Five killer wines from different vintages
SIPPED
Quite often, I taste a bottle that’s riveting one vintage, then dire the next.
Some producers manage to mitigate the highs and lows of vintage variation better than others, but ultimately grapes are a crop susceptible to weather — just like any fruit. There are good years and bad years.
The trick is this: when you taste a wine that excites you, don’t just note the name, note the vintage too. That stacks the odds in favour of finding the same wine again. To set you in the right direction, here are five killer wines on shelves now from different vintages — scored to reflect value for money.
2015 Cesari Adesso Merlot IGT, Veneto, Italy (LCBO 572453 $7.95 in stores and online)
There’s nothing better than coming across a sub-$8 wine that doesn’t suck, right? Such is the case with this bottle of Merlot with its warm whiff of homemade blueberry pie, its smooth, focused flavours of wild blueberries, black cherries, toasted pastry and cocoa powder and a dry, slightly chalky finish. What this red lacks in rich concentration and elaborate complexity, it more than makes up for with clean, honest fruit and a seamless structure. Pour it with baked pork chops for some smart satisfaction. Score: 92
2016 Catina di Negrar Garganega IGT, Veneto, Italy (LCBO 524488 $9.95 — in stores and online before the end of October)
This new General List wine will appear on shelves before the end of the month and is definitely one to watch for. Why? Because it drinks like a wine worth $20-plus rather than $9.95 with its eruption of stewed apricot, poached pear and sweet grapefruit edged almonds and grapefruit zest. Love how the rich, almost oily mouth feel juxtaposes the dry, crisp finish and moderate 12 per cent alcohol. Pour this fresh, lively-yet-surprisingly-intense white with cheese fondue, raclette or gourmet grilled cheese. Score: 94+
2014 Alvear Pedro Ximénez de Ananda, Montilla-Moriles, Spain (Vintages 499152 $24.95 in stores only) Released Oct. 14 in Vintages, this complex, captivating Sherry ripples with unctuous flavours of maraschino cherry, dark maple syrup, dried fig, fruit cake, walnut and marzipan with a crazy-long finish. It is very sweet, but the sugar is balanced beautifully with mouth-watering acidity making it pure pleasure to drink — especially with a nibble of blue cheese. Tuck a bottle away in a cool, dry place and it will improve for at least 25 years. And after opening, it will stay fresh for about a month stored at room temperature because Pedro Ximénez Sherry is made through oxidative aging which exposes it to air. Score: 97
2015 Bouchard Père & Fils Petit Chablis, Burgundy, France (LCBO 51466 $22.00 in stores and online)
This unwooded Chardonnay tastes utterly bewitching with its wet stone, salt and citrus allure — all tightly wound and impeccably balanced to create a satin-smooth texture. Both linear but concentrated, pure but nuanced, this classic Petit Chablis offers exceptional value for money — especially for white Burgundy. A lovely bottle to have on hand for a special moment. Pair it with oysters, smoked fish or fresh goat cheese. Score: 92+
2014 Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, VQA Okanagan Valley, B.C. (Vintages Essential 553321 $30.95 in stores and online)
This is an elegant, lifted style of Cabernet Sauvignon rather than a robust, rich, velvety expression so often found on shelves these days. It starts with the usual liqueurlike aromas of cassis but then slips across the palate with delicacy rather thunderclap intensity as it unfurls flavours of blackberry, blackcurrant, dark chocolate and cinnamon with vibrant juiciness and refined finesse. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon for Pinot Noir lovers and works very well with duck, quail or schnitzel. Score: 89+