This Saturday’s release is the big Christmas issue – you know the one where you’re supposed to pick out really expensive wines for presents, or to show your friends what you can afford in the way of wine. It’s the LCBO’s concept of opening your wallet to give someone a better Christmas – but I don’t think they mean the needy unless you plan to donate a bottle of wine to St. Vincent de Paul.
All joking aside, do consider a charitable donation, especially this year. There will be many people needing help in this economic climate.
There are a lot of pricey wines in here, and they do make pretty good gifts:
1) If you can afford them; and
2) If you’re giving them to someone who will appreciate them,
because these are very good wines. Many of them are Vintages Essentials, or re-releases of wines that have already made an appearance this year. If you are interested in the top of the top, here’s my suggestions:
CHAMPAGNE (notice I did not say “sparkling wines”):
If $250 plus is in your budget, go for the Krug Grande Cuveé Brut Champagne ($269.95) or the Cristal Brut Champagne 2002 ($286.95). These are both wonderful wines. The Krug – a combination of pinot noir, pinot meuniere and chardonnay -has more body, and lots of brioche, with flavours of coconut, vanilla, citrus, and pineapple. The Cristal is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, yielding a lighter style champagne, with plenty of structure, and tastes, and aromas, of fresh strawberries, apples, hazelnuts, cream and vanilla. The Cristal may be lighter than the Krug, but they both have tons of structure and a long satisfying finish. Either will be a real treat, although the Krug is slightly more my taste.
You can match all sorts of food with either of these two wines, especially shellfish or milder tasting (so as not to distract from the flavour of the wines) hors d’oeuvres, although they will tell you, and prove to you in Rheims, that they will stand up to beef. For myself, I think these wines are so exquisite, I’d rather enjoy them on their own, without anything else to distract my palate.
If the $250 plus price range is not quite you, but you still want a celebration wine, go for the Veuve Cliquot Vintage Brut Champagne 2002 ($92.95). There’s a bit more green apple on this wine, with flavours of lemon, mineral and cream, with a long finish, and lots of acid to enhance mouth feel. If you don’t drink it side by side with one of the first two, you can enjoy it every bit as much.
EXPENSIVE REDS
There’s a lot of good reds to choose from in this release, but I’d pick the following as standing out in a price/quality mix:
Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($139.95) from California. I’ve had this wine up against Opus 1 (which is 150% of the price, with a bigger name) and I like the Montelena just as much. This is about as good as a California cabernet gets. It’s a massive wine, with layers of tobacco, leather, earth, chocolate, spice, mineral, cedar, dark cherry and cassis. Drinkable now (with 2 hours aeration) but will keep for years. Serve with red meat, dark chocolate, or a good paté.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($89.95) from Sonoma. I think that this is, year in and year out, one of the best values in top flight California cabernets. Expect a racy, complex wine, with plum, blackberry, smoke, mocha and herbal oak all blending nicely together to take you smoothly from opening to mid-palate to finish. Once again, this wine is approachable now, but there are lots of soft tannins that will keep it for at least five years.
Antinori Solaii 2005 ($234.95) from Tuscany is one of the great iconic wines, and a (deservedly) perennial favourite of every major wine critic. When this wine is ready to drink – in, say, five or more years – expect a perfectly blended, complex wine with blackberry, earth, mineral and violet notes, and a finish that won’t quit. It will work with any kind of red meat or tomato dish, but I see it going best with a lean cut of prime rib.
The Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($89.95) from the Rhone is probably the best known, and longest lasting, label from this storied region. This is a huge wine, with well integrated flavours of cedar, smoke, candied cherry, herbs de provence, tobacco, strawberry cordial and chewy tannins. This wine definitely needs another five or so years in the bottle, but it will repay the wait. It needs red meat or strong cheese.
At the lower end of the pricey spectrum (does that make sense?), the Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 ($43.95) is an exceptional wine for a chianti. This wine will repay cellaring for at least 2 years, but could be consumed now with at least two hours (or more) of decanting. This is a big wine for the varietal, with flavours and aromas of blackberry, leather and tobacco, and notes of earth, oak, licorice and spice. Serve with a strong cheese, with or without, pasta in a meat/tomato based sauce.
PRICEY WHITES
The La Crema Russian River Chardonnay 2007 ($38.95) is, like many of these wines, a re-release, but California chardonnays don’t get much better than this. You won’t find the elegance of a burgundian Montrachet or a Pouilly Fuissé, but you will get a wine that’s bursting with creamy oak, vanilla, almonds and tropical fruit, and great mouth feel. Great on it’s own, or with poultry or seafood in a rich sauce.
The Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay 2007 ($65.00) from Niagara is a terrific wine, although I can’t help but think that the winery is getting ahead of itself in terms of price. Still, this is a very good wine, with loads of creamy vanilla, green apple, almonds, hazelnuts and smoke and mineral. It’s a delightful wine, great on it’s own, or with seafood hors d’oeuvres, that you can’t help but enjoy despite the price.
