Caves de Papes Cotes de Ventoux 2006 - $10.85
Style: R2
France: Rhone
Deep black cherry colour in colour, this grenache-based wine shows rich and spicy with a slightly gamey note. Aromas include plum, black currants and earth with a touch of leather. Round and creamy with a cool acidity, firm, slightly-dusty tannins, and dried berry flavours. Very good body and length. A bit young, but very yummy with loads of character. A good match with red meats, moussaka or lamb.
Worth a Look..
I've spoken out regularly on the market's steady move toward a just a few popular grapes. Here are two very good arguments to make every effort to preserve diversity in the vineyard. (My thanks to Mountain Road for "volunteering" these wines or review.)
Mountain Road Marechal Foch 2003 - $12.95
Style: R1
Niagara
One of the best Hybrid grapes, Foch was instrumental in helping the Ontario wine industry get over its dependence on varieties such as Concord and Niagara. Deep black garnet colour, the wine shows rich spice, smoke, black currant, plum, and a bit of earth. There's a nippy spice on the palate, with firm tannins, cherry and blueberry flavours. Very good body and length. Light and fruity and very food friendly with just the right amount of "Foch funk".
Mountain Road Gamay 2003 - $12.95
Style: R1
Niagara
In the event you don't know this bit of trivia, Gamay is the only red grape grown in Beaujolais, and it shows great promise for Ontario as well. Deep ruby garnet colour. The somewhat gamey nose shows prune, leather and smokey aromas. Very smokey on the palate, with firm tannins, cherry-cinnamon flavour and a light profile. Medium bodied and with very good length, it's on a par with the some of the best Beaujolais. Will last another two years in the cellar and it's an incredible bargain. Try with turkey or mainstream chili
1 comment:
Mountain Road Foch ... I missed that one, not even knowing that they make a Foch. Being a fan of the variety, this will be worth trying - thanks for the note. As an aside, I think that with all the old plantings of Concord and Niagara throughout the peninsula, someone should try to market clean, crisp, dry sipping wines from the varieties. I just bottled my '07 dry Concord from fruit picked near Grimsby last September, and it is subtly fragrant and not in the least like the awful stuff that people still associate with the Concord name.
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