Norton Privada 2007 - A heads up tasting note

Norton Privada 2007 – This wine is in the May 14th Vintages release. This truly is a tale of two wines. The 2007 Norton Privada received 91 points from the Wine Spectator. BP has had 4 bottles of this wine in the last 6 months and it has received 92, 72 (and 84) and 80 and 78 points from me. Two versions were procured from the BCLDB, and two from the SAQ. The first bottle was what drove me to buy a quartet from the SAQ. It was spectacular.



Eyes closed, this first bottle could have been mistaken for a $60 Napa Meritage. It displayed amazing fruit, tannins, currants, blackberry, cherry, licorice, a bit of smoke, all playing in concert together on both the nose and palate. A wonderful wine – popped and poured - the first glass had it in my Top 50 wines of the year last year. I thoroughly enjoyed the bottle last November. There’s my 92 pointer.


Now on to the SAQ version purchased during our New Year’s visit to the outlaws. No nose to speak of, tight, mouth dryingly astringent, with a chemical taste to it. What fruit there was lay concealed beneath a layer of harsh tannins. Both bottles were served with the same meal, a rib roast of pork, but the difference between them was startling especially after the buildup I had given it! My wife, who generally loves whatever I bring to the table, bluntly said, “This isn’t doing it for me” and stopped at one unfinished glass. Unheard of in our household. I did the same. But I also thought I had to give this bad boy a second chance, mostly because I brought 4 bottles home from Quebec based on the BC bottle! I corked it and put it in the fridge. 20 hours later it was released from its frigid purgatory and uncorked again to warm on the counter. A bottle of 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape was opened and decanted beside it to provide the Privada with an idea of what was expected of garnet coloured fluids in my house. How was it day two? Better after 21 hours and even better by the 23 hour mark. The fruit was beginning to make an appearance, the tannins softening and that chemical taste fading. But I think it might have needed another 24 hours and even then it would never really shine in the way the first BC bottle had right out of the gate. There’s the 72 and 84 pointer.


Recently I was back to BC and tried another bottle while there and upon returning home, I also opened another of my SAQ stash. This time around, the BC bottle seemed to be suffering from the same affliction that cursed the first of the SAQ bottles. Fruit was absent, dry, dry tannins, a chemical aftertaste, all in all a real disappointment. Opening the second SAQ bottle at home, I found it slightly better than the first after resting in the cellar for a few more weeks but still nowhere near that benchmark first bottle. There’s my 80 (SAQ) and 78 (BCLDB) pointers.


So, what’s the scoop? Has the wine just entered a developmental dumb phase? Were the bottles from two different lots that were not equal fruit wise? Was it just not as well made or was there another serious flaw in the wine or the process? Regardless, it’s spoiling Norton’s reputation. Will my last two bottles come out of this funk? Time will tell. This wine is in the May 14 release so I’ll be opening one a few days before that release to see what state it’s in. If the Privada in the LCBO release is like the first BC version and you live outside of the GTA, you should have special ordered in April because it’ll fly off the shelves and be gone. On the other hand, if we get something like the second BC bottle or any of the Quebec ones, it will be panned or ignored by anyone who tastes it. The LCBO will sell out of it but only due to the 91 point label I’m sure it’ll be wearing.

April 16th Vintages Release - New Zealand and not much else

New Zealand is in the Spotlight this week and this release seems to have a couple of things going for it. One, it appears to be a far superior release to last year’s New Zealand release and two, it also appears to be far superior to the recent Vintages Burgundian disaster.  There are plenty of Pinot Noirs for you Pinotphiles to compare to the supposedly renowned Burgundies that were foisted on Vintages consumers in that debacle. Also there appear to be lots of sauvignon blancs to load up on for planked salmon or ‘shrimp on the Bar-B’ season.

In on the mix is a feature called ‘Easter Best’ food and wine matches but I’d rather pull something from the cellar than follow most of the LCBO picks. 

Whites

New Zealand

I find it most interesting that none of the reviews highlight the traditional green, grassy notes for any of these wines but I expect to find some anyway:

Eradus Sauvignon Blanc - $17.95 – well priced.

