MAKING THE CASE Bundle up for the cold!

By TOM FIRTH

November means a lot of things to a lot of people. I usually have a Remembrance Day pin on my jacket or lapel for the month (or longer), but it’s also a time that the warm weather is rapidly receding into the rear view, and while a few warm days ahead are likely, it’s a good time to get the Xmas décor up (if that’s your thing), put away the Halloween decorations (again, if that was your thing), and start catching up with friends and family (I hope that is your thing) in advance of the holiday season.

Wines do come to mind of course, but for many, it’s time to put away those patio crushers and reach instead for the full bodied, wintery wines, and to really start thinking about excellent bottles that please a crowd (or smaller family gathering), that really can knock those socks off! This month, we have a lot of French and Italian wine, A little bit of Canadian wine, and even some malbec from Argentina!

Find these wines by searching the CSPC code at Liquorconnect.com; your local liquor store can also use this code to order it for you. Prices are approximate.

Louis Latour 2022 Marsannay, Cote du Nuit, Burgundy, France

Lean, black cherry fruits with hints of menthol and tobacco, leafy vegetable, carrot, and spices with a generous earthy element on the nose. Slightly tarry on the palate, but the fruits are well positioned to handle that as well as the touch of smoke. Refined, brilliant, and intricate, evolving in the glass, but also in the cellar if that is your thing. Consider pairing with poultry in rich sauces, flank steaks, or salmon too. Delicious.

CSPC 107710 $57-60

Featherstone 2023 Pinot Grigio, Niagara Peninsula

Loving this summer-style crusher! Slightly rosy in the glass from a bit of skin contact during vinification with crisper fruit and crunchier acids, while flavours evoke honey, spiciness, and soft cherry and strawberry notes with emphasis on melon and peaches too. A fun and tasty wine to enjoy on weeknights or with lighter fare like creamier cheese, charcuterie boards, or a movie!

CSPC 124185 $21-24

Featherstone 2022 Four Feathers Blend, Niagara Peninsula

A wonderful blend bringing the tropical freshness and juiciness of chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, and pinot grigio. Peaches and nectarines, apples, and gentle notes of pineapple too. This is a bit of a crowd-pleasing quaffer at an excellent price. What to serve with it? Well, it’s perfectly enjoyable on its own, but would shine with poultry, creamier sauces, or snacks too. Serve cool but not cold.

CSPC 123664 $19-22

Brumont 2016 Château Montus Madiran, Southwest France

Somewhat off the beaten path for most of us, the wines of Southwest France at the foot of the Pyrenees are a gem to discover. Here the wine is tannat like you’ve never had before with a little cabernet sauvignon – to soften it up! The result is a deep, earthy, black fruit laden treasure with loads of tannins, but incredible structure too. A perfect accompaniment to beef or big, chewy red meats, I was totally in love with these wines – from the entire range. Drink now (maybe decant) or cellar another 5+ years if desired.

CSCP 853546 $38-40

Chateau Bouscassé 2017 Les Jardin Philosophiques, Southwest France

A gem that was brand new to me, this tight and expressive white was made from petit courbu and petit mansang and sees no barrel aging, preserving brilliant fruit tones and loads of mineral presence, and plenty more to discover in your own glass. Would match up well with pâtes or terrines, seafood of almost any stripe – including sushi, or salty snacks. Delicious!

CSPC 881887 $40-43

Belasco de Baquedano 2019 AR Guentota Malbec, Argentina

A worthy bottle to enjoy and share with malbec enthusiasts, and one that is a little more refined than most with 2 years of bottle aging after a year of barrel aging rounding the corners. Almost French in style with a little more prominence of earth and spice over plummy fruits. Lovely and still a classically Argentine example, I love the dried herb, cedar, and graphite complex elements. Very well priced too!

CSPC 735398 About $34-36

Famille Perrin 2021 Les Sinards, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France

Winters in Alberta are perfect for the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, cold, windy, and often snowy, a night in enjoying great wine is the right call. A classic blend of grenache, mourvèdre, and syrah (and likely some supporting grapes), look for fresh cherry and raspberry fruits, gentle citrus aromas, hints of cocoa, smoke, and spice box too. Absolutely stunning and vibrant on the palate with everything one could want in beautiful wine for a chilly evening.

CSPC 122812 $49-55

Belasco de Baquedano 2018 Swinto, Old Vines Malbec, Argentina

Wow, wow, wow! A clean, incredibly structured malbec completely dialled in with blackberry and black plum, buttressed by intense floral aromas and assorted spices. Big tannins – naturally –with bold fruits too (no surprises either!) at 14.5 percent ABV it’s massive, robust, and still finely balanced. Great malbec for when beef is on the table, but will also cellar nicely if desired.

CSPC 735399 Around $45-47

Maison Simonnet-Febvre 2022 Chablis France

The appellation of Chablis is easy to love, focused on chardonnay but always with restrained oak presence – if any oak is used at all – and coupled with the tight acid core that Chablis is known for. It’s a brilliant appellation for anyone who loves oysters or mussels, or all manner of seafoods. Lifted green apple and lemon characters on the nose and palate hints of flinty mineral, and a long, graceful finish.

CSCP 108343 $38-40

La Massa 2021 Toscana, Tuscany, Italy

Sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot come together with style, bringing the right elements of each grape to the blend: tight, tannic cherry fruits with cassis and plum, assorted spices supported by cedar and bell peppers, and a sleek acid perfect for a little fat in the dish. It would be too easy to suggest matching this at the table with classic pastas and tomato sauces, but stews, cheese boards, grilled meat, or roasts will all make for a fine meal.

CSPC 132725 $32-37

Tommasi 2019 Casisano Brunello di Montalcino, Italy

Brunello di Montalcino is widely considered the highest of heights for the sangiovese grape, and wines like this prove the point. Prior to release, the wine saw three years of barrel aging and a half year of bottle aging – the result? Deep and brooding fruits sharing a little red cherry and tar at first. The palate is opulent and sensual too with the whole range of fruit, spice, wood, and tannins. Continuously evolving in the glass it’s a treat to enjoy with hard cheese or tomato rich, beefy dishes.

CSPC 780904 $70-75

Joseph Drouhin 2021 Cote de Beaune Burgundy, France

Brilliant wine in every way that matters. Made with young vines from the Clos de Mouche and other Premier Cru vineyards, these vines are destined for great things. Lifted and floral on the nose with brightly present strawberry and other red fruits, dried vegetable leaf and slightly wild forest notes. Zesty acids and gentle tannins bring it all together on the palate and it’s a fantastic bottle that will go with almost any dish from seafood to red meat.

CSPC 890140 $100-115

Hillside 2018 Mosaic, Naramata Bench, British Columbia

One of my favourite releases to see arriving on my doorstep, the flagship bottling from Naramata’s Hillside winery is a gem. A Bordeaux style blend dominated by roughly a third each of malbec and merlot, the 2018 is the current release. Ready to go – if youthful with intense floral aromas, dusty fruits, and a hint of beeswax, the palate is fruit generous, but very well supported by savoury flavours of spice, wood, and grippy tannin. Awesome!

About $70 at the winery and select stockists