June 7th Vintages - Oz and Dad are upstaged by Spain

The June 7^th release features Australia, crisp whites from Italy and some Fathers Day selections. The Australian release is moderately good, if more of the same old, same old. The Father’s Day pickings are so slim it appears someone at the LCBO has some unresolved Daddy issues. We’ll delve no further into that.

 For this release and to my palate the best wine buys in the release hail from Europe. From both a flavour and a quality perspective (to say nothing of QPR)  the better wines and my top picks are two of the offerings from Spain and one from Puglia in Italy. I do issue a word of warning about one of the Spanish choices in my notes below though.  You can call me a pessimist for that.

The VRSS comes in at 62 to 66 points.

RED TABLE WINE

SPAIN

  BORSAO TRES PICOS GARNACHA 2011   700 cases of 12  $19.95  - Spanish Garnacha (Grenache), made to suit a mature if modern palate can be exceptional. This one is just that and is annually among my ‘must buys’. Especially good served alongside a grilled pork tenderloin or perhaps a ‘hot off the home rotisserie’  chicken.  An excellent wine.   If I fail in my quest for some of the Breca, I’ll double up on this wine. Buying wine from the LCBO means a man must have a fall back strategy!

  BRECA OLD VINES GARNACHA 2010   689 cases of 12  $19.95  - A Vintages rerelease of a wine that  Robert Parker  scored 94 points.  The previous release caused normally mature, intelligent  adults to degenerate into chest puffing arm wrestlers on Saturday morning in the LCBO. The LCBO must have loved it though because it blew out of the stores like the title of a certain 2000 Nicolas Cage movie. I expect a replay in this release (not of the movie, just of the title – Gone in Sixty Seconds).  I do have a concern about this vintage being made available again so late in the going.  Is it a second rate release of the wine made to capitalize on the original’s great score? Time will tell. Taste wise, my previous bottles needed a bit of time to settle in. This wine opened with an almost dusty  texture and mouthfeel  when I enjoyed my first bottle of it. That dustiness was replaced by supporting tannins and big gobs of black and red berry fruit after a short exposure to air. Second bottle, served a few months later, didn’t have the initial dustiness, just great fruit and tight tannins. It was a memorable wine, especially for under $20. Served on Mother’s Day, it was a huge hit with my wife so, being a wise man,  I’ll be trying to get more of it for sure!  The third sample that I had was purchased in BC and was good but not great.  Pleasant fruit but lacking definition and character. That one was the latest one that I bought and that’s why I’m concerned  for the lot in this release.

PUGLIA

 LEONE DE CASTRIS RISERVA SALICE SALENTINO 2010   349 cases of 12 $19.95  - Three of three from Gambero Rosso and under $20. I’ll take that any time. Grilled meats,  braised meats, ripe or hard cheeses – excellent!

AUSTRALIA

WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE BLACK LABEL CABERNET   348 cases of 12  $27.95  - This wine continues to score  well with all the Toronto area wine critics and this year’s vintage made the WS Top 100 too.  Big Coonawarra profile – cassis, cedar, and eucalyptus makes it a natural for rack of lamb. It’ll age or be ready to go right now.

DOMAINE TOURNON MATHILDA SHIRAZ 2011 (M. Chapoutier) M.   350 cases of 12  $19.95  - If the Terlato and Chapoutier single vineyard offering in the Big Bucks group is an Aussie Cornas, think of this as a St. Joseph. OK mate, since it’s from OZ let’s call it a St. Joey! And go waltzing.

GRANT BURGE THE HOLY TRINITY   479 cases of 6 $29.95  - As close as an Aussie gets to being a Gigondas  ( or maybe even a CNdP).   Still at the magical $29.95 mark this time around, this drifts back and forth from there to $33 sometimes.  Very good wine though and I’m a big fan of this GSM  but there are better choices for less this time around.
ZONTE'S FOOTSTEP LAKE DOCTOR SHIRAZ 2012   808 cases of 12  $16.95 

 HASELGROVE FIRST CUT SHIRAZ 2010   379 cases of 12 $18.95 

THE WINNER'S TANK SHIRAZ 2012   415 $17.95 

Liciencado Reserva Tempranillo 2006 – 275 cases - 29.95 – Very highly regarded by Decanter and with plenty of age already, this one is a new one for me so I’ll try one to begin with. The review’s Bold Black cherry and liquorice flavours sold it for me.

Three Cabernet Sauvignon options, one from OZ, one from California and one from South Africa.

MITOLO JESTER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012   559 $22.95 

 GEYSER PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009   576 $19.95 

DELHEIM CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011   223 cases of 12 $18.95 – Best of the reasonable priced Cabernets. Not up to the Wynn’s but it is priced where the Wynn’s used to be.

ROSE and White wines

CARPINETO DOGAJOLO ROSATO 2013   374 cases $15.95 

MARQUES DE CACERES ROSADO 2013   497 cases $13.95 

LANZERAC CHARDONNAY 2011 419 cases of 6 $16.95  - From South Africa, this should be a well priced chard option. Woody though.

Big Bucks

DOMAINE TERLATO & CHAPOUTIER LIEU DIT MALAKOFF SHIRAZ   500 cases of 6 $55.95 – Think of it as an Aussie version of a wine from  Cornas, if Cornas was in the Southern Rhone. OK maybe not. Just think of it as an expensive well crafted Aussie wine made by a Frenchman. 

BURROWING OWL  ATHENE 2010 ISD   55 cases $44.95 – Canadian content. Great winery in the southern Okanagen.

MITOLO G.A.M. SHIRAZ 2010   111 cases of 12 $39.95

BARLOW CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009   111 $65.95