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Top 5 Brunello (Sangiovese) at the LCBO
If I Could Buy Only One – April 12th Vintages Release
We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from the April 12th release, which one would it be and why?” Viña Leyda Garuma Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Leyda Valley, Chile$18.95, Philippe Dandurand Wines LtdJohn Szabo -In the spirit of a (rather cool) spring, my only one this week is Viña Leyda’s […] More
Cuvée From The Heart Recommendations
by David Lawrason Twenty-nine Ontario winemakers come together to create 12 unique wines for the Grapes for Humanity Fine Wine Auction underway online via Waddington’s auction house. It runs until April 22. There are so many worthy layers to this annual undertaking. I am most interested in the wines themselves and how they express Ontario’s […] More
Buyer’s Guide to Vintages April 12th Release
John Szabo’s Vintages Review April 12th: From the HeartBy John Szabo MS and David Lawrason, with notes from Sara d’Amato, Megha Jandhyala, and Michael Godel. We’d like to draw your attention to an online charity auction that runs until April 22, called Grapes for Humanity, founded by philanthropist Arlene Willis and by prolific Canadian wine […] More
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Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most prestigious appellations in Italy, born in the 19th Century in its present form thanks to the efforts of the Biondi-Santi family, who defined its rules and have largely guided it to the present day. The wines are made from 100% Sangiovese grape, in particular from a clone called Sangiovese Grosso, or also as Brunello - hence the appellation's name. Traditionally, the wine goes through an extended maceration period where color, tannins and flavour are extracted from the skins. Following fermentation the wine is then aged in oak. Traditionally, the wines are aged 3 years or more in "botti" - large Slovenian oak casks that impart little oak flavour and generally produce more austere wines. Some winemakers will use small French barrels which impart a more pronounced vanilla oak flavour and add a certain fruitiness to the wine. Whatever the approach, wines must be aged for for years (with a minimum of two years in barrel) before being released, according to appellation rules.