Giesen Sauvignon Blanc - $14.95 – A bargain

Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc $18.95 – A Kim Crawford protégé, so expect high quality and style.

Momo Sauvignon Blanc -  $18.95 – Always terrific.

Seresin Sauvignon Blanc -  $21.95 – Another great producer

Canada

Fielding Estate Unoaked Chardonnay 2008 – Fruit driven,with mineral tones. Cool climate Chardonnay ready to drink $15.95

Reds

Argentina

Luigi Bosca Reserve Cabernet sauvignon- Black fruits and a real mouthful at $17.95

Urraca Malbec 2008 – A new one for me and for the LCBO – good review though.$19.95

USA

Grove Street Cabernet - at $15.00 this is worth a shot - not for holding but for immediate consumption.

Hogue Reserve Merlot 2006 – Ready to drink – mocha notes over black fruit.$19.95.

OZ

Thorn Clarke Shotfire Quartage – A 4 grape Bordeaux blend from a very reliable producer, might be a bit overpriced and should have hit $19.95 not $21.95, but  you won’t care after a glass or two.

France

Cave De Rasteau La Domeliere Rasteau Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009 – Phew, that’s a mouthful. No wonder the French wine industry is suffering. You go into a store and try to ask where this wine is, halfway thru the name you give up and just say, “Oh Never mind, where’s the Hogue”? But don’t give up, it’s worth the effort especially at $15.!!

Italy

Apollonio Valle Cupa  2004 – A seven year old wine from a terrific producer – black fruit, licorice, some herbal notes too. Lots going on here. $17.95

Falesco Vitiano 2008 – right in its drinking window, but as the review says, watch for bottle variation – and that always scares me! $15.95

The Big Buck Buys

Whitehall Lane 2006 – Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa profile aromatically and flavour wise - $47.95

Chateau Gigognan Vigne du Regent Chateauneuf Du Pape- 2007 – from the ’07 vintage, should be excellent at $39.95

Tenuta Friggiali Brunello di Montalcino – 2004 – 3 glasses from Gambero Rosso and a great review but at $46.95 it's not cheap.

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 -  $69.95 - good score from James Laube.

April 2nd Release - Pinots from Burgundy and a nod to South Africa

I love a release like this one every now and then. Being a Pinotphobe there are very few wines in it that appeal to my taste buds which by extension means that my wallet stays heavier. However I did have to smile while reading through the Burgundy feature. Did you know that the colour Burgundy was named after the red wines of this region? Who’da thunk it!!?!  

There were a few in the release that looked OK to me, here they are:

Susana Balbo Signature Malbec 2008 - $19.95 – Nice, big, needs something grilled in the short term.

Arboleda Chardonnay 2008 - $15.95 – Well priced bargain white.

Of the Aussies, there are a bunch at $24.95. I’d go for the Saltram Mamre Brook Cab Sauv 2008 or if you like licorice, try the Pirramimma Petit Verdot 2006. Penfolds entry will score well but is too pricey.

My pick as the best South African wine isn’t even included in the South Africa feature – it’s the Winery of Good Hope Black Rock Red 2007 at $18.95

From the Southern Rhone, another ’07 Gigondas Domaine de la Mavette at $23.95 should be very nice.

Among the Italian offerings there are a couple of three glass winners.
The Barba Vignafranco Montepulciano D’Abruzzo2006 - continues a run of 3 glass winners at around $17.95, not too shabby.

The Umani Ronci San Lorenzo Rosso Conero 2007 gets 90 points from Galloni at $15.95

The Cappellaccio Aglianico Reserva2005 is a big wine in need of big food and some decanting time but at $18.95 should be good. Fennel, black fruit, espresso notes later on.

And, if you are looking for something nice to set aside for Greek Easter, try a bottle of the Pavlidis Thema 2007 at $19.95.

On the Big Buck front, search out the Schiavenza Broglio Barolo at $41.95 Three glasses but it's a 'lay down and wait'  wine, the Mastrojanni Brunello at $45.95 or the Chateau Montelena Cabernet at $54.95

March 19th - Spain, Portugal and Cali Cults

 The cover stories this week are Portugal and Spain and Cali Cult wines. There are some well priced gems from Spain for fans of the region or for those wishing to expand their palates.  But buyer beware. With the release this week of the Cali Cult wines, the boys and girls of Vintages have also taken the opportunity to load in a few wines from other regions that would normally look expensive but now look positively bargain priced comparatively speaking. And as for those Cali wines, most of them are just too expensive.

