Vintages Release - November 13, 2010

You can tell it’s getting close to Christmas in Ontario when:

a) it gets dark early;

b) it starts to get cold; and

c) you suddenly see a lot more expensive wines in the LCBO releases;

That’s only partially a complaint. Although my bank manager regularly squeals at the size of my wine budget, he, like most of us, appreciates a good bottle, and there are a lot of good bottles in this release. The theme of the release is “top-rated wines”, together with “Tuscan treasures”. Since a good few of the world’s top rated wines come from Tuscany, you could drop a lot of money on this release if you were so minded.

I’m going to try to point out my idea of good value amongst the expensive wines (hopefully without breaking the bank), and still find some reasonably priced, every day quaffers as well.

SPARKLING WINE

Two choices here.

The Charles Baur Cremant d’Alsace 2009 ($18.95) is made just like a champagne, but of course they can’t call it that because it doesn’t come from the right part of France. (It also uses some grape varieties that are outside the norm for champagne.) The end result won’t fool you into thinking you have a real champagne, but it’s a very good substitute for a fraction of the price. Expect a slightly leesy palate, with green apple, toast, lemon-lime, pear and honey on this very slightly off-dry wine. It may not pass as a quality champagne, but serve it with appetizers, or even your Christmas turkey, and you’ll have a very passable imitation.

If you want the real thing, go for the Cattier Premier Cru Brut Champagne 2002 ($47.95). This is the real deal and you could pay a whole lot more without getting a whole lot more. This creamy wine is at the peak of its taste right now. Expect complex notes of brioche, baked apple, lemon, with good length and mouth feel. This wine will carry you through the festive season.

WHITE WINE

Four choices here, all reasonable priced:

The Chereau-Carre La Griffe Bernard Chereau Muscadet Sevre et Maine 2009 from the Loire is a good deal at $13.95. This isn’t a typical lean muscadet it’s far too rich for that - but at the same time it’s citric and zippy. There are elements of pear and honey, and some flinty mineral on the finish, that make it mouth watering on its own, and a good choice to go with dishes as diverse as shellfish or chicken.

If I liked the muscadet, I loved the Chateau de Mirande Macon-Villages 2009 ($17.95) from Burgundy. This is a soft, easy drinking, rich chardonnay with sweet grapefruit, apple, honey, tropical fruit, and a touch of vanilla on the finish. A very refreshing wine that drinks so nicely on its own that you might not think of pairing it with whitefish or soft cheese.

Dog Point Vineyard Sauvigon Blanc 2009 ($19.95) is made (and owned) by two former winemakers at New Zealand’s famed Cloudy Bay winery which, during their tenure there, arguably set the world wide standard for sauvignon blanc. There is a rich mélange of flavours on this concentrated wine with lemon grass, citrus, honey and stone fruit notes predominating. This wine is one of my perennial favourites.

I’m not generally a huge fan of California chardonnays, since I usually prefer a leaner version of the grape (eg. a Chablis), but I was very impressed by the Sterling Vineyards Chardonnay 2007 ($21.95). This is a big, very rich, white wine, with lots of vanilla and toast, well balanced acid, caramel, peach, pear, apple and tropical fruit. If you like rich chardonnays, this wine is for you, and comes at a very decent price.

SPECIAL RED WINES

There are just too many good red wines in this release, so I plan to list a bunch (any one of which I’d be happy to recommend), but I will be listing one or two special favourites/value choices.

I’d buy any of the:

- Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($51.95) – a lighter style, but very well made California cabernet

- Montes Alpha Purple Angel 2007 ($49.95) – one of the best wines from this quality Chilean winery

- Barossa Valley Estate Ebeneezer Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($39.95) – this is the second wine of one of the highest quality, most reliable, Australian estates. One of my personal favourites.

- Bouchard Pere et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 2007 ($44.95) – this company has been making quality burgundies for centuries, but this wine probably needs to be aged for 5 years

- Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2008 ($89.95) – the most storied winery in a storied region. Age for at least seven years.

- Antinori Guado al Tasso 2007 ($89.95) – The Antinori name is synonymous with Italian wine, and this has been one of their leading offerings. It’s a Bordeaux blend of grapes (cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc) Also needs substantial aging.

- Antinori Solaia 2007 ($249.95) – This is THE leading Antinori wine, and one of the great iconic wines of the world. It’s basically a cabernet sauvignon/sangiovese blend and one of the grand daddies of the IGT classification. Don’t even think about opening it for about 10 years, by which time it may well have doubled in value.

- Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino 2005 ($64.95) – One of the best wineries in the Brunello region. Absolutely reliable as to quality and taste.

- Miguel Torres Mas la Plana Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($44.95) – This Spanish winery is rapidly gaining a reputation for top flight quality.
When I say that I would recommend any of those wines, I should also say that I have bought (and in some cases still have cellared) each of those wines, although not necessarily the vintages described above,

However, if I were to be buying a pricey wine to drink within the next little while, I would be buying either of:

- the Ornellaia La Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia 2008 ($59.95) from Tuscany. This wine was released on October 30, and I recommended it then, but there is still quite a bit in the stores. I think it’s just delicious, and (despite what Vintages says) is drinking beautifully now (with aeration). I bought more.

- the Bodegas Callia Winemakers Reserve Grand Callia 2006 ($34.95) from Argentina. This is a release wine and would benefit from a year or so in the bottle, but you can substitute aeration for a couple of hours. Expect chocolate, mint, plum, blueberry, licorice, cherry, white pepper, orange peel and pencil box notes on this very complex, highly enjoyable wine. As with any Argentinian wine, it is made to go with grilled red meat. Great value, and great wine. I will buy more.

MORE MODESTLY PRICED REDS

Things don’t always have to cost an upper and lower limb.

The Vinum Vita est Nebbiolo D’Alba 2007 ($15.95) from Piedmont is a very nice wine, especially for the price. This winery (co-op) recently put out the Dogliani 2007, a very tasty blend for $13.95. The Vinum Vita is a step up, but still represents very good value. Expect black cherry, smoke and earthy notes on this very nice wine, that will work especially well with tomato and red meat based dishes.

The Castello di Farnetella Lucilla 2007 ($18.95) is an IGT from Tuscany, and one of the wines of the month. It has a nose, and a palate, dominated by ripe black plum, with licorice, smoke, blueberry, spice, and white pepper. A very tasty wine, which, being Italian, will complement tomato based pasta or pizza, but wouldn’t be out of place with a burger, stew or a hard cheese. One of the better recent wines of the month.

The Ornellaia Le Volte 2008 ($28.95) is the little brother (sister) of the Serre Nuove as recommended above. It isn’t in the same league but represents good value for the price I buy some of this every year for those occasions when you want a wine that’s a notch above the ordinary but doesn’t go all the way to expensive. Expect leather, big black fruit, blueberry and fig, with soft tannins and a long finish.

Finally (for I fear I have gone on too long) there’s the Chateau Signac Cuvee Combe D’Enfer Cotes du Rhone-Villages Chusclan 2007 ($18.95). Expect a medium bodied wine with lots of lavender on the nose, and black cherry, earth, lavender, black current and a bit of smoked meat on the palate. This is a mini chateauneuf-du-pape, and, again, represents good value. Serve (aerated for at least 30 minutes) with red meat or hard cheese.