Best Value Import <$15

WHITES

87 Cuvée du Haut-Censy Muscadet Sèvre et Main Sur Lie 2003
Muscadet, Pays Nantais, Loire, France
BC $14.85 Specialty
Big honey, clover, citrus, watermelon, lime aromas. Dry, round, elegant, crisp palate with mineral, light lees, lime rind, green apple skin, and honey flavours. Good intensity and ripeness for Muscadet. A sophisticated drop for curious drinkers. Think oysters.

87 Gustav Adolf Schmitt Niersteiner Riesling Auslese 2002
Rheinhessen, Germany
BC $13.45 Specialty
Ripe apricot, citrus, canned pineapple aromas with a floral highlight. Round, elegant, crisp palate but full with apricot, red apple, mineral, citrus and cream flavours. Good value for auslese.

86 Esk River Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand
BC $14.99
The '04 Kiwi vintage was long and warm promoting fine ripeness in this the first ever release of the Esk River sauvignon label. Expect a clean, bone dry sauvignon with plenty of grassy, mineral flavours with classic gooseberry and lime rind touches. Very tightly wound. Would be perfect with oysters. Super fresh and clean. Good value but not a style for all wine consumers.

86 Esk River Unoaked Chardonnay 2004
Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand
BC $14.99
Flinty, mineral, green apple skin aromas with a touch of butter. Fresh, crisp, dry style but elegant with green apple skin, lime rind, green peach and slate flavours. A bit leaner but fine for oysters and clams.

86 Gustav Adolf Schmitt Niersteiner Riesling Spätlese Late Harvest 2003
Rheinhessen, Germany
BC $12.95 Specialty
Dirty slate, mineral, diesel, green apple skin aromas. Soft, round, full palate with mineral, baked pear, green apple skin flavours with some honey and rose petal notes. Solid if a touch fat and clumsy for riesling.

86 La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Luberon Blanc 2003 Grenache Blanc - Bourboulenc - Ugni Blanc - Roussanne
Côtes du Lubéron, Provence, South of France, France
AB $12.00; BC $12.99 Specialty; ON $9.95; QC $13.50
Nutty, buttery, lemon oil, mineral, dried floral aromas. Dry, round, elegant entry with fresh acidity but a bit austere. Mineral, lemon rind, nutty, quince flavours. Bit too dry and lean for most consumers but solid.

86 Lindemans Chardonnay Reserve 2003
South Australia, Australia
AB $15.00; BC $14.49 Specialty
Most of the fruit, some 80 per cent is sourced from Padthaway with bits and pieces from Robe, Limestone Coast and Coonawarra. The nose is a mix of cashews green apple, citrus notes with mineral, vanilla and lees aromas streaked with melon and garlic. Soft, dry, mineral, grapefruit flavours mark its buttery, oily, salty, apple skin finish. Solid everyday Oz chardonnay.

86 Moselland Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling Kabinett 2003
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany
BC $12.49
Bright and light floral, lime rind notes with mineral, honey aromas. Soft, round, fresh palate with green apple, lime rind, floral flavours and a touch of bitterness on the finish. Delicate, crisp style.

86 Oxford Landing Chardonnay 2004
South Australia, Australia
AB $9.99; BC $12.99 General; MB $11.99 Private Wine Shops; NS $12.99 Private Wine Shops; ON $11.95 Vintages
Citrus, green apple skin, peach, light buttery oak vanilla aromas with a slight tropical note. Fresh, clean, round style with light butter, mineral, green apple, lime and peach flavours. Very solid and an improvement over prior vintages.

86 Santa Julia Viognier 2004
Mendoza, Argentina
BC $13.90 Specialty
Big spicy, buttery, mineral, honey, orange rind aromas. Rich, ripe, round and fresh with good acidity. Lighter body with a slight oiliness followed by buttery, orange, mango, mineral, perfumed flavours. Fairly well balanced and certainly good value for a versatile food wine.

86 Tamaya Chardonnay 2005
Limari Valley, Chile
BC $13.50 Speculative - AnaRona Wines
Fresh out of the gate with floral, grassy, citrus, pea pod, green apple aromas. Clean, round, fresh and balanced with light buttery, grapefruit, green apple skin, pear flavours with a slightly grassy finish. Elegant, cool style.