All that said, there is some good news. I do think you could buy a case of wine from this release, not spend more than $15 a bottle, and be quite happy.

The White

The Hamilton Russell 2009 South African Chard $29.95 in this release has some real buzz around it. It’s in very limited quantities (99 cases of 6) but should be very nice if a little oaky. If you see it, buy it.

The REDS – Lots to choose

ARGENTINA

BODEGA COLOME MALBEC $34.95 – A great producer and a WS Top 100 pick, a touch over- priced but a very good wine.  

AUSTRALIA

FETISH – THE WATCHER $19.95 – Another WS Top 100 this year. From a collaboration among Aussie winemakers, growers and artists for whom “wine is more than an obsession, it’s a fetish”. Hmmm, I think I’d prefer my winemaker to have an obsession. Fetish still conjures up images of him or her doing odd things in the barrels. Among Fetish’s other offerings, Playmates, and V-Spot. I suppose Rolf Binder should be applauded for his attempt to go adult with the wine and get away from fuzzy, cutesy, animal names.

D'ARENBERG THE HIGH TRELLIS CABERNET $19.95 – Well priced, quality Cab from Oz. If you must have a cab, it’s either this or the Geyser Peak from California.

PENFOLDS BIN 28 KALIMNA SHIRAZ 2007 $34.95- Always high quality, but too expensive. It seems all Penfolds upper mid priced wines (like the Bin series) are suffering from ISHP (Inflationary St. Henri Pricing) disease and should be at least 15% less. Whatever happened to $29.95 as a viable price point?

CANADA - BRITISH COLUMBIA

MISSION HILL QUATRAIN 2006 $44.95 – Not many cases and expensive, but if you want to show  someone that Canadian wine can be big and bold, this is a good expression of western Canada fruit.

CHILE

ALTAÏR SIDERAL 2005   $24.95 Again, not huge numbers but a nice wine to serve with grilled beef. Some green flavours, followed by black fruits and tannins, even after 6 years.

FRANCE RHÔNE

GABRIEL MEFFRE LAURUS GIGONDAS  2007 $26.95 – The ’06 was very nice – olive, back fruit, hints of herbs, and this is an OK price for a Gigondas.

CAVE DE MONTERAIL 2009 SEGURET Cotes du Rhone Villages $13.95 – The quality of a named  village for $13.95. Based on vintage and price, a better choice than the following one perhaps.

PERRIN & FILS VINSOBRES LES CORNUDS $17.95 Always good but given a choice between this sub par Vintage 2008 CdRV and the above 2009 at  $4 less, take the bargain one. Better year, almost as good a village.

DOMAINE DU PÈRE PAPE LA CRAU DE MA MÈRE Chateauneuf Du Pape $46.95 – See? This looks cheap compared to California. 3 of these or one Cali ‘cult’ cab? There are better, less expensive CNdP’s available from earlier releases.

ITALY ABRUZZI

TALAMONTI TRE SAGGI MONTEPULCIANO $15.95 A very nice wine at a nice price – the review reads oaky so if you’re allergic to wood, take a pass but if you like toasty vanilla  with your fruit, it could be for  you.

SPAIN

VIÑA MAYOR RESERVA 2004 $25.95 This wine was # 38 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2010 scoring 93 points. If you are looking for new world fruit, look elsewhere, but this should be a great food wine and be ready to drink.
LEALTANZA RESERVA SELECCIÓN 2004 $17.95 Lots of cases, so no rush to buy this one. It’s a nice food wine, has some age on it and is well priced.

FINCA SOBREÑO CRIANZA 2007 $17.95 – Another 90 pointer – watch for an abundance of oak

PEIQUE TINTO MENCÍA 2009 $13.95 – Want to try something different? Try this, cheap and cheerful, the Mencia grape is unique to Spain.

MONTEBUENA 2009 $12.95 – Do I really expect a 90 point wine for $12.95? No, but at that price if I get anything even close, I’ll be very pleased!

