Anthony Gismondi: Best varietal wines, several prices holiday dinner

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Every year around this time, panic sets in for the person charged with organizing the wines for Christmas dinner. If it helps, why not look at it this way: Shopping for wine is far easier than preparing a meal, and with a bit of help from us, you should be able to get the job done in less time than it takes to find a parking space at most B.C. liquor stores. But this is it. It would be best if you shopped today; there can be no more procrastination.

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Most of our picks should be widely available, and each is designed to withstand the array of food and palates it will face during the big meal. To cater to the widest audience, we offer each style of wine at several price points. Remember, you are given more leeway at Christmas dinner regarding your wine selections because the dinner is the focal point, not the wine. So don’t feel pressured to serve the finest, the most obscure, or the most expensive wines.

Chardonnay remains the No. 1 selling white varietal wine, and it’s an excellent match with turkey and ham, so it has to be on your list. From France, we like the Domaine Latour Giraud Cuvée Charles Maxime Meursault, $115.99. Two solid mid-price picks are the Giant Steps Chardonnay Sexton Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Australia, $54.99 or the Domaine Drouhin Arthur Chardonnay, Dundee Hills, Oregon, $54.99. Our bargain pick is local star Quails’ Gate Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, for $26.99.

Sauvignon Blanc fans have too many choices, from France to New Zealand, B.C., and Chile. We offer one from each: from the original home of Sauvignon Blanc, we like Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Les Baronnes, $44.99; from cool-climate New Zealand, the Dog Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, $39.99, is outstanding. A local favourite for years has been the Mission Hill Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, $25.99. The Jabber Sauvignon Blanc Casablanca Chile is a delicious bottle crafted by Kiwi Kim Crawford in South America.

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Riesling is a super choice for dinners full of flavours and a wine that can surprise your guests, who usually avoid it. A classic from Germany is the Dr. Thanish Berkastler Graben Riesling Spätlese, Mosel $54.99. The bargain pick is the famous fish label from Germany, the Selbach Riesling, Mosel, $22.99. Two solid hometown picks are the Quails’ Gate Clone 49 Riesling, $34.99, and the Tantalus Riesling. Both are high-quality pours.

Pinot Noir is a perfect red for Christmas, but prices can be challenging if Burgundy is on your list. Our New World labels that are more fruit-forward and will delight a broader crowd include Felton Road Bannockburn Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand, for $86.99. Brewer Clifton Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, $71.99; Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Oregon, $59.99, or the Giant Steps Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Australia, 47.99 From the Okanagan, we like the Tantalus Pinot Noir, East Kelowna, $35.99 and the Quails Gate Pinot Noir, West Kelowna $34.99.

Merlot returns after many years in the doghouse; it was widely dissed in the movie Sideways for being blah-killing sales. It is a fast-rising star in B.C., where we see quality at various price points. Two of the best are the CheckMate Artisanal Winery Silent Bishop Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $105.99 and Le Vieux Pin Equinoxe Merlot, Golden Mile Bench, $89.99. The Mission Hill Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley, $31.99, is a silky textured winner; equally elegant and round is the Poplar Grove Merlot, $35.99. The bargain pick is the Bordertown Merlot, $22.99, out of the south Okanagan.

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Local Syrah vines have suffered from successive freezes limiting availability. Still, we can recommend a National Wine Awards gold medal winner, Blasted Church Syrah, Okanagan Valley, $29.99 or the impressive Clos du Soleil Syrah, $28.99. The M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers Rouge, Rhone Valley, France, $25.99, is a terrific international bet that is on sale.

This list should help you get in and out of the store quickly. Now, you need to start shopping for dinner. As always, it is a privilege to share this wine page with you every week, and I hope you find the time to relax over the next week or two with a glass of wine.

Weekend wine picks

Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand

$39.99 I 91/100

UPC: 9421018110016

The Dog Point version of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is an exciting, vibrant, juicy white with a strong mixed citrus core of flavours and a refreshing saline underside. Grapes are harvested from eight sites in the Wairau Valley at a modest — for Sauvignon Blanc — yield of 10 tonnes/hectare. A portion of this wine is fermented using indigenous yeast. Still, it only ages four months in stainless steel tanks, leaving it fresh and lively and a superb accompaniment to any local gastronomy. Simply prepared shellfish is the classic match.

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Mission Hill Reserve Merlot 2021, Okanagan Valley

$33 I 90/100

UPC: 776545995117

The MHFE Reserve series is a favourite of mine because they don’t cut corners, delivering terrific value for money. The 2021 Merlot is an excellent example and blueprint for B.C. Merlot. The attack is rich and full-bodied, mixing black cherries, toasted oak, and spicy cola. Fresh and bright, it is just a baby, but it already shows plenty of style. Expect an elegant, well-structured red for cool weather. This spends 15 months in French oak, lending it a style you cannot achieve by mixing French with American oak, a common occurrence among those trying to save money on wood.