85 Delicato California Chardonnay 2003
California, United States
AB $11.95 Specialty; Canada $42.50 (3000 ml) Estimated Retail; MB $11.99; ON $12.95 Consignment - Pernod Ricard; SK $13.75
Mineral, slight lees, butter, citrus nose. Soft, round, slightly oily texture with buttery, creamy lees, citrus, baked apple flavours. Fresh, easy going party wine with just a touch of sweetness. Available bottle and in selected markets in an attractive 3-litre bag-in-the-box format Delicato's new Bota Box design along with its state of the art FlexTap technology makes it possible to keep premium wine fresh for more than a month after opening with no exposure to wine's enemies - light and air.

85 Fisherman Riesling 2003
Rheinhessen, Germany
BC $9.45 Specialty
Light mineral, green apple skin aromas with a touch of rose. Medium to low extract with citrus, baked apple, mineral, honey flavours and a slightly bitter finish.

85 Gustav Adolf Schmitt Niersteiner Riesling Kabinett 2003
Rheinhessen, Germany
BC $10.95 Specialty
Honey, mango, citrus, mineral aromas. Soft, round, fruity red apple, mineral, baked pear flavours with a slightly bitter citrus rind finish. Good solid summer sipping riesling and inexpensive.

85 Morandé Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Valle del Curicó, Region del Valle Central, Chile
BC $12.99 Private Wine Shops
Light lees, mineral, grapefruit rind, grassy, gooseberry nose. Dry, crisp, zippy entry with strong chalky, mineral, lees, gooseberry, grapefruit flavours and a grassy, smoky finish. Fine introductory sauvignon.

85 Peter Lehmann Weighbridge Chardonnay 2004
South Australia, Australia
BC $13.99 Specialty
Grapefruit, fruit cocktail, butter, green apple skin aromas. Round, soft, forward style with a touch of sweetness. Green apple, mineral, citrus rind flavours. Light concentration, easy picnic wine.

85 Spinelli Quartana Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2003
Abruzzo, Italy
BC $7.95
Gamey, earthy, cherry, tobacco, prune and sweaty saddle aromas. Smooth round texture but dry and lighter bodied with cherry, licorice, peppery, stewed prune, meaty resin flavours with some light rustic tannins and a bit of acidity on the finish. Simple but very affordable summer barbeque red.

85 Terra Andina Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Region del Valle Central, Chile
AB $12.05 Private Wine Shops; BC $12.95 Speculative Listing - Winspeer
Floral, melon, mineral, leesy slate aromas. Soft, fresh, round textures with mineral, buttery melon, grapefruit, bell pepper flavours. Simple, easy going style that will match a wide variety of foods.

85 Titulus Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2003
Marche, Italy
BC $14.90 Specialty
Pear, quince, mineral, lemon oil aromas with an almond and earth note. Dry, round, elegant palate with mineral, lemon, almond, chalky butter flavours. Ripe and soft but quite dry. Will go well with mussels or clams.

85 Willowglen Chardonnay 2004
South Eastern Australia, Australia
BC $12.45 General; MB $11.00; ON $13.00 Consignment - Dionysus
Light honey, lees, mineral, citrus aromas. Juicy citrus, green melon, buttery baked apple flavours. Soft, easy sipping style

ROSE

87 Château la Tour d'Aigues Poeme Rosé 2004 Syrah - Grenache
Côtes du Lubéron, Provence, South of France, France
BC $12.95 Specialty
Clean attractive flowery, cherry, mineral, citrus, almond aromas. Dry, round, elegant, fresh and crisp with mineral, cherry, citrus, baked quince, earth flavours. Well made, fresh and dry for matching with food. Terrific value and surely one of the best pinks in the market. Drink all summer.

87 Louis Bernard Côtes du Rhône Blanc 2003 Grenache Blanc - Bourboulenc - Marsanne - Rousanne - Viognier
Côtes du Rhône Villages, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, France
BC $14.90 Specialty
Floral, spicy, mineral, citrus, pear aromas. Ripe, round, elegant palate with ripe pear, mineral, citrus, floral, buttery nut flavours. Fresh, clean and well balanced, good summer seafood or picnic wine. Good value too.

