Henry of Pelham ‘Family Tree Red’ 2010
VQA Niagara Peninsula $18.95 (247882) 13.5% alcohol
This fresh, juicy blend—primarily Shiraz with Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot—sports a lifted nose of dark berry fruit, rich cherry and roasted herbs. It rolls over the palate in endless, delicious waves with black plum and currant interlaced with boysenberry and spice. It’s mid weight with good mouth feel and a balanced, fruit-laden finish. What’s not to like? (Vic Harradine)


Henry of Pelham ‘Family Tree White’ 2010
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (251116) 13.0% alcohol
Mostly Chardonnay with aromatic whites, Gewürztraminer, Viognier and Chardonnay Musqué, it’s a salad bowl of aromas with rosewater, honeysuckle and pit fruit to the fore. Broad, balanced and beautiful, there are palate-bathing flavours of lemon curd, white nectarine and melon galore. It’s medium bodied with silky-smooth texture and a lengthy, lip-smacking aftertaste. Well paced, well priced… delicious. (Vic Harradine)

Vintages Release: January 13, 2013

Sanford Chardonnay 2010
Sta. Rita Hills, California $31.95 (956003) 14.2% alcohol
Hand picked, barrel fermented with full malolactic conversion, this dishes up a complex, structured mouthful of beautifully balanced Chardonnay. Vanilla, slate, tropical fruit and apple pie spice aromas provide segue to a river of succulent white nectarine, crisp, green apple and tropical fruit mingling with nutty notes and tangy lemon and orange zest. It’s mid-full weight and fully textured with a crisp, refreshing aftertaste of ripe melon and citrus. (Vic Harradine)


Domini Veneti ‘Vignete di Torbe’ Ripasso 2010
DOC Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore, Italy $19.95 (303537) 13.5% alcohol
A lifted nose of fig, dark berry fruit with hints of tar open this flavour-laden gem. A spirited wash of juicy, black, dark Bing cherry and black currant interweave with tobacco leaf and black licorice on the palate and through the lingering, lip-smacking finish. It’s medium bodied and nicely textured offering excellent value and oodles of charm. (Vic Harradine)

Vintages Release: January 19, 2013

Mission Hill ‘Family Estate’ Quatrain 2008
VQA Okanagan Valley $44.95 (218636) 13.5% alcohol
This blend of Merlot, Syrah and the Cabernets is composed of parcels of the estate’s best south-Okanagan fruit, fermented separately, aged in French oak. Highly aromatic and intense, the nose offers boysenberry, black cherry, spiced floral notes, and sweet cedar. Built on a firm frame, this dry, full-bodied blend delivers depth and complexity, flavours of cassis, black plum, spice and herbs with notes of toast carrying through the long finish. Serve with robust meat dishes; drink now to 2019. (Susan Desjardins)


Rodney Strong Merlot 2008
Sonoma County, California $21.95 (497933) 13.5% alcohol
Exotic spice and black plum aromas on the nose, the palate’s bathed in endless waves of rich, silky-smooth cassis, kirsch liqueur and blueberry interwoven with roasted herbs and mocha. It’s mid weight with a lengthy, balanced, aftertaste of briary berry and juicy black cherry underpinned by ripe, supple tannin. Pour now with slow-roasted pork or rare-grilled skirt steak. (Vic Harradine)