Nov 10 Vintages release - Festive Finds and Piedmont's progress. If it wasn't for alliteration, could the LCBO describe their vintages releases?
This one is usually among the bigger and often better releases of the year so let’s see what
2012 holds for us. My first thought? If nothing else many of these prices prepare you for even more sticker shock to
come in the next release! That said, I did manage to find some sub $17 wines
for your Christmas house warming party, sudden guests, or to accompany simple grilled meat and salad when you can’t face more rich food.
There are also some sub $30 wines that’ll look, and more especially, taste good
in any cellar. As well, I have succumbed to the siren song of a few of the
entries in the Big Bucks section. Many of these latter ones are admittedly well
over my own self imposed $50 ceiling but for those of you with the urge to
splurge, here they are.
This release scores well on the VRSS – largely because of
the big buck options that are leading me down the road to temptation – coming
in at a new high of 75 points.
THE SPARKLERS – TWO GOOD ONES under $17.
**Cathedral Cellars Brut 2009 $16.95 –335 cases - From a very high quality, well priced South
African producer of big reds and chardonnays.
**Cave de Lugny Brut Rose Cremant de Bourgogne $16.95 - 349
cases– Gold medal winner – think fizz at ¼ to 1/3 the price of Champagne and without the ageworthyness.
THE WHITES – A QUINTET THAT SHOULD BE GOOD AND ARE WELL
PRICED. I REALLY LIKE 3 OF THEM.
**GRAY MONK UNWOODED CHARDONNAY 2011 $19.95 223 cases of 12 from
the Okanagan. Look for pure fruit, unencumbered by a preponderance of nasty
wood. Turkey this Christmas? Try this!
**CAVE DE LA VIGNE BLANCHE MACON VILLAGES 2010 - $15.95 –
299 cases of 12. Should be a terrific inexpensive white option over the
holidays.
**ASTROLABE PROVINCE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2011 1394 cases $21.95
DOMAINE DE RIAUX POUILLY FUME 2011 249 cases $21.95
PAZO PONDAL LEIRA ALBARINO 2011 299 cases – Spectacular review
and score (95 points) for an acquired taste for $15.95 – It has to be worth a
try. Expect a perfumy nose suggesting pit fruits and a very light on the
palate wine. The palate leads more to apple and pear with citrus hints. I’m not a huge fan of it on its own but it’ll
accompany seafood or chicken satays nicely.
THE REDS – SORTED BY COUNTRY FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT. THE ** MARK MY TOP PICKS.
THORNE CLARKE BAROSSA SHIRAZ
2010 1498 cases $21.95 – Can never go wrong with this one. Big and bold,
it just says Australia.
WAKEFIELD JARAMAN CABERNET 2010 447 cases $25.95 from a very
good producer.
VASSE FELIX CAB MERLOT 2010 334 cases –$24.95 more Bordeaux
than OZ. Not so ‘in your face fruity’ but still, you do
have to think 2003 Bordeaux.
SALTRAM MAMRE BROOK SHIRAZ 2010 $24.95 1024 cases of 6 – A
very nice Shiraz, but I prefer the Thorne Clarke shiraz option.
HOGUE RESERVE CABERNET 2007 $29.95 250 Cases - If you
enjoyed the recent release of the Hogue Genesis, try this. It’s got all that
and more! Yes my bias to Washington St. wines is showing here and it should really
just be $25. If you’re not going to hold it for more than a year or two this is
a better buy than either of the big buck options from Washington St. in my
humble opinion.
Two 2009 Argentina Cabs in a sub $20 duel – LUIGI BOSCA VS
KAIKEN ULTRA CABERNET – The Kaiken has a
slight lead on points but also is a couple of $’s more. For immediate to short
term future consumption, you can’t go wrong with either one paired to a rare
rib roast. Over 800 cases of each.
FAIRVIEW SHIRAZ 2009
$16.95 – South Africa does Shiraz and Syrah oh so well. Fairview manages to
match quality and price very nicely.
**DOMAINE DE LONGUE TOQUE GIGONDAS 2010- $29.95 199 cases –
Hmm, the Gigondas or the Vacqueyras? Maybe both!
**PIERRE AMADIEU LA GRANGELIERE VACQUEYRAS 2010 - $19.95 399
cases – Fruitier and less tannic (usually) than the Gigondas but longer lived
than a Cotes du Rhone Villages.
LA FERME DU MONT
PREMIERE COTES COTES DU RHONE 2009 $15.95 – Right in its drinking
window. Good vintage, good wine and well priced for a party.
VIDAL FLEURY CROZES
HERMITAGES 2009 – $22.95
CLOS LA COUTALE CAHORS 2010 - $15.95 – An OK French Malbec (or
is that an oaky French Malbec?). Makes
for an interesting comparison to the
single vineyard LA POSTA FROM ARGENTINA at the same price point in this release.
TALAMONTI TRE SAGGI MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2008 - $15.95
DA VINCI CHIANTI 2010 -$16.95
ROCCA DI CASTAGNOLI POGGIO AFRATI CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2008
- $29.95
**BERONIA RIOJA 2007 $18.95**- 1970 cases - Annually a dandy
wine at a pretty good price. I checked the past recommendations to get a price
history. In previous releases, the wine leapt
up to $19.95 after being previously listed at $17.95. This vintage has split
the difference and come back to $18.95. Could it be that the LCBO is actually listening
to us? Doubtful, but the correctives
will continue if they deserve them.
ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ
TINTO PESQUERA CRIANZA 2009 – 324 cases - $26.95
BARON DE LAY GRAN RESERVA 2001-$29.95 400 cases - Lots of
age on this one for those of you who like their wines with less primary fruit
(so smokier, prunier and more leathery).
BIG BUCKS – SOFTENING YOU UP FOR NEXT RELEASE, I’M SURE!
**LE VIEUX DONJON CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2010 $53.95 –149 cases
of 12 so be ready for a fistfight! Always exceptional. With 2010 being a
terrific vintage, I expect nothing less than that. I’ll need to get a couple to keep my vertical
going – even though they’re over my $$ limit.
**RENATO RATTI MARCENASCO 2007 $49.95 –229 cases A spectacularly good Barolo. I committed
oenological infanticide on a bottle of the 2005 just so I could share it with
my brother and sister in law in BC. It was a big, multilayered spectacular
example of the Nebbiolo grape. I wish
I’d kept it longer!
**TWO HANDS BELLA’S GARDEN 2010 – 499 cases of 6 - $64.95 Picking
an Australian Shiraz could be a difficult sell, but if the WS decides to reward
many years of patient, consistent, Top 100 placements, this could be a
good pick for their Wine of the Year
this year. Other wines may have scored higher this year, but have they exhibited
such consistent excellence over time? Not many of them!
**DOMAINE DU VIEUX TELEGRAPHE TELEGRAMME 2010 199 cases $46.95
– Named for an old telegraph tower erected in the late 1800’s this estate has a
long storied history. Many consider the Vieux Telegraphe to be among the Rhone
equivalents to a Bordeaux Premier Cru. Certainly it is among the top half a
dozen locations in the Southern Rhone’s best appellation, Chateauneuf du
Pape. The pricing on their top wine ‘La
Crau’ has escalated crazily in the last few years. In 2006, I bought bottles of
the 2004 release of La Crau in the $40’s at most. Now it’s around $80! Segue
alert! In the mid eighties, the success of the Brunier family led them to buy up another estate in the appellation (now
called la Roquรจte) and to also produce a second label for VT, Telegramme.
The latter is sold at a reduced price
from La Crau, but is still pretty highly priced for CNdP. While very good, Telegramme
is produced from younger vines from the same vineyards as La Crau. Younger of
course depends on your perspective. These younger vines are all at least 20 years old. It is a very
nice wine and to buy the ‘first’ release of it in Canada holds some cachet I
suppose. However, it is in 4th place on my BIG BUCKS list, and I
haven’t yet reviewed the Nov.24th release to see what temptations await
me there! Ahhh, so many wines, so few
dollars!
**FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA DIRECTOR’S CUT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010
- $34.95 449 cases of 12 – After looking
at the previous 4 wines, the ‘Price
–Quality’ equation tips slightly in your
favour here. Well as much in your favour as it can ever be when shopping at the
LCBO. Lamb? Beef? On its own? It’s excellent.
TERTULIA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007 $33.95 199 cases From the
H3 Vineyard in Washington St., this one is an unknown quantity to me. The
review reads like it’ll be a sophisticated midweight cab with mature fruit and herbs but not a fruit
bomb. Too bad it’s not 4 bucks less. For those
4 bucks a bottle, I’ll stick with the known, if somewhat simpler, Hogue Reserve.
CORTE PAVONE Brunello di Montalcino 2006 -$49.95 449 cases
of 6 – Spectacular vintage in Brunello and all of Tuscany really, given a 96
point score by the post WS version of James Suckling, this one is to be laid
down and avoided for a few years at the very least.
LA SERRE NOUVE DELL’ORNELLAIA 2010 $59.95
JONATA TODOS RED 2008 $59.95
PAUL HOBBS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 $79.95
DIAMANDES DE UCO GRAN RESERVE $39.95 – 498 cases of 6 - Huge-mongous,
yes I said huge-mongous, malbec for that,
served oh so rare, Christmas Prime Rib roast.
CATENA ZAPATA CATENA ALTA MALBEC $49.95
ABBONA BAROLO 2004 $47.95
GIACOSA BASARIN VIGNA GIAMATE BARBARESCO 2007 $38.95
TERLATO AND CHAPOUTIER LIEU DIT MALAKOFF -999 cases of 6
$51.95 – My opinion is that this is a funny one for the Vintages team to sell. It’s
a terrific wine and is universally praised for its level of sophistication. Think of it as a wine labeled from OZ but actually travelling
incognito from a hot year in the Rhone. On the plus side, it’s a single named
vineyard offering. The stickler is that it’s produced in Central Victoria and
not the McLaren Vale or Barossa. As a result, I can see it going on sale in a few months due
to lack of interest. Previous vintages released here have suffered that fate
and I think the same’ll happen here. In the $40’s it was a hard sell. Over $50? I don’t
think it’ll move. Look for it to be marked down to $37.95 sometime next year.
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