Portugal

A few inexpensive ‘could be’ sleepers from Portugal but I’m not familiar with any of them. If I was to risk a pick, this is the one I’d try.

QUINTA NOVA POMARES 2008  $ 16.95

WASHINGTON STATE

COLUMBIA CREST GRAND ESTATES MERLOT 2006 $15.95 – Another wine that has dropped in price from previous years. While it may not have quite the single vineyard cachet of the H3, it’s always a terrific merlot. Buy a bunch and be glad you did.

CALIFORNIA

GEYSER PEAK $21.95– This standard cab is always good. Nothing earth shattering but easy drinking with BBQ’d burgers. My review? It should be priced with the Columbia Crest merlot above, but it’s not.

All those big Cabs – I’d love a few but the stratospheric prices put them way out of my league. 

Some terrific wines at terrific prices

Not too often do I dole out the kudos to our friends at the LCBO but there are a few entries in this release that merit them. Well done, especially on the first two wines below. As a matter of fact, I think the first four are candidates for you to 'back up the truck'. But also remember good readers, globally the Loonie is gaining against almost every currency so before we give the LCBO'ers too much credit, our expectation should be for imported wine prices to continue to improve!

BODEGAS LAN CRIANZA Rioja 2006  A Rioja red, WS Top 100, over 3,000 cases and  $15.00. What else could you ask for?             

SANTA CAROLINA RESERVA DE FAMILIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 Big black fruit, tannic, from the Maipo Valley. Over 3,000 cases and again only  $15.00.  Has been $18.95/ $19.95 in the past. A very very good buy!    91 - RP                                    

TERRE DI RUBINORO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG 2006   Tremendous vintage and lots of stock – almost 1300 cases and well priced at $17.95. 91 - WS                                               

TABALÍ RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON Limarí Valley 2008  - The Limari Valley is a great region in Chile, as good as  the Maipo Valley perhaps. Short tern (2-4 years or so)  Tabali’s Cabs are really excellent and can taste like $20- $25 Cabs. I haven’t held any longer than that so can’t comment past that timeframe. But at $14.95 with big black extracted fruit/ licorice notes it’s a beaut.

CONCHA Y TORO MAYCAS DEL LIMARI RESERVA ESPECIAL CHARDONNAY Limarí Valley 2007          - could be the best white in the release! 164 cases so act fast.          $19.95  92 – RP           

SIMI CABERNET SAUVIGNON Alexander Valley, Sonoma County 2007. Again, over 1,200 cases but at this price it’s getting stiff competition in this release. $21.95                                       

DOMAINE DE LA COLLINE SAINT-JEAN VIEILLES VIGNES VACQUEYRAS 2007 $22.95 – OK, soft spot alert! 90 - RP     

VAENI NAOUSSA XINOMAVRO DAMASKINOS  2004 $13.95 It's been said that Greek wine could be the next great 'undiscovered' wine region. Undiscovered by North America that is. With the Greek economy suffering, some of their better wines may now be making it to our markets where before they may have just stayed home. At this price, try one of these for something different! 89 - RP 

HAZYBLUR SHIRAZ 2006 Barossa Valley – Big Barossa fruit – Think BVE Ebenezer in price, profile and persistence!  $34.95  92 - RP     

D'ARENBERG THE FOOTBOLT SHIRAZ 2007 – Always very nice. Not subtle. $22.95  90+ - RP     

VALLE PERDIDO RESERVA MALBEC   Neuquén, Patagonia 2006 – Looking for a different Malbec? Try this one. $19.95     91 - RP                   

CANTINE DUE PALME SELVAROSSA RISERVA SALICE SALENTINO DOC  2006 $17.95 – Well priced for an underappreciated red made from the negro amaro grape methinks.  

MARQUÉS DE MURRIETA RESERVA    DOCa Rioja       2005     $24.95  Almost priced too high in this release! 91 - IWC

PERRIN et FILS LES SINARDS CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2007 Nice Half bottle from a great vintage. $19.95          92 - RP            

MASI GRANDARELLA - Do you love amarone but not the price? Try this bad boy. $29.95 

FERDINANDO PRINCIPIANO SERRALUNGA BAROLO    2005 $36.95 Another good price  for a Barolo.      

