If I Could Buy Only One – February 21st Vintages Release
We asked our writers,“If you could buy only one wine from the February 21st release, which one would it be and why?”
Schild Estate Ben Schild Reserve Shiraz 2021, South Australia
$29.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Sara d’Amato – A pick from the Southern Hemisphere in keeping with this week’s theme—I find it hard to pass up a great Syrah, especially one with as much gravitas as this from a family who has been growing grapes in the region for over 75 years. Peppery blackberry, lavender, licorice, and a kiss of oak spice mark the dense, concentrated palate, lifted by a vein of freshness. From the estate’s Barossa Angus Brae Vineyard, the wine was open-top fermented and aged for 18 months in a mix of French, American, and Hungarian oak. Ready to drink, it’s youthfully energetic with serious length.
Domaine Queylus Tradition Chardonnay 2022, Ontario, Canada
$33.70, Marchands des Ameriques
David Lawrason – I recently received an email from a long lost friend lamenting that he couldn’t find a chardonnay like his favourite – J. Lohr Riverstone from California. He is in favour of Ontario’s current banishment of California wine but was simply missing an old favourite. So, I recommended this impressively rich, rounded and ripe chardonnay by winemakers Kelly Mason and Brooke Husband at Queylus. But it is not too ripe and or oaky. It is actually very well balanced, creamy yet buoyed by fine Niagara acidity. The nose is a custard of almost tropical banana, melon, nougat, hazelnut and brown baking spices. It is medium-full bodied but only 12.7% alcohol. Very harmonious and the length is excellent.
Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay 2022, Ontario, Canada
$55.00, Arterra Wines Canada
Michael Godel – Things are just getting started for the top modern day Le Clos at the pinnacle of the second coming of Le Clos Jordanne. Though three and half years past vintage the freshness and gemstone cut clarity and quality rise above. In a world where Niagara chardonnay has reached world class status, this Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment leads by example. Richest of the richesse styled Le Clos Grand Clos chardonnays with one excess of fruit after another cut meaningfully through by some kind of Twenty Mile Bench mineral. The winemaking team must have been over the moon and instantly energized when this fruit came off the vines from the warm and generous 2022 vintage. This folks is serious chardonnay with an ideal balance between pH and acid, fruit and tannin. Things get really good when the technical and emotional are bound together in Ontario chardonnay.
Armenia Wine Company Yerevan 782 Bc Winemaker’s Blend 2024, Armenia
$22.95, Matvil
Megha Jandhyala My “only one” this week is the 2024 Yerevan 782 BC Winemaker’s Blend made by the Armenia Wine Company. It is a blend of two grape varieties, areni and karmrahyut. The former is indigenous to Armenia and is perhaps their most iconic variety; the latter is a crossing, developed in 1950, of adissi (a rare local variety) and a hybrid. I chose this wine because it is a delightful example of modern Armenian winemaking, though the country has been a seat of winemaking for millennia. Grown at a high elevation, it is youthful and approachable, with luminous flavours of red fruit, herbs, and wildflowers. I find its texture – so silky and supple, almost buoyant – especially enchanting. I would buy a few bottles of this wine to take with me to dinner parties as it promises to inspire conversation and will pair well with a range of cuisines.
Use these quick links for access to all of our February 21st Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 60 days prior.
Lawrason’s Take – February 21st
Michael’s Mix – February 21st
Sara’s Selections – February 21st
Megha’s Picks – February 21st
