Order the following by the case for home, restaurant or office (in Ontario) delivery from Nokhrin Wines or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; if in the GTA phone (416) 704-8617.
La Croix du Barris Crémant de Limoux Brut Non-Vintage
AOP Crémant de Limoux, France $21.95 12.0% alcohol
A delightful blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, this offers up a nose of floral notes, citrus and green apple. It floods the palate with a surge of bubbles and refreshing flavour—lemon curd, white peach and crisp refreshing apple and pear. It’s nicely balanced and mid-weight with good mousse and excellent mouth feel. It finishes in a lip-smacking blaze of key lime and minerality. The price-quality balance tips in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
La Croix du Barris ‘Rouge’ Limoux 2006
AOP Limoux, France $21.95 12.0% alcohol
Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon all make an appearance here. The winery suggests pouring with charcuterie or a cheese plate. There are plenty of herbal aromas, roasted herbs and red and dark berry fruit. It’s mid weight with good texture dishing up a gentle wash of dark berry fruit mingling with garrigue—a local blend of herbs and spice with a good sampling of aromatic lavender. The finish is lively with good tang, a grind of black pepper and fresh acidity melding with riper black plum. (Vic Harradine)
Bodegas Nilo ‘Bianca’ Sauvignon Blanc 2012
DO Rueda, Spain $16.95 12.0% alcohol
Floral, herbal and citrus aromas open this nicely paced gem. It steaks across the palate with great nerve and verve—lemon tang, mineral tones and oodles of lime zest included. It’s mid weight with decent texture and a crisp, refreshing finish and aftertaste. Sips well on its own and pours perfectly with pan-seared trout or pickerel garnished with a gentle press of fresh lemon. (Vic Harradine)
Bodegas Nilo ‘Bianca’ Verdejo 2012
DO Rueda, Spain $15.95 13.0% alcohol
Notes of citrus, white peach and white flower mingle with an elusive hint suggestive of jalapeño pepper. Dry yet smooth and supple, this attractive wine is clean, well-balanced, matching fresh acidity to flavours of ripe apple, citrus—grapefruit and orange peel to the fore—and a touch of spice and pepper that carry through the finish. An easy-drinking wine to serve on its own or with light appetizers. (Susan Desjardins)
La Font du Vent ‘Notre Passion’ Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2011
AOP Côtes-du-Rhônes Villages, France $14.95 14.5% alcohol
A decidedly fruity blend of Grenache and Syrah, this semi-transparent wine breathes red cherry/berry fruit with a fine whiff of wood smoke and vanilla. Sweet fruit washes across the palate on entry – liquid raspberry pie comes to mind—complemented by spice and pepper. Medium bodied, flavourful and juicy, supported by fine-grained tannin and clean acidity, this is an easy-drinking red finishing with a fruity, peppery flourish. Absolutely gulp-able. (Susan Desjardins)
Domaine de la Foliette ‘Clos de la Fontaine’ Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2012
AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, France $12.95 12.0% alcohol
This is from 55-year-old vines. Leesy and mineral aromas interlace with green apple and pear on the lively nose. There’s a notion of prickly spritz on the palate preceding a surge of lemon curd melding with crisp green apple, key lime and white grapefruit. It’s light-medium bodied with very good mouth feel and the finish dazzles with a blaze of lip-smacking tang. Pour with grilled fish, pan-seared seafood or prawn ceviche. (Vic Harradine)
Pantaleone ‘Atto I’ Sangiovese 2009
IGT Marche, Italy $21.95 14.0% alcohol
Produced from organic grapes, Vic and I found this to be a remarkable Sangiovese offering rich aromas of ripe berries, black cherry, roast herbs, smoke meat and earthy mineral. Dry, medium-full bodied, it’s lush and fruity, loaded with flavours of dark berries, spice, pepper and toasty oak. Well crafted, the fruit is nicely balanced with clean acidity and supple tannin. Enjoy with grilled lamb or steak. (Susan Desjardins)
Pometti ‘Tino Tre’ 2012
IGT Toscana, Italy $29.95 13.5% alcohol
From 100% Cabernet Franc aged in French oak, this value-packed gem was fashioned at a chic, modern facility at a centuries-old family vineyard. Aromas of roasted herbs, wood smoke and dark coffee provide segue to a persistent, tangy wash of black berry fruit, sour cherry and ripe mulberry interlaced with piquant spice and wisps of ripe, fine-grained tannin. It’s mid weight with very good texture and a lingering, juicy aftertaste. Pour with hearty stew like osso bucco. (Vic Harradine)
Pometti ‘Rosso’ Toscana 2009
IGT Toscana, Italy $14.25 13.5% alcohol
This red blend—Sangiovese and international varieties—offers aromas of red berry fruit, toasty oak and herbal notes on the nose. It’s mid weight with a silky smooth texture showing good balance and interesting complexity. It finishes with good length, a supple tannin underpinning and charry notes garnished with blueberry and a dollop of lip-smacking tang. This is lively and fresh throughout with a price-quality balance tipped well in your favour. (Vic Harradine)
Pometti ‘Rosso - 106’ Orsia 2010
DOC Orsia, Italy $21.75 13.0% alcohol
Predominantly Sangiovese, this red blend is bistro-styled with aromas of mocha and dark briary berry. It opens with alluring flavours bathing the palate—dark chocolate and black, juicy cherry interweaving with spice and some tarry notes. It’s medium bodied with good mouth feel and an aftertaste that’s juicy and lively while providing something akin to an Amarone bite on the finish. (Vic Harradine)
Pometti ‘Villa Boscarello’ Merlot 2008
IGT Toscana, Italy $28.95 13.0% alcohol
The producer of this wine has a large estate which has been in his family for hundreds of years. In 1998, he decided to replant vines, including the grapes picked for this ‘Super Tuscan’ Merlot; it was then aged in barriques. Shy and subtle on the nose, one teases out aromas of plum, berry, spice, vanilla and milk chocolate. Dry, medium-full bodied, the wine displays a generous, satiny texture on entry, clean lively acidity, subtle tannins and well-integrated cedary notes of oak. Red and black berry flavours dominate, married to touches of spice, toast and mocha. Well paced and elegant, the finish is pleasantly spicy. (Susan Desjardins)
La Purísima ‘Estio’ Rosé 2012
DO Yecla, Spain $10.75 12.5% alcohol
Delightful aromas of cran-apple, raspberry and strawberry rush from the glass of this approachable rosé, crafted from a blend of Monastrell, Syrah and Tempranillo. Tangy, juicy, a touch peppery, it’s loaded with red berries—cranberry, strawberry and red currant—well-balanced by lively acidity. A flavourful, quaffable wine with a refreshing, fruity finish, it stands on its own or may be paired with grilled salmon. (Susan Desjardins)
Terra Vitis ‘La Foliette’ 2012
AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, France $12.95 12.0% alcohol
Enjoy the piercing aromas of citrus, apple, mineral and yeast of this fine, dry wine. Light-mid weight, clean and fresh, it offers lip-smacking flavours of ripe apple, tangy citrus pith and the roundness of pear. It’s light and lively on the lengthy finish, a match to your choice of shellfish. (Susan Desjardins)