summer picks

Summer is hard and thirsty work! Here are my top picks for summer starting with the best.

1. Calona Vineyards, Artist Series, Pinot Gris, 2004 - Okanagan Valley, B.C., Canada (17/20)
"dry, crisp, fruit with vegetal notes"

2. Montes Alpha, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002 - Colchagua Valley, Apalta Vineyard, Chile (17/20)
"fruity, berries, firm tannin, leathery, long finish"

3. Pierre Boniface, Apremont, 2004 - St. Andre, Les Marches, Savoie, France (17/20)
"grassy nose, citrus, apple notes, very drinkable"

4. La Vieille Ferme, White Grenache, 2004 - Luberon, Rhone Valley, France (16/20)
"dry, light, citrus, bitter, crisp, a little short but very nice"

5. Les Charmes, Touraine, Sauvignon Blanc, 2004 - Touraine, Loire, France (15/20)
"quite fruity, grassy nose, apple notes, a little bubbly"

6. Cedar Creek, Pinot Noir, 2001 - Cedar Creek & Greta Ranch Vineyards, Okanagan, B.C., Canada (15/20)
"berries, earthy, wood, and leather notes"

The summer saw my 'Tour de France' continue so the 13 bottles we drank were dominated by 7 from France, then 4 from Canada and one each from Germany and Chile. To quench the summer thirst we had 10 white, 2 red and a rose.

I am not surprised to see the French whites take centre stage in the list, the Apremont in particular is worth trying although wines from the Savoie may be hard to find. The Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon was a real nice bottle, a gift from friends it cost around $CAN24/EUR16/UKP11/$AUS26. The La Vielle Ferme should be readily available in most places and is very quaffable, we knocked back 3 of these over the summer.

I am now ending my 'Tour de France' and think I will take up a 'Giro D'Italia'. The wines from 'down under' also deserve more attention, so I expect I will sample some of those.

For more information ...
late spring, early summer picks
calona vineyards
montes alpha
apremont (review)
la vieille ferme
cedar creek