Clos du Soleil Winemaker’s Series Syrah 2021, Similkameen Valley, B.C.

$38.99 I 92/100

UPC: 857088000848

The 2021 Winemaker’s Series Syrah comes from Blind Creek Vineyard in Cawston and is cofermented with 3 per cent Viognier off La Côte Vineyard in Keremeos. After three weeks in concrete fermenters, this was basket-pressed into French oak barrels (15 per cent new), where it rested for 16 months. Savoury and wild with grilled meats, thorny wild blackberry, charcuterie, and cracked peppercorn, this is kissed with purple florals which linger on the finish. Tannins are muscular, though well absorbed into the stony fruit, structurally framing this through the finish — first class.

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Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato 2020, Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

$46.99 I 91/100

UPC: 8001935002079

Bruciato is the little brother of Guado Al Tasso, although that description could be misleading. In 2020, the Bolgheri blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah will be an opulent ode to coastal Tuscany. The attack is a rich swirl of black cherries and dark baking chocolate with streaks of smoke and toasted oak. The palate is super silky with a savoury dried herb underside that tames the sweet, ripe fruit. You can drink this now, but it will be fine in the cellar through 2028 and beyond.

Brewer-Clifton Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2021, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County, California

$71.99 I 92/100

UPC: 748252065797

A lot of work goes into getting the most finesse possible from this wine, but make no mistake, this is a powerful Pinot. The nose is a dusty mix of red fruit and tea leaf, with an intense earthy forest floor and baking spice palate that finishes long and warm. The bigger the food here, the better. Peking duck would be a treat or an even more decadent pork dish. Brewer-Clifton is a champion of the much-heralded Sta. Rita Hills appellation and winemaker Greg Brewer and his team work under the doctrine of discipline, neutrality, and deliberate intent.

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Calendar Items

The definition of a winning wine event is a ticket sale half a year in advance. The annual Pig Out Festival returns to Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country on Saturday, May 3, to the Cellar Door & More at Jackson Triggs Winery north of Oliver. This year’s event is excited to welcome back families for the first time since 2019 to a “When Pigs Fly” theme, and the festivities are expanding by incorporating creative poultry-inspired dishes created by talented local and guest chefs. Expect innovative, mouth-watering creations straight from the grill, highlighting the best South Okanagan farm-to-table ingredients and wines. Tickets include unlimited options for food and drink throughout the afternoon, live music and entertainment for the whole family, including large-scale outdoor games such as Connect4 and Plinko, axe throwing, spin art and colouring and plenty of sweet treats. More information and tickets are available at uncorkthesun.com/collections/all.

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WineBusiness Monthly hosts the Pack Design Awards yearly to cultivate fresh ideas and perspectives on packaging designs. I thought the reasons why labels did not win were more interesting than the winning ideas. On a table, vertically displayed text is difficult to read; conflicted messaging: humorous copy doesn’t belong on a high-priced wine; wax makes a bottle appear high-end or expensive, but if the corresponding label looks cheap, it doesn’t work; inappropriate copy such as promotion of a winery’s rental property instead of information on the wine itself;  art choices that evoke other products, such as 1940s cookbook illustrations, drugstore princess soap or soft drinks;  use of generic or vacuous artwork not specific to any wine, much less what’s in the bottle; back labels that should be front labels (and vice versa); foil or other material that makes the package look cheaper than it should be; minimalistic label copy can be a good thing unless it is devoid of any details about the wine inside.

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B.C. wine of the week

Orofino PTG 2022, Cawston, Similkameen Valley, B.C.

$25.95 I 90/100

UPC: 626990403227

The Orofino PTG pays homage to the old French 1937 launched Bourgogne Passetoutgrains, a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay. This 2022 is the second release of the dual co-fermented grapes at Orofino that was fermented wild in open-top tanks. Post-ferment, the dry wine was pressed into older French barrels and left on its lees until bottling. It is a fresh fruit-forward style with citrus, spicy, cranberry and cherry crushed rock demeanour admired by many but straight-up Gamay fans. It is a mouth-watering style that requires food to express itself best. Veal cutlets would be a fine match or a favourite pasta. It’s a solid label that could quickly become an Orofino staple.

Value wine of the week

M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers Rouge 2021, Rhone Valley, France

$25.99 I 90/100

UPC: 03391180001749

The Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage comes off the lower slopes and the flats south and east of the hill Hermitage. The Les Meysonniers vines are over a quarter-century old and are  100 per cent farmed organic. Chapoutier suggests the vineyard’s soils allow the roots to go deep, tapping minerality you do not see in other Crozes-Hermitage. The nose is an attractive mix of red and black plum fruit with black pepper spicing and a dusting of Garrigue. Look for a meaty, peppery, savoury red on the palate. Chapoutier describes Meysonniers Rouge as a “bistro-nomic” red made for home cooking, currently on sale at a giveaway price.

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