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Today's
Vintages Double-Header
©
Michael Vaughan 2006
National Post
Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday,
October 28, 2006
LIVE
WINE LINK
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and then the next screen will provide details along with the store search.
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The number of bottles in each store is updated nightly. Call
the store first to see if stock still remains (each store phone number is
listed).
Today's Vintages release weighs in with 123 items. That excludes the additional 22 "in-store discoveries" which Vintages recently claimed were going to be phased out. Sadly, they are still here and hidden away in just a few stores. To make matters worse, Vintages still refuses to let wine writers taste the open bottles, which consequently hurts sales.
What makes today's Vintages release special is that it is a double
header focusing on both Italy and the USA. "World-Class
California" screams the Vintages catalogue cover. Inside
you will find 35 California releases, verging from the ho-hum to the
great. I was surprised that two California Cline red and white
"truck" entries didn't make it into the revered front section of
the catalogue. They are unceremoniously parked in the rear all by
themselves. Their no show is subject to speculation - perhaps they are not
"world-class"? Being the least expensive at only $14.95, it is
more likely that they were just "too cheap" and would have
distracted buyers from the higher-priced selections.
Of
the eight California whites released, only five were presented for
evaluation in the tasting room. By far, the best buy was a remarkably
delicious Saintsbury
2004 Unfiltered Chardonnay (359281) at $25.95,
which I scored just a shade below my top ***
rating - a serious victory for any wine priced under $30. It has a lovely,
expressive, key lime pie and crème brulée nose. On the palate, it is
dry, very well structured and complex with bright, ripe lemon-grapefruit,
pear and key lime pie flavours followed up buy a persistent finish.
The grapes are grown in the windy, cooler, Carneros American Viticultural Area (AVA), which has some 8,500 acres under vine and lies just to the south of the Napa/Sonoma valleys. This 2004 was fermented in French oak (30% new) and aged sur lie for eight months. The lees were stirred frequently adding complexity and mouth feel. Hopefully we will not have to wait for another three years before it reappears.
If
you are looking for something a tad cheaper, there is a great deal
squirreled away on page 41 of the Vintages catalogue. Check out the $2 LTO
(limited time offer) on Geyser
Peak 2005 Sauvignon Blanc (340208) at $13.95,
which is down from $15.95 until November 9th. This 2005 won a Gold Medal
and was named 'Best of Class' at the 2006 San Francisco Chronicle Wine
Competition. Previous to its release this year, it was priced at $19.95.
Nice to know that some price sanity has returned to California wines.
Moving on to the reds, there are 27 in the Catalogue plus untasted 5 ISDs. The best red is the top-rated *** Napa Valley Caymus 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection (711663) at $149.95. This extremely deep intense purple effort has 14.5% alcohol and a slightly cedary, plummy, black cherry nose. It has harmonious, fairly extracty, ripe plum and juicy black cherry flavours. Surprisingly accessible now, six-packs are available. Those wanting to lay away some bottles are advised to try the less expensive, albeit tighter, Caymus 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (222877) at $84.95, which has intense, plum, dried black cherry, cassis and chocolate-mocha flavours. Both were top rated (93 points) in the Wine Spectator's November 15th special Napa Cabernet Sauvignon feature.
As
for the Pinot Noir, with the exception of Sonoma Creek, which wasn't
tasted, all four were fairly juicy and quite tasty. My picks would be Rodney
Strong 2004 Pinot Noir (not quite as good as the
2001 released August 28 for $5 less), Lafond
2004 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir (998666) and Sebastiani
2004 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (14233) all at the
same $24.95 price.
For
anti "Sideways" Merlot lovers, there are four to choose from.
The top scoring is Duckhorn
Vineyards 2003 Napa Valley Merlot (992529) at
$74.95, which is medium-full bodied and harmonious with seductive ripe
plum and cherry purée flavours along with vanilla notes on the finish.
This wine has considerably more structure and class than the next best Atalon
2002 Napa Valley Merlot at $39.95.
While 16 pages are devoted to California, a mere four pages focus on Italy's outstanding 2001 Barolos. I am told that that relates to huge spending by California on LCBO projects, combined with trips for top LCBO executives. As they say, prime the pump and the wine will flow.
Having
had the window to taste two bottles of each of the ten Barolos being
released, it is a bit of challenge to say which is best. My top *** choice
in the more traditional style is the solid lingering Pio
Cesare 2001 Barolo (736587) at $59.95. It has
firm, dry, still youthful, ripe plum flavours with mocha and bitter sweet
chocolate notes on the lingering finish.
Taking
more of an international approach is the deliciously approachable,
elegant, Poderi
Luigi Einaudi 2001 Barolo (7799) at $69.95. Look
for spicy, fairly juicy, ripe plum and dried red cherry flavours with a
lingering finish. Also very accessible and just a bit less expensive is Andrea
Oberto 2001 Barolo (717264) at $49.95, which has
harmonious, ripe plum and licorice-sandalwood tinged, red pepper flavours.
All would be divine with a truffle risotto.
National Post readers can check them out at the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Italian wine event at the Carlu from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, November 6th. Call 416-489-7111 or click here for details. Also on our Website is the full list of 79 Vintages items that go on sale Monday, Oct. 30th (click here to see).
Pick of the Week
For
some, this is a scary looking product with a Hungarian-only back label. Vilmos
Pear Brandy (662932) is produced by Zwack Unicum
and is clear in colour with 38% alcohol. Thankfully this smooth,
delicious, essence of pear will make your day, either by itself or in a
host of pear-based drinks.
2001-2002-2003-2004-2005-2006
Tasting Note Database
Our
tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to September 2006, covers every
Vintages release product for the past 69 months. There are more than 13,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product,
supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country
of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. Also you can get information on the agent by clicking on the
agent’s name, as well as current LCBO store inventory by clicking on
"Check
LCBO Availability", which will automatically tell you the
number of bottles at LCBO as of last night.
To
use our Tasting
Notes Database: click
here
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Contact Michael Vaughan at
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