* * *
All joking aside, do consider a charitable donation, especially this year. There will be many people needing help in this economic climate.
There are a lot of pricey wines in here, and they do make pretty good gifts:
1) If you can afford them; and
2) If you’re giving them to someone who will appreciate them,
because these are very good wines. Many of them are Vintages Essentials, or re-releases of wines that have already made an appearance this year. If you are interested in the top of the top, here’s my suggestions:
CHAMPAGNE (notice I did not say “sparkling wines”):
If $250 plus is in your budget, go for the Krug Grande Cuveé Brut Champagne ($269.95) or the Cristal Brut Champagne 2002 ($286.95). These are both wonderful wines. The Krug – a combination of pinot noir, pinot meuniere and chardonnay -has more body, and lots of brioche, with flavours of coconut, vanilla, citrus, and pineapple. The Cristal is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes, yielding a lighter style champagne, with plenty of structure, and tastes, and aromas, of fresh strawberries, apples, hazelnuts, cream and vanilla. The Cristal may be lighter than the Krug, but they both have tons of structure and a long satisfying finish. Either will be a real treat, although the Krug is slightly more my taste.
You can match all sorts of food with either of these two wines, especially shellfish or milder tasting (so as not to distract from the flavour of the wines) hors d’oeuvres, although they will tell you, and prove to you in Rheims, that they will stand up to beef. For myself, I think these wines are so exquisite, I’d rather enjoy them on their own, without anything else to distract my palate.
If the $250 plus price range is not quite you, but you still want a celebration wine, go for the Veuve Cliquot Vintage Brut Champagne 2002 ($92.95). There’s a bit more green apple on this wine, with flavours of lemon, mineral and cream, with a long finish, and lots of acid to enhance mouth feel. If you don’t drink it side by side with one of the first two, you can enjoy it every bit as much.
EXPENSIVE REDS
There’s a lot of good reds to choose from in this release, but I’d pick the following as standing out in a price/quality mix:
Chateau Montelena The Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($139.95) from California. I’ve had this wine up against Opus 1 (which is 150% of the price, with a bigger name) and I like the Montelena just as much. This is about as good as a California cabernet gets. It’s a massive wine, with layers of tobacco, leather, earth, chocolate, spice, mineral, cedar, dark cherry and cassis. Drinkable now (with 2 hours aeration) but will keep for years. Serve with red meat, dark chocolate, or a good paté.
Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($89.95) from Sonoma. I think that this is, year in and year out, one of the best values in top flight California cabernets. Expect a racy, complex wine, with plum, blackberry, smoke, mocha and herbal oak all blending nicely together to take you smoothly from opening to mid-palate to finish. Once again, this wine is approachable now, but there are lots of soft tannins that will keep it for at least five years.
Antinori Solaii 2005 ($234.95) from Tuscany is one of the great iconic wines, and a (deservedly) perennial favourite of every major wine critic. When this wine is ready to drink – in, say, five or more years – expect a perfectly blended, complex wine with blackberry, earth, mineral and violet notes, and a finish that won’t quit. It will work with any kind of red meat or tomato dish, but I see it going best with a lean cut of prime rib.
The Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2007 ($89.95) from the Rhone is probably the best known, and longest lasting, label from this storied region. This is a huge wine, with well integrated flavours of cedar, smoke, candied cherry, herbs de provence, tobacco, strawberry cordial and chewy tannins. This wine definitely needs another five or so years in the bottle, but it will repay the wait. It needs red meat or strong cheese.
At the lower end of the pricey spectrum (does that make sense?), the Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 ($43.95) is an exceptional wine for a chianti. This wine will repay cellaring for at least 2 years, but could be consumed now with at least two hours (or more) of decanting. This is a big wine for the varietal, with flavours and aromas of blackberry, leather and tobacco, and notes of earth, oak, licorice and spice. Serve with a strong cheese, with or without, pasta in a meat/tomato based sauce.
PRICEY WHITES
The La Crema Russian River Chardonnay 2007 ($38.95) is, like many of these wines, a re-release, but California chardonnays don’t get much better than this. You won’t find the elegance of a burgundian Montrachet or a Pouilly Fuissé, but you will get a wine that’s bursting with creamy oak, vanilla, almonds and tropical fruit, and great mouth feel. Great on it’s own, or with poultry or seafood in a rich sauce.
The Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay 2007 ($65.00) from Niagara is a terrific wine, although I can’t help but think that the winery is getting ahead of itself in terms of price. Still, this is a very good wine, with loads of creamy vanilla, green apple, almonds, hazelnuts and smoke and mineral. It’s a delightful wine, great on it’s own, or with seafood hors d’oeuvres, that you can’t help but enjoy despite the price.
* * *
THE REST
Fortified Wines
At $27.95, the Quinta de Ventozelo 10-years-old Tawny Port is a really good buy. This is a very well made port, well-balanced and with rich fruit without being sweet. Expect a nice melange of flavours, including chocolate, almonds, licorice, and Christmas cake, with a hint of walnut. A lovely end to a great meal, especially with dried fruit and cheese.
