top picks
JENNIFER MOURANT Telmo Rodriguez 2007 Basa DO Rueda, Spain $ 16.99 Imagine a wine that doesn’ t need a dinner party, or a special occasion to make an appearance. The 2007 Basa is the perfect everyday white wine to keep your taste buds guessing. This Verdejo / Sauvignon Blanc / Viura blend displays a wonderful balance of passion fruit, melon, pear, apple, fresh fennel, and slight lemon rind to even the minerals notes. Let curiosity guide you— this is a wine with endless possibilities.
KAREN NISSEN Fattoria La Torre 2005 Stringaio Tuscany IGT $ 36.99 Grapes are handpicked at Fattoria La Torre( farm of the tower), a very small Tuscan production house I had the pleasure of visiting in January. In 2008, their Esse Syrah won Best Syrah against wines from all over the world. The equally delicious Stringaio is 70 % Syrah and 30 % Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging in oak for 12 months gives it a sweet vanilla bouquet and smooth tannins. The luscious cherry and blackberry nose follows through on the palate and is molto buono!
TODD ANTONATION Bennett Lane 2004 Maximus Napa Valley $ 47.99 Ladies and gentlemen, start your palate. Bennett Lane started out in the Nascar circuit and is now pumping out fullthrottle reds that will leave you spinning your tires. Maximus has Cassis liquor and vanilla soaked blueberries on the extremely long silky smooth finish. Ignite your BBQ, throw on a big juicy ribeye and savour every last drop of this Napa Valley feasting wine. Scored nine out of ten on the Toddometer, and also made the Toddometer Top 20 of 2008.
DARREN RAESIDE Domaine Philippe Gilbert 2007 Menetou-Salon Blanc Loire Valley, France $ 29.99 I can’ t wait to fire up the BBQ on a beautiful“ any day” night and crack something cool and crisp, refreshing and appetizing. We call these patio wines, summer sippers, or picnic wines: the whites of summer are clean, cool and calculating. My favourite is Philippe Gilbert’ s Menetou-Salon. Racy, zippy, beyond organic— it’ s biodynamic. Tradition meets modern in this truly great Sauvignon Blanc!
SARALYN MEHTA Villa Maria 2006 Private Bin Pinot Noir Marlborough New Zealand $ 27.99 I love to happen across a New World wine that is brushed with Old World sensibilities. The nose on this Pinot is New World, with loads of creamy raspberry. Yet, the palate is decidedly Old World: light-bodied with an intense, tart cherry note. This wine’ s true beauty can only be experienced if you decant, treat it to a little fresh air and drink it with a meal.
PAULINE BURNETT Maurel Vedeau 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays d’ Oc, France $ 14.99 It’ s summer, and I have a great patio wine for you to enjoy in the sun! This refreshingly light wine is a perfect match with all of those summer tapas evenings. Full of grapefruit and melons, it has a classic Sauvignon nose full of gooseberries. Let me tell you, one taste of this crisp, unoaked Sauvignon Blanc will not be enough!
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