RED

87 Le Bombarde Cannonau di Sardegna 2003
Sardinia, Italy
BC $13.95 Specialty
Spicy, meaty, peppery, chocolate, dried orange peel aromas with some raspberry notes. Dry, round, supple entry with slightly elevated acidity. Good orange, raspberry jam, smoky, peppery, meaty licorice flavours. Good fruit for grilled lamb or duck.

87 Trivento Cabernet Malbec Reserve 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina
AB $11.25; BC $12.95 Specialty; MB $10.28; NF $14.68
Very spicy, peppery, cassis jam, cherry, smoky shoe leather aromas. Soft, round, supple palate with sweet black fruit, smoky vanilla, licorice, coffee, peppery flavours. Warm but well balanced and ready to drink. Terrific value.

86 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère 2004
Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile
AB $11.95; BC $12.95 General; MB $11.30; ON $12.95
Spicy vanilla, pepper, smoky resin, black olive aromas. Dry, round, smooth entry with light tannins. Big smoky, spicy, tobacco, saddle leather, cherry coffee flavours. Young but gutsy, try with grilled beef.

86 Cruz de Piedra Garnacha 2002
Calatayud, Aragon, Spain
BC $13.99 Specialty
Cruz de Piedra is made by Bodegas Virgen de la Sierra in Calatayud south-east of Rioja and just west of Cariñena. Cruz de Piedra translates as 'Stone Cross' to symbolize the company aim cross the bridge between old vineyards and modern winemaking. It's made with old bush vine garnacha which explains its rich meaty, raspberry licorice, peppery, black cherry aromas and dry, round, textures. It's on the warm side but most will be attracted to its black raspberry, smoky licorice flavours. Normally dry on the finish with some rustic tannins it would be great with duck al'orange. Good value.

86 Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2002 Shiraz - Cabernet Sauvignon
South Eastern Australia, Australia
BC $12.99 General
Tobacco leaf, spicy, shoe leather, smoky, resiny blackberry aromas. Soft, round, supple, slightly sweet entry with blackberry, smoky, resiny, licorice, jammy flavours with lots of cedar and pepper on the aftertaste. Warm with a bit of acidity showing.

86 Jacob's Creek Shiraz 2002
South Eastern Australia, Australia
BC $12.99 Specialty
This has winemaker Phil Laffer's touch: soft, ripe, sweet plummy fruit with blueberry, cedar bark and spice nuances. Easy to sip or serve with grilled meats or chicken. Good value for inexpensive Oz shiraz.

86 Le Petit Jaboulet N/V
France
BC $12.95 Specialty
Big spicy, black raspberry jam, mineral, floral nose. Soft, juicy, round style with black raspberry, licorice, peppery smoke flavours. Warm finish, good barbeque red with fruit and affordable.

86 Montes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Aged 2003
Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Curicó, Region del Valle Central, Chile
AB $12.45 Fine Wine Boutiques; BC $14.95 Specialty; MB $11.45; NB $15.74; NF $14.00
Smoky, peppery, minty, vanilla, cassis nose with some grilled meat notes. Soft entry with smooth, light dry tannins. Spicy, black olive, vanilla, coffee, peppery cedar flavours. Ready to go, try with grilled flank steak.

86 Montes Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2004
Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile
AB $11.25; MB $13.00
Typical cool Curicó fruit with grapefruit, asparagus, mineral, gooseberry aromas. Fresh, crisp, dry entry with strong mineral, asparagus, grapefruit rind flavours and a slightly warm, austere finish. Fine for oysters and mussels.

86 Phoque Rouge 2003
Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, France
BC $9.99 Specialty
Fresh spicy, peppery, black raspberry, licorice aromas. Soft, supple, easy-drinking style with earthy, spicy, licorice and black cherry flavours. A warm fresh, solid, spaghetti red.

86 Osborne Solaz Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Tempranillo - Cabernet Sauvignon
Valdepeñas, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
BC $12.35 Specialty
Experienced wine drinkers would associate the Osborne name with sherry but this time out it is attached to the Solaz label an 80/20 tempranillo cabernet blend from Tierra de Castilla, Spain. This is a fruit forward tasty mix of grapes reminiscent of plums with a spicy earthy aftertaste. Well-priced to be served liberally around the barbecue.