White Wines
The Concha Y Toro Winemaker’s Lot 14 Chardonnay 2008 ($17.95) is a little more expensive than many Chilean chards, but it gives you a little extra as well. This isn’t so much a creamy chardonnay, although there’s certainly vanilla, but the pineapple and grapefruit blend very nicely together, with a bit of nectarine, to impart great mouth feel and a long, rich finish. Good on its own, or, as Vintages recommends, with grilled seafood or roast chicken.
You could buy the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($29.95) – still close to the standard for sauvignon blancs – or you could go for the Mount Riley Sauvignon Blanc 2008 (both from New Zealand) at about half the price ($15.99). The Cloudy Bay is, I think, more expensive than it should be, but there is little doubt that it is still one of the best sauvignons in the world (although perhaps by a narrower margin than it used to be). As always, the Cloudy Bay is dominated by well integrated gooseberry and lime, with a bit of celery and mineral thrown in. The Mount Riley, is more herbal and grassy, and with more acid, but without as much sweet fruit and more citrus. It’s very dry, with a lingering finish that would complement soft cheese or pasta (with or without seafood) in a cream sauce.
For those who like their white wines off dry, or if you’ve never tried a muscat, the Terres Blanches Muscat Sec 2008 ($13.95) from the Midi is a very good choice. Muscats are sweeter than most white wines and are not for everybody, but they can be very nice aperitifs, served ice cold. This one is well worth a try, with flavours of orange, grapefruit and peach, with some white flowers on the nose. Vintages suggests pairing with spicy Asian food, barbecued chicken or pork chops.
Red Wines
Many Australin shiraz’s have become a bit too plummy for my taste, but the Peter Lehman The Futures Shiraz 2006 ($31.95) isn’t one of them. Expect layers of cassis, green plum and smoke on this well structured wine that will go with all but the leanest cuts of red meat.
The Bonterra Merlot 2006 ($19.95) from California is a really good example of how well the state can do merlot, despite the movie (somewhat dated now) Sideways. This is a big, chewy tasty wine with flavours of dark chocolate, sour cherry, apple, ripe plum and black pepper, and a coconut accent. It is very ready to drink, and needs food – red meat, and lots of it.
Almost along the same lines as the Bonterra is the Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2007 ($19.95) from Chile. This is a big, rich wine, with lots of flavours, some of which seem to come at you all at once in a confusing, but very pleasant, melange of dark plum, cocoa, blackberry, cherry cola and hints of bacon and mint. This is also a food wine, with lots of complexity and a very long finish.
For a bit less, but still along the same lines, the Cathedral Cellar Merlot 2006 ($16.95) from South Africa is always reliable. Expect a bit of earthiness, with white pepper and vanilla and raspberry/strawberry/cherry/plum flavours, and some mineral, on a well made, well-priced wine. Very approachable now (with an hour’s decanting). Better with food.
From France, there are two good choices:
- The Chateau Tour de Castres 2005 ($26.95) from Bordeaux comes from the exceptional 2005 vintage. There’s lots of complexity on this well structured wine with dark plum and cassis predominating, and cigar box and chocolate notes. Vintages suggests pairit with amb chops and I, enthusiastically, agree.
- The Domaine Galevan Paroles de Femme Cotes du Rhone 2007 ($15.00) is a nice find. I love finding good Rhone wines at this kind of price because they’re just so versatile. You can drink them on their own, and they go with so many different kinds of foods. This one has lots of black fruit (plum and black current) with some herbs de Provence, black pepper, cherry cordial, raspberry and smoked meat. Good on its own but really good with grilled sausages.
It’s rare to find a good super-Tuscan for south of $25, so the Argiano NC Non Confunditur 2006 ($24.95) is unique. It’s also unique in being closed with a screwcap (I approve). This is a blend of 40% cabernet sauvignon, and 20% each of sangiovese, merlot and syrah. This interesting blend produces a smooth, well textured wine, with ripe, red berry fruit and soft, silky tannins, and black cherry. Try with pasta with meat sauce, sausages or parmesan cheese.
We’re all familiar with ripassos, but, even so, the Tenuta Sant’Antionio Monti Garbi Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore 2007 ($18.95) from Veneto stands out. This wine is new to Vintages (at least as far as I know) and shows a wide range of well integrated flavours. There is, of course, the traditional raisin, cherry and mocha, but there’s also some fig, smoked meat and smoky notes that set it apart. If you like ripassos, this one is worth trying.
Finally, the Atalaya Almansa 2007 ($21.95) from Spain is very good. This in another big wine, with leather, black cherry, blueberry, blackberry, mushroom and spice, with a very long, expressive finish. Expect layers of mouth filling flavour on this concentrated wine. Decant for at least an hour, and serve with red meat or cheese.