CANTINA DEL PINO BARBARESCO       DOCG 2006       $38.95  91 - RP

The SOPRANOS - Gimmick wine, named for the now defunct TV show of the same name - for fans of the show only.  
                                                                                              

My first batch of Tasting Notes

Tasting notes from a very enjoyable supper among friends. As well, our host did a great job of lining up the wines so they didn’t step on one another’s toes too much. Remember, these are BP’s notes and may bear little or no resemblance to those of a civilized person. The name and vintage of each wine is followed by a thought that describes the wine (to me) but may also more accurately describe where my head was at while tasting drinking these great wines.  

Delaine Vineyard 2007 Chardonnay – Brighton, Ontario Apple Fest - Superior example of an Ontario Chard. Nice bright colour, opens fresh, crisp and apple-y on the nose and palate, clean pure flavours. Nice wine from a terrific vintage.

Grilli de Testamatta 2006 –1992 Bjorn Daehlie meets 1960 Marcello Mastroianni – Powerful, longlasting, but at the same time subtle and suave! This is a wonderful, smooth, opaque wine made to be enjoyed. It glides across the palate. Hint of oak apparent but nicely integrated at this time. Fuller and more viscous than many Sangiovese – maybe due to the Caniolo / Colorino combo in the blend – this shows the best of a great Tuscan vintage and is so long on the palate.

Franciscan Stylus 2005 – Darryl Hall – but not from the big hair days, from the ‘Live from Darryl’s Place’ days. (Google it and Pick your favourite song)  - A little full of itself and doesn’t care who knows it! Great California nose with hints of cocoa, cedar and fruit. On the palate, drying tannins are prevalent but not overwhelming. Less fruit driven on the palate than I expected, I was expecting currants galore, but still plenty of subtle dark fruit and cocoa dust.

Thorn Clarke William Randell 2005 – Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - Smooth and in perfect harmony. Barossa in a glass. Big, well integrated oak, fruit on fruit, both nose and palate-wise. Kirsch, caramel notes maybe? Quite a prelude to the next wine.

Mollydooker The Boxer 2008 – Hmmm, conficting thoughts here. Was this “AC/DC on the stereo while watching Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior ” or was that Robitussen in my reidel stemware? This is way over the top in a ‘once a year and it makes me smile’ kinda way.  Actually thought it was better with the spicy ribs than alone but unlike all the other wines, I could not make a habit of this wine. That said, it was enough to make me want to try to find another of the Mollydooker wines the next time I’m in B.C. - in spite of B.C.’s crazily elevated wine prices.

Chateau Reynella Basket Press Shiraz 2004 – Russell Crowe. Normally with Chateau Reynella, I’d say Russell Crowe in Gladiator. But to describe this one following the MollyDooker, I have to say Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. It seemed understated after the Boxer. That is really saying something because this wine has never been accused of being that!  Another terrific big wine from the McLaren Vale. Gobs of dark fruit and hints of nori or olive tapenade. Some sort of salty note anyway.

Robert Mondavi Reserve 2000 – Cary Grant. This wine says “relax on the sofa with the headphones on listening to Nat King Cole on a drizzly November day  while a great big prime rib roasts in the oven and fills the house with glorious aromas”. But as it was and where it was in the lineup, imagine Cary Grant coming to dinner with a crowd of Aussie rules football players.  He’d still be Cary Grant but some of his subtleties might get overlooked. Leather, plums becoming prunes, and fine, almost imperceptible tannins at this point. A very, very nice mature Cab.

We closed the night with a very good older vintage ice wine. Name and vintage escape me. It started with notes of raisins, raisin pie to me, then morphed into apples baked with raisins, a cinnamon stick, brown sugar and maple syrup – ooops and pecans or walnuts. And yes I really did smell all that and taste it too.

Terrific Zinfandel Festival Ad

This seems to be getting plenty of play in the blogoshere and if you like the Old Spice ads, you'll like this. In spite of it being a wee bit faulty vino-geographically ( I'm not sure any primitivo is grown in Tuscany) it shows you don't have to take your wine too seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R3EnZdhYok