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Dessert
wines to blow your mind at today’s Vintages release
By Michael
Vaughan • Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
National Post • Saturday, February 3, 2001
I may not go
wild for desserts, but I adore rich old dessert wines. And if forced to
confess, I must be a Madeira junkie. Just put me near an aged glass of
this sweet delectable elixir and I start to salivate. And so I am not
embarrassed in the least to hail the arrival of the stunning 10-Year-Old
Malmsey Reserve Madeira at only $34.95. This amber coloured ambrosia has
rich, sweet, viscous but still well balanced, butterscotch and minced meat
tart flavours. You might think of it as crème brûlée in a glass. That
it sports a distinctive, ugly, old-fashioned label and I have never heard
of the producer is irrelevant. It’s what is in the bottle that counts.
My advice? Run out and buy a few today because with only 50 cases in the
system, it won’t last long.
Another
dessert treasure that will fly off the shelves is Emilio
Lustau East India Solera Sherry $12.95 for 375 ml. Deep amber
with yellowing edges, the lovely, complex nose features caramelized brown
sugar with some lemon peel notes. On the palate, its rich and sweet, but
not cloying, with lots of pecan pie flavours. With only 60 cases of 24
available, you should move quickly on this one as well.
Moving on to
whites, there are two inexpensive unoaked Italian best buys which are
worth acquiring. The first is the charming Zenato
1999 Lugana San Benedetto ($12.80) with crisp, zesty, bright,
ripe pear flavours. This versatile, fairly dry, ready to drink, crowd
pleaser is a fine example of what can be done with Trebbiano di Lugana.
Even
slightly better is Inama
1998 Soave Classico Superiore ($14.90) a Garganega-based blend
from the Veneto region. This one is already showing some age with its deep
golden yellow colour. On the palate it’s nicely structured with some
spicy, rather dry, gently herbal, hard Anjou pear flavours. Perfect with a
creamy soup or seafood.
Dollar for
dollar, my favourite white highlight of the release is Domaine
des Molines 1998 Viognier Réserve ($11.20) from France’s
Pays d’Oc region. The nose is very attractive with slightly honeyed,
spicy, wildflower and lush pear- melon aromas. These flavours carry over
to the palate, which shows perfect balance and a lingering orange citrus
finish. Yum!
Of the dozen
new Chardonnay’s presented, my choice would be Girardin
1998 Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée St. Vincent ($21.95)
which is very lively on the palate with crisp, medium-light bodied,
ripe lemon and grapefruit flavours. It’s a good, not great, Burgundy
that shouldn’t disappoint.
Moving on to
the reds, I only had three top three star ratings. And what a choice! Two
are Australian Shiraz. First, there’s the rounded, user-friendly Barossa
Valley Estate 1997 Ebenezer Shiraz ($28.95) with its coconut,
cassis and minty chocolaty finish. Then there’s the spicy, more
youthful, extracty, less oaky challenger Rosemount
Estates 1998 Hill of Gold ($28.95).
Moving up a
big step in terms of price, the creamy black cherry purée flavoured Bryon 1997 IO at $65.90 is about as
tasty and user-friendly as a wine can be. The nose of this Santa Barbara
“Rhone Ranger” blend of Syrah (77%), Grenache (13%), Mourvèdre (8%)
along with 2% white Viognier is divine. Only 72 cases are in Vintages so
you will have to move quickly to get this one.
Perhaps the
buy of the release is an extraordinary Bordeaux produced by Toronto’s
own Peter Kjellberg. The 1999
Château Les Cabannes just bordered of three stars and at only
$26.00 is a best buy release highlight. It’s mouthfilling; gently cedary,
key lime and tomato purée flavours are classic Saint-Émilion. Great
today, even better tomorrow.
For those
who crave a mature Bordeaux style, look no father than
Bodega Muga 1996 Reserva at only
$19.75, which offers lots of complexity and a mouthful of ripe, very
slightly earthy, baked plum flavours. This classy Spanish Rioja leaves the
pricier Martinez
1994 Faustino I ($25.90) in the dust.
I am sure
that fans will line up for a very decent, if still somewhat shy Antinori
1997 Tignanello, which at $79.95 is hardly a best buy. The
delicious Castellani
1994 Amarone at only $29.00 is incredible value with its
accessible, sweet, rounded, ripe plum flavours. Also don’t miss the much
drier, rich, robust Rocca delle
Macie 1997 Ser Gioveto another great buy at only $25.75.
There are two Australian contenders for fairly cheap and cheery. The first is the unoaked, fresh, ready-to-enjoy, raspberry-strawberry flavoured Wynn 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon ($15.95). Close on its heels is the very slightly sweet, ripe, cherry purée flavoured Elderton 1998 Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon ($14.60).
Finally,
there’s the sleeper of the release Vina
Carmen 1999 Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve at a modest
$13.55. There’s nothing shy about the flavours here – the slightly
smoky, chocolaty, baked plum and vanilla flavours are close to their peak
and with 1,260 cases, there’s plenty to go around. Indeed, it would hard
to find a French red of this quality at a comparable price.
Copyright
Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2004
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
(electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net