Next up on the Vintages front is the last release of
November. Depending on your level of self control you may want to prepare for
your wallet to run screaming from your pants. Or leap screaming from your purse.
Or jump screaming from your European man satchel! Because no matter where your
wallet is, at this time of year it should be afraid, very, very afraid!
As Vintages penultimate release each year this one has traditionally
presented an expansive, expensive array of vinous options. The release contains
some really big guns that are destined for the cellar but contains only a very
few that are bargain basement priced. “But, are there any wines under $30?” you
ask. Yes. “Are there many wines under $30 worth
considering? “ A few. “What about wines under
that $50 price ceiling of yours?” Again, a few. Certainly this release is top heavy with garnet
beauties priced at or well over the $50 mark.
New entries have been added to the big dollar category this year so if
you are looking for something really special, you might find it. It will however
be up to you to do your own due diligence for those wines.
A special note for older wine fans, er make that fans of
older wines. I have suggested three from
this release that are between 9 and 19 (yes nineteen) years old. Presumably
their provenance has been impeccable.
The VRSS scores 66-70 points. If I was a lottery winner, it
would be much higher.
My Picks (Under
$30)
Grant Burge The Holy
Trinity - $29.95 – 499 cases - Since Rosemount’s GSM went to the cheap to ship
bottle and subsequently disappeared from
our market, this has become my favourite Aussie GSM. At just under $30 you can consider it either a
shorter lived Chateauneuf or the equal of a very good Gigondas. It’s a superior
wine when served with roasted meats or fowl but do not expect an Australian
blockbuster.
Di Majo Norante
Contado Riserva Aglianico del Molise 2010. 399 cases- At $17.95 and rated
three of three by Gambero Rosso and 91 pts by Antonio Galloni, this is the best
buy in the release if you are fans of an old world, more traditional style of
wine.
Clos de los Siete
2010 –$21.95- 912 cases- The Argentine adventure of Michel Rolland’s Band
of Seven continues to thrive. The vines are into double figures age wise
resulting in a wine with more of everything but still available at a pretty
good price. I would favorably compare this to Norton’s Privada. That is a good thing.
Speaking of Argentine adventures, as well as the Clos de Los
Siete , there are six Malbecs in this release priced between $17.95 and $25.95. The LCBO bought plenty of
each and my choices would be the second most expensive Mendel
2010 and the mid priced Susanna
Balbo Signature Malbec 2011 at $19.95. The latter will need some time to
come around. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the six.
Pesquiera Condado De
Haza 2009 – $24.95 – 587 cases - A crianza of very good quality, if you can
leave it alone for a year or two, do so. Dry with more red fruit than black, I
really enjoy this medium bodied wine.
Rocca Di Castagnoli Poggi
a’Frati Chianti Classico Reserva 2009 $29.95 – 298 cases – Superior wine
from a good vintage. Ageworthy and continues a good the run of CCR’s in
Vintages.
Domini de La Cartoixa
Formiga de Galena 2009 - $25.95 – A reasonably priced Priorat offering that’ll
present red fruits. The red ants on the stylish label are sure to garner
attention, the wine backs it up.
Chapel Hill Cabernet
2010 - $24.95 –598 cases - Juicy, black fruit from the McLaren Vale, expect
cassis and possibly cedar but not nearly the mint notes you’d get from Coonawarra.
Red meat anyone?
D’Arenberg The
Footbolt Shiraz – 2010 – 637 cases- $23.95. – Recommended for just horsing
around.
For fans of wines
with some age, there are three that stand out in this release. Under $30 is the Domaine de Viaud
from the 2001 vintage in Bordeaux. There are 329 cases of this one at
$28.95. Leading into the big buck zone are two Spanish wines that look
interesting. The 1994 (yes, 1994!) Urbina Gran Reserva Especial at $46.95 (181
cases), and La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva Especial 2004 $38.95 (199 cases).