86 Viu Manent Merlot 2003
Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Curicó, Region del Valle Central, Chile
BC $12.99 Speculative Listing - WinebrenWines
Minty, smoky, saddle leather, tobacco, peppery aromas. Ripe, round, supple and soft with spicy, minty, smoky, tobacco, cherry flavours. Warm with a slightly tangy cherry finish. Solid flavours and value.

85 Delicato California Merlot 2003
California, United States
AB $11.95; BC $12.99 Specialty; BC $42.50 (3000 ml) Estimated Retail; MB $11.99; ON $12.45; QC $14.55; SK $13.75
Tobacco, earthy, gamey, black cherry nose with smoky leather notes. Soft, round, smooth entry with cedar-y/minty, licorice, black cherry fruit and chocolate flavours. Good all-round for use around the barbecue. Comes in 3-litre Bota bag-the-box and 750 mL bottle.

85 Delicato California Shiraz 2003
California, United States
AB $11.95; BC $12.99 Specialty; Canada $46.50 (3000 ml) Estimated Retail; MB $11.99; ON $12.45; QC $14.55; SK $13.95
This 3000 ml box of wine with a high tech spout is a very pleasant style red. The dark fruit flavours with a touch of blueberry are ripe with bits of earth and spice. It has a touch of tannin and dryness in the finish but nothing that would not disappear around the barbecue. Well done.

85 Finca Los Primos Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina
BC $10.95 Specialty
Smoky, spicy, peppery, clove, meaty cassis aromas. Soft, round, supple style with spicy, peppery, vanilla, savoury game, blackberry flavours. Simple, attractive style with a warm finish.

85 Frontera Carmenère 2004
Region del Valle Central, Chile
BC $8.95 General
Tobacco leaf, peppery, black olive, smoky aromas. Soft, dry, round, supple style with some peppery, mineral, cherry, smoky tobacco flavours. Simple, solid barbeque red at a fair price.

85 Golden Kaan Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
Western Cape, South Africa
AB $12.95; BC $12.95 Speculative - Corby Distilleries Limited; NF $11.99; SK $12.95
Cedar-y, smoky, resiny, peppery with some chocolate, typical SA. Soft, round, simple palate with chocolate, leather, smoky prune, cassis flavours with some acidity on the finish. For the bbq.

85 Jacob's Creek Merlot 2003
South Eastern Australia, Australia
BC $12.99 Specialty
Peppery, spicy, tobacco, chocolate nose with some cherry notes. Soft, round, off-dry palate with minty, spicy, cherry, chocolate flavours. Warm with crisp acidity on the finish. Sound everyday red.

85 King Fish California Shiraz 2003
California, United States
AB $9.95; BC $10.95 Speculative Listing - Pernod Ricard; Canada $36.00 (3000 ml) Estimated Retail; MB $9.95; ON $9.95
Another bargain California shiraz this time with blueberry and cedar bark notes on the nose and in the flavours. Soft with a bit of mid-palate dryness and a chalky chocolate finish. The perfect summer barbecue red that also comes in a 3000ml Bota box with a high- tech spout. Good value.

85 La Vieille Ferme Côtes du Ventoux Rouge 2003 Grenache - Shiraz - Mourvèdre - Cinsault
Côtes-du-Ventoux, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, France
AB $12.00; BC $12.99 Specialty; ON $9.95; QC $13.50
White pepper, resiny, peppery, meaty, black cherry jam nose with some strong barnyard notes. Dry, somewhat elegant entry with tight tannins. Black cherry, peppery, resiny, licorice, mineral, meaty flavours. Very dry, lean Euro finish. Needs food to tame the dryness and get you to the ripe fruit.

85 Lindemans Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2002
South Australia, Australia
AB $16.00; BC $14.99 Specialty; ON $14.95 Vintages
Leafy, mint, sappy cassis nose with resiny, black cherry jam and a streak of cedar. Dry and slightly tannic but with suave styling and cassis jam, sappy, minty, peppery mint flavours. Drying out on the finish, drink up.

85 Willowglen Shiraz Cabernet 2004 Shiraz - Cabernet Sauvignon
South Eastern Australia, Australia
BC $11.95 Specialty
It would seem that shiraz cabernet blends, at least at this price point, have a bit more to offer the consumer. Expect soft, juicy cedar blueberry/cherry fruit with some lifted flavours and aromas in the back end. Soft, sippable and affordable. The perfect party red.