A simple wine rack will do, just lay down bottles
SIPPED
Looking for some wines that will benefit from a little home aging?
A simple wine rack placed away from a direct heat source should do the trick. Just lay down the bottles and forget about them. Here are some great examples.
The following 90-plussers just hit shelves in Ontario through Vintages, and they’re built to last.
White Burgundy: 2013 Béjot Les Bouchots Montagny 1er Cru, Burgundy, France (Vintages 438002 $27.95)
Delicate aromas of white flowers, candied lemon, orange oil, macadamia nut, sea salt and crushed oyster shells lead to a silky-cool entry. The attack starts with a veil of lemon-and-salt then shatters into a millefeuille of flavours. Lemon oil, lemon tarte, sea salt, granite, orange zest, cool steel and raw nut fan out into an understated but articulate expression. Incredible value for such a stellar white Burgundy. Pleasing now but will reward patience. Score: 94 Red Bordeaux: 2008 Château Tronquoy-Lalande, AC Saint Estèphe (Vintages 440180 $56.95)
Whispered aromas of violet, blackberry and slate lead to lithe yet muscular flavours of ripe black cherry, blackberry, pipe tobacco, powdered cocoa, violet, warm wood and wet stone under a sleek topcoat. Crushed velvet mouth feel. Long, languid length. Clearly this bottle’s spirit animal is a black panther. This classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot is drinking beautifully now at eight years old but will continue to improve. Score: 95 Ontario red: 2012 Foreign Affair Petit Verdot, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ont. (Vintages 443648 $49.95)
From the hot, dry 2012 vintage in Ontario comes this blockbuster, inky red. Expect a power-packed punch of gloriously ripe berries and plums layered with significant complexity — wild cherry, wild blueberries, blackcurrant and damson underpinned by violet, leather, warm wood, clove, allspice, pencil shavings, melted dark chocolate, and a hint of salinity. Supple, finely grained tannins amp up the appeal by yielding just the right level of grip and structure. This is clearly a keeper. Score: 92 Amarone: 2011 Cantina Di Monteforte Clivus Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, Veneto, Italy (Vintages 438499 $39.95)
Deep, warm aromas and flavours of stewed Black Forest fruit and dried plum laced with warm cedar, black pepper, pipe tobacco, grilled meat, musk and a hint of smoke. An earthy, robust Amarone with an opulent mouth feel. It’s a powerful wine with a long, persistent finish, but retains the juiciness needed to keep quenching. It will definitely reward patience — if you can wait. Score: 93 Dessert wine: 2014 Domaine des Bernardins Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise, Rhone, France (Vintages 442160 $19.95)
This “vin doux naturel,” meaning naturally sweet wine, from the south of France rivets instantly with pronounced aromas and flavours of orange marmalade, butterscotch and peach jam, laced with honeysuckle, apple pie, praline, vanilla bean, nutmeg and cinnamon. Its luscious sweetness is cut with refreshing acidity, keeping the fruit lifted and the finish clean. Sure to last for a few years easily, becoming more nuanced with time. A steal.
Score: 93+