The Big Bucks (that
I can afford)
Trapiche Single
Vineyard Series -$39.95 - 497 cases of 6 –For the 2009 vintage and in recognition
of the quality of their production, Trapiche chose the following Malbec
growers - Domingo
F Sarmiento, Jorge Mirailles and Finca Suarez Lastra -for the honour of
presenting their wines in this special
series. The latter was selected for their first time so it would have been interesting
to try that wine if it was the one in this release. Is it? Nope. The Jorge
Miralles might ring a bell for you – in Vintages October 26th
release this wine was recommended as a big buck ISD (ooops FSE). While it seems odd for Vintages to repeat a
wine that was an FSE just a month earlier, stranger things have happened at the
monopoly. It is indeed the Jorge Miralles again in this release. As a matter of fact nice wooden boxes of it have
been available in my local (non FSE) store for over a week. I can only presume
some sort of silliness has taken place between the LCBO and the importer/
distributor Phillipe Dandurand.
Domaine La Roquete
2010- $49.95 – 149 cases- Since purchasing and assuming control of this
domaine in 1986, the Brunier Brothers have done a terrific job restoring it to
glory. Certainly it had some prized vineyard locations but there was much work
to be done. Their efforts are paying off in superior wines but as the quality
gets higher, so do the prices. For these bigger bucks you can expect a wine
with mesquite notes, black fruits, ganache and a long finish. Sadly, long gone
are the mid to upper $30 price points for this beaut! While
not a blockbuster this is a terrific, subtle wine to accompany a mixed grill,
game meats or to savour on its own. If you must open this vintage soon, do decant
it for quite some time.
Tenuta Sette Ponti
Crognolo 2010- $31.95- 448 cases- With vineyards planted at 6,666 vines per
hectare dare I call this a devilishly good wine? Of course I do! A 90 pointer derived from
grapes produced on 20 to 25 year old vines, this blend of cabernet, merlot, and
sangiovese is annually a first rate wine. Baby brother to the Oreno - game
meats or perhaps roast pheasant are just the ticket and I think it’s a buck
less than the ‘09.
J.Lohr Hilltops Vineyard
2010 $39.95 – 619 cases of 6 - J.Lohr Seven Oaks is a very pleasant wine in
the Vintages Essentials portfolio. Consider this its big brother. Twice the
price for slightly more of everything.
Giacosa Fratelli
Vigna Mandorlo Barolo 2006 - $49.95 –299 cases of 6 - Consistent scores from WS and WE (93 points) suggest this’ll be a terrific Barolo in the
short or long term. On the other hand, if your palate aligns with Antonio
Galloni you might consider taking a pass. He rated this at only 87 points
Tenuta San Guido
Guidalberto 2011-$49.95 –199 cases of 6 - Sassicaia’s baby brother, this is a 60 – 40 blend of Cab sauv and
merlot. Ready to drink younger than its higher priced sibling. An excellent
wine.
Antinori Pian della
Vigne 2008 - $59.95 – 850 cases of 6 - Over my ceiling and may not be the
wine it was in ’97 or ‘98 but it still merits some consideration.
Mountadam ‘The Red’
2009 – $34.95 – 199 cases- From the Eden Valley, this one garnered a 95
point review from James Halliday. You can consider his score inflated by a few
points but 91 or 92 for this Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc blend is realistic. The
Chapel Hill is a better buy in this style of wine.
Ladies Who Shoot Their
Lunch Shiraz 2010 –$39.95- 595 cases of 6- While what was inside the bottle
was good, the earlier marketing for this wine was pure genius. You can
search this blog for some past highlights of it. The Fowles website has changed
since then but they retain and proudly proclaim their opinion that there is
nothing criminal about hunting/ killing the food you’ll eat. As well, you can learn how LWSTL wines will compliment
game meats.
While we’re on the subject of marketing, each month
in 2013 the Paso Robles wine alliance has released a video (they still have one
video to go) which focuses on a different grape variety grown in the Paso area.
Of course they continue to feature Paso Man aka Casey Biggs. As a pitchman he
may not be ‘the most interesting man in the world’ or even the ’old spice’ guy but
he comes across perfectly as the face of Paso Robles wines. (To me, he’s Don
Ziraldo 2.0) Here’s the link, you be the judge. http://www.pasowine.com/media/videos.php
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