Read more about these special wines below, and order your bottles through CLASSICS online as of 8:30am, Thursday, March 2.
Champagne Gosset Celebris Extra Brut 2007
This special Cuvée, created in 1993, is the culmination of Gosset style. This blend of 57% Chardonnay, 43% Pinot Noir comes from 10 villages across the Côte des Blancs, Montagne de Reims, and Vallée de la Marne. After a stainless ferment, sans MLF, it spent 10 years on lees before disgorgement, with 8.6 g/L.
“The 2007 Celebris Extra Brut is the latest rendition of this cuvée, which cellar master Odilon de Varine describes as “not a vintage Gosset but a Gosset vintage”—meaning that it’s produced only in years adapted to the house’s powerful but austere style. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of lemon oil, marzipan, warm biscuits and wet stones, it’s full-bodied, with a deep and concentrated core of ripe but racy fruit, a tangy spine of acidity and an elegant pinpoint mouse, displaying terrific purity and precision.
This was a wonderful tasting with Gosset’s cellar master Odilon de Varine, who presides over a remarkably consistent range of powerful but elegantly austere Champagnes that emphasize, as he puts it, the region’s “mineral side.” No doubt the systematic prevention of malolactic fermentation plays an important role in the house’s tightly wound, incisive style. The philosophy here is that Champagne acquires complexity from evolution in bottle on the lees, not in barrel or tank, nor from the addition of elevated percentages of reserve wines. The release date of Gosset’s cuvées is determined by tasting—which is why both the 2008 and 2010 Grand Millésime will be preceded by the release of the 2012 rendition.” 95 points, The Wine Advocate
Read more about Champagne Gosset here.
Appellation : AOC Champagne
Region : Champagne
Country : France
Grape(s) : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Price : $192
LCBO : 344952
Oceano Wines Spanish Springs Chardonnay 2018
Oceano Wines is a boutique winery founded in 2016 in San Luis Obispo Coast, the newly designated AVA highlighting this cool climate wine region. This comes off the Spanish Springs Vineyard, the westernmost vineyard in the US, 1.5 miles from the Pacific, on a mix of marine shale, limestone, sandstone. This Chardonnay, off clones 809, 17, and 96, was fermented in 228L French oak barrels, and it aged in a mix of these and 500L French puncheons for 9 months.
“Limpid straw-yellow. Vibrant, mineral-driven citrus and orchard fruit, honeysuckle, fennel and quinine qualities on the incisive nose. Chewy, taut and dry on the palate, offering kaffir lime, pear skin and honeydew melon flavors that convey a suave blend of power and delicacy. Finishes very long and stony, with a hint of salinity and repeating citrus fruit and floral notes. Drinking window: 2021-2027.” 93 points, Josh Raynolds, vinous.com
Read more about Oceano Wines here.
Appellation : AVA San Luis Obispo Coast
Region : California
Country : United States
Grape(s) : Chardonnay
Price : $67
LCBO : 28429
Alexana Winery Revana Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019
Ideally situated in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Alexana Winery’s 80-acre property possesses an incredibly diverse series of soils and exposures, with eighteen soil types spread over a combination of rolling hills, steep slopes and rugged terrain.
Alexana Winery was born of cardiologist Dr. Madaiah Revana’s love of the great wines of Burgundy. In the spring of 2005, Dr. Revana began a search for both the ideal region and an experienced winemaker with the goal of producing Pinot Noirs that could rival those from Burgundy. His search ended in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Alexana is named after Dr. Revana’s daughter, Alexandra.
From the 55 acre Revana Vineyard in Dundee Hills, this 2019 Pinot Noir encompasses 10 clones of Pinot, growing across a 300 foot elevation change. Each lot was native fermented and barrel aged 11 months (33% new) before the final blend.
“Satiny and multilayered, with floral raspberry and pomegranate flavors that are laced with fresh violet and toasty spice notes. Drink now through 2029.” 93 points, Tim Fish, winespectator.com
Read more about Alexana Winery here.
Appellation : AVA Willamette Valley
Region : Oregon
Country : United States
Grape(s) : Pinot Noir
Price : $92
LCBO : 269241
Canalicchio di Sopra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016
Produced only for great vintages and in limited quantities from the oldest vineyards on the estate, it represents the flagship of quality for the winery. The grapes come from a single vineyard: Vigna Vecchia Mercatale.
“The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva is dark, floral and exotic, even sultry at times, presenting a bouquet of black currant, animal musk and savory, crushed ashen stone. The textures are silky yet dense, showing mineral-webbed woodland berries and balsamic spices. The tannic heft mounts toward the close, penetrating deeply, but with brisk acids to balance. The 2016 is animalistic in nature, yet crystalline and fresh, tapering of structured and incredibly long, leaving licorice and balsam herbs to linger. In 2016, Francesco Ripaccioli decided to use fruit from both the Vigna Vecchia and Mercatale vineyards in the Riserva, which is typically the richer and bolder expression of Brunello at Canalicchio di Sopra, but in 2016, it’s totally classic in every possible way. What a glorious wine! Drinking window: 2026-2038.” 98 points, Eric Guido, vinous.com
Read more about Canalicchio di Sopra here.
Appellation : DOCG Brunello di Montalcino
Region : Toscana
Country : Italy
Grape(s) : Sangiovese
Price : $256
LCBO : 18844
Most of our producers are small, independently owned and operated businesses, like ours. You can view our complete portfolio here. Thank you for letting us share these producers and wines with you.
Cheers,
Le Sommelier
416.603.7026
bernard@lesommelier.com
Le Sommelier is a Good Food Fighter.
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