fruit mark the nose and palate. Round and rich with good structure and length. Lovely smoky plum leather character and just a whiff of tannin for the future. Good red wine.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-01 by AG
Prices: BC $15.00 Specialty
87 Valdivieso Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Vina Valdivieso
Distributed By: Marfful Consultants Limited
Chunky cherry cassis fruit aromas and flavours with streaks of strawberry. Good spice and pepper with soft textures. Simple straight-ahead primary fruit flavoured cab that delivers for the price. Nice improvement this year.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $12.95 Specialty
CSPC: 412841; UPC: 7802180088853
87 Valdivieso Merlot 2002
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Vina Valdivieso
Distributed By: Marfful Consultants Limited
Pronounced sappy leafy cherry fruit nose with good spice. The texture is super soft and round; the flavours a fine mix of youthful spicy black cherry fruit. The soft minty finish is the perfect ending to an inexpensive varietal that should fly off the shelves all year.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $13.00 Specialty
CSPC: 412882; UPC: 7802180088884
87 Concha y Toro Syrah Casillero del Diablo 2001
Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Concha y Toro
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
The 2001 Casillero del Diablo Syrah has big shoes to fill given the success of its predecessors from both 1999 and 2000. The current edition is slightly more herbal on the nose with the streaks of meaty/sausage, blackberry jam, coffee grounds and vanilla. Chocolate and plum flavours with good acidity and spice make this a barbecue winner especially with pork ribs.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-11 by AG
Prices: AB $12.00; BC $12.95; MB $10.45; NF $12.25; ON $10.35; SK $12.95
CSPC: 568055; UPC: 7804320510170
87 Goats do Roam 2002
South Africa
Produced By: Fairview Estate
Distributed By: The Bacchus Group Inc.
Expect a rich fruity, gamy, meaty, licorice plum jam nose with a dash of briny tobacco. The entry is smooth soft and fleshy with additional spicy black cherry/licorice flavours. The finish is long with just a dusting of tannins in the background. Good value here when compared to its French Côte du Rhone counterparts.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-06 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 633206; UPC: 6002291000435
87 Trio Merlot 2001
Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Concha y Toro
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Big smoky aromatic oaky nose with a peppery, spicy, sausage character. Similar flavours in a smooth warm round style with more smoky, spicy plum flavours in the aftertaste. Just a touch of acidity lifts the fruit and seems to reveal a touch of orange. Excellent value.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 433920; UPC: 780432560007
87 Santa Rita Merlot 120 2001
Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Viña Santa Rita
Distributed By: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants
Smoky leather and green beans scents mix with leafy/minty highlights. Fine balance here (especially given the low price) with smooth, round textures and an inviting smoky prune-fruit and earthy character. Love the savoury fruit finish. Excellent value.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-18 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $10.12; BC $11.99 General; MB $10.20; ON $9.45; SK $11.95
CSPC: 286179; UPC: 089419007237
86 Tormaresca 2000
Italy
Produced By: Marchesi Antinori
Distributed By: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants
Open warm inviting black licorice and menthol aromas. It’s super soft on entry with more licorice, and this time, mixed with peppery raspberry fruit and just a dusting of dry tannins in the finish. Grilled pork chops would help smooth out the finish. This is New World style from Old Italy and it works. Good value.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-26 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $11.95 Specialty
CSPC: 612036; UPC: 8026530000039
86 Tarapaca Cabernet Sauvignon / Syrah La Cuesta Vineyard 2001
Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Viña Tarapaca Ex Zavala
Distributed By: Corby Distilleries Limited
Peppery crushed herb nose with cassis and shoe leather. Reasonably soft on entry with quite an earthy coffee flavoured finish. Smooth and round and easy to sip. Fine balance. A solid buy. Use liberally around the barbecue.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG
Prices: BC $12.95 Specialty
CSPC: 571349; UPC: 633567905053
86 Terra Andina Cabernet Sauvignon 2001
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Terra Andina
Distributed By: Winspeer International Group Ltd.
Sweaty leather earthy nose with tasty underlying blackberry aromas. The textures are soft and round on entry with black currant jam on the mid-palate before drying up a bit in the finish. Needs food to sing but most anything off the barbecue will work. Decent value.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-18 by AG
Prices: AB $11.95; BC $12.95 Specialty
CSPC: 622589; UPC: 830212000051
86 Tarapaca Carmenère 2000
Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Viña Tarapaca Ex Zavala
Distributed By: Corby Distilleries Limited
Open leafy crushed berry nose. Very soft on entry showing peppery cassis sour cherry flavours. The finish is soft round and plush with just a touch of alcohol. Quite an appealing texture.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-01 by AG
Prices: BC $10.95 Specialty
86 Concha Y Toro Merlot Casillero Del Diablo 2001
Valle de Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Concha y Toro
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Sappy dill cassis character on the nose with hints of spicy herb and resin in the background. Smooth spicy chocolate mint with plum fruit flavours. Well made and tasting better in 2001 than it smells. Good value.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $12.25; BC $12.95 Specialty; MB $10.45; NB $12.49; NF $11.57; NS $12.95; ON $10.35; SK $12.95
CSPC: 427088; UPC: 7804320985633
85 Delicato Family Vineyards Shiraz 2001
California, United States
Produced By: Delicato Family Vineyards
Distributed By: Pernod Ricard Canada
Good colour here. Smoky licorice blackberry aromas and stewed prune. Quite an improvement over the previous bottling. Look for a meaty spicy peppery mid-palate fruit with some dryness in the finish. A well priced everyday red.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-25 by AG
Prices: BC $12.99 Specialty
CSPC: 585059; UPC: 082242018838
85 Sunrise Carmenère 2001
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Concha y Toro
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Quite a busy nose of cool peppery tobacco leaf flavours with earthy aromas streaked with coffee and prunes. Smooth oaky entrance, round textures and more earthy peppery coffee pruny flavours with a dusting of cedar sawdust. Solid but dry best buy.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $9.60; BC $10.99 Specialty; NS $10.95; SK $10.17
CSPC: 636803; UPC: 7804320053745
85 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Casillero del Diablo 2001
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Concha y Toro
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Consistent fresh mineral grapefruit nose with a wisp of melon and butter. Mineral butter and lemon flavours with plenty of bitter lime rind. Light easy-drinking fun summer sipper style with a fairly dry finish. Serve as an aperitif or with food.
