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The Battle of Hybrids
One to lay away, another to drink today!

Today’s Vintages release witnesses the battle of two French hybrids: Marechal Foch vs. Baco Noir. These are crosses between the European vitis vinifera and various indigenous North American species.

It was Inniskillin whose initial claim-to-fame reds were based on Marechal Foch, a grape developed in Alsace just after World War I and named after the famous French general, While Inniskillin eventually abandoned it, I am happy to report that other wineries have successfully picked up the gauntlet.

To my palate Malivoire 2000 Old Vines Foch is worthy of its $21.00 price tag. It has a very deep intense purple colour and a lovely, spicy, hot raspberry pie nose with some cedary, earthy notes. It is intense but accessible with cedary, complex, slightly smoky, raspberry-strawberry flavours. Blended with 5% Cabernet Franc, it has a solid backbone of total (7.5 g/L) and yet is quite delicious and drinkable.

The challenger is Baco Noir a sleeper of a grape that has been put on the world wine map by Ontario’s Henry of Pelham. Like anything, hybrids don’t appeal to everyone. One West Coast wine writer recently blurted out “Baco is for Bozos!” Well excuse me, where is my big red rubber clown nose?

While there are some nasty hybrids out there, that’s not the case with Henry of Pelham 2000 Reserve Baco Noir, which weighs in at $21.95. Certainly its developer, nurseryman Francois Baco, would be proud of this rendition of his 1894 cross between the European Folle Blanche and North American vitis riparia. It was developed in response to phylloxera, the tiny wine louse that was devastating the European varieties.

Compared to Malivoire, H of P has a tad more alcohol (13.5% vs. 13%) and longer barrel aging (15 vs. 13 months). It is ink black purple with a very youthful, faintly reedy, red currant purée nose. On the palate it is solid, very dry and well-structured with tangy, cherry, smoky, red pepper purée flavours. A lay away effort that improves with aging.

Moving on, you might want to think twice before running out to buy a bottle of Goundrey 2001 Unwooded Chardonnay ($13.80) to toast Vincor’s recent $53.7 million acquisition of this Australian winery. I just wasn’t captivated by its spicy, honeyed, lemony, applesauce flavours. For me, there are dozens of better, comparably priced Chards to choose from, including Inniskillin 2000 Chardonnay at only $10.95.

From today’s selections my best buy Chard is Ashbrook Estate 2000 Chardonnay from Australia’s Margaret River in Western Australia. Look for rich, mouthfilling, toasty, gently smoky, pear purée flavours with excellent ripe lime notes on the lingering finish. Deep yellow in colour, some 50% was fermented in new French oak. It is great value at $19.70.

The most understated packaging belongs to Gaja 2000 Rossj-Bass a pricey ($44.70), but very fine Chardonnay from Italy’s Piedmonte Langhe region. Produced by Italy’s renown Angelo Gaja, the name of the grape doesn’t appear anywhere on the label. There isn’t even a back label.  

Produced from Gaja’s estate-owned vineyards, it is named after Gaja’s younger daughter, Rossana (Rossj). Fermented in stainless steel and aged for seven months in barriques, this elegant effort has harmonious, lightly toasty and ripe melon-lemon flavours nearing their peak. Versatile and crowd pleasing, it runs circles around the seriously disappointing Marchand 2000 Meursault at $44.30.

I have a soft spot for fine Alsatian whites, which seem to be so wonderful with food. I am doubly happy to report on two sizes of Zind Humbrecht 2000 Pinot d’Alsace. Here is well-structured and rather dry white with honeyed, nutty, ripe apricot-citrus flavours with lots of zip on the finish. It is a real shame that the LCBO priced the half bottles at $15.75 - a 26% premium over the 750 ml size ($24.95). By giving consumers a pricing break, folks would be encouraged to try this worthwhile effort.

Put on your running shoes for 2000 Château du Prieuré des Mourgues. At only $12.90 it is one of the best buys of the year. Originating in Saint-Chinian district of the southern French Midi, the voluptuous nose exudes cedar, plums, persimmons and ripe black cherry fruit. The palate is well balanced and bright with zesty dried red cherry flavours and just a touch of sandalwood on the lingering finish. There are 200 cases of this drink-me-now blend of low yielding (40 hl/hc) Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignane.

Finally, talking about value, I am sad to report that the blind pre-tasting of sixty wines being featured at this Thursday’s Sonoma Wine Fair did not yield one that could touch the latter in terms of value. Nevertheless, this event is a very inexpensive way of tasting a lot of wine. It all takes place at the Arcadian Court (8th floor Simpson Tower) at 7:00 pm. Call 800-558-2675 for tickets ($50). Check my website to see the list of wines being presented. Click Here to see details on this and other events.

Check out the most recent October 9^th Vintages Warehouse Inventory Report

Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2004
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