Last Tasted: 2003-03-02 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $11.95; BC $12.95 General; MB $10.45; NB $12.25; NF $11.57; NS $12.95; ON $10.90; PE $14.90; QC $11.95; SK $12.95
CSPC: 278416; UPC: 7804320303178
85 Renzo Masi Chianti Rufina 2001
Tuscany, Italy
Produced By: Renzo Masi & C.
Distributed By: Foremost Wine Domaines Inc.
You'll like the classic sangiovese nose of cherry almond and meaty licorice here. Much like its cousins on the palate there is plenty of lively acidity and fairly dry tannins in the finish. Food is the ticket to set this wine free. Mushroom and chicken tetrazzini should do the trick.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-06 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.90 Specialty
UPC: 8005256000011
85 Rocca della Macie Vernaiolo Chianti 2001
Tuscany, Italy
Produced By: Rocca delle Macie S.p.A.
Distributed By: Select Wine Merchants
Gamy meaty spicy prune with a touch of leather mark the nose of this Chianti. There is definitely better weight and roundness on entry but the ’01 acidity shows through in the finish. It’s well made and the fruit is ample but the acidity cries out for some form of spicy pork dish.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-05 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.99
CSPC: 269589; UPC: 8002305009346
85 Frescobaldi Castiglioni Chianti 2001
Tuscany, Italy
Produced By: Frescobaldi, Marchesi de'
Distributed By: Grady Wine Marketing
A 10 per cent addition of merlot to the wine adds to its mouth feel and warms up its earthy gamy nose streaked with cherry jam. This is solid everyday Chianti with fine fruit on the mid-palate before the Tuscan tannins show through in the finish.
Last Tasted: 2003-02-04 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 545319; UPC: 8007425003649
85 Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon 120 2001
Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Viña Santa Rita
Distributed By: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants
Smoky peppery dill aromas with a touch of spice in the background. As inexpensive cabernet can be it is more leafy than fruity in character. It goes in soft and round before drying out in the finish. A gritty, chewy serviceable cabernet that’s not quite as polished as its “120” merlot cousin.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-18 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $10.15; BC $11.99 General; MB $10.20; ON $10.00; SK $12.00
CSPC: 218644; UPC: 089419007114
85 MezzaCorona Pinot Grigio 2001
Trentino- Alto-Adige, Italy
Produced By: Cantine MezzaCorona
Distributed By: International Cellars Inc.
MezzaCorona has impressed us of late providing lovely clean, fresh wines with quality commensurate with its price range. The pinot grigio has an amenable pear/almond nose that makes you want to drink it. On the palate its light and dry with more buttery pear mineral fruit flavours and a soft round finish. Very well made and affordable too. Bring on the pan-fried calamari.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-13 by AG
Prices: BC $12.99 General
CSPC: 312801
85 Valdivieso Pinot Noir 2001
Region del Valle Central, Chile
Produced By: Vina Valdivieso
Distributed By: Marfful Consultants Limited
Valdivieso has done well with its reserve and latterly its barrel selection pinot noir but we have seen little of the regular version. Look for a nose that mixes cherries, celery and a rootsy barnyard aroma. The textures are soft and round the flavours cooked strawberry fruit with streaks of licorice and cola. A simple straight-ahead pinot made for the by-glass-environment in restaurants.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-13 by AG
Prices: BC $13.00 Marfful Consultants
85 Pietracolata Orvieto Classico Secco 2001
Umbria, Italy
Produced By: Pietracolata
Distributed By:
A light white with a citrus peel/grass and mineral nose with a touch of cheese. Dry round and fresh it finishes with a nutty, citrus peel, mineral flavour. A pleasant summer, seafood wine made for parties.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-12 by AG
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 631895; UPC: 72501175150
85 Château du Seigneur d'Arses Fitou 1999
Fitou, Languedoc, South of France, France
Produced By: Famille Jeanjean
Distributed By: The Bacchus Group Inc.
Big bright colour. Gamy black cherry and licorice nose to a touch of carbonic high-toned fruit aromas. Soft round fruity entry but much drier on the mid-palate and in the finish. The lean dry, earthy aftertaste takes the shine off the fruity nose.
Last Tasted: 2003-01-11 by AG
Prices: BC $14.95 Specialty
CSPC: 619387; UPC: 3597964100916
85 Trentacinquesimo Parallelo Primitivo Del Salento 2001
Apulia, Italy
Produced By: San Orsola
Distributed By:
Puglia, Italy Spicy raspberry aromas with similar flavours. Peppery game mix with bright attractive fruit. It has some of that Italian dryness in the finish but it only needs a hamburger to round it out. A fun red that reminds one of a zinfandel/grenache cross. Good value here. BC $9.95 (WA)
Last Tasted: 2003-01-06 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $9.95 Specialty
CSPC: 619403; UPC: 8005415038701
