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Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan

Today at Vintages: Pricey & Uneven 1995 Barolo

{Copy for  Saturday, February 5^th - National Post Toronto Section}

There are lots of very fine reds in today’s Vintages release, perhaps with one exception - 1995 Barolo. Barolo is to Nebbiolo, what Burgundy is to Pinot Noir!  It’s the King. With either, excellence is hard to find and when you do, it’s very pricey. Thus, the sales pitch in today’s Vintages Catalogue that 1995 was an “excellent” vintage has to be taken with some grains of risotto. 1995 was not “excellent.” Even the somewhat unreliable Wine Spectator admits that it “was a difficult vintage... had problems with proper ripening” producing wines of “uneven quality.” Far from being big dense keepers, even the very best are “not densely concentrated nor the sort of Barolo’s that will need a decade or so to come around.” 

The LCBO suggests that “these are wines worthy of cellaring for many years; an excellent opportunity to lay away some bottles for all those millennium babies to come of age.” Sure, you could also leave bottles to folks you don’t like in your will.  Having tasted all 13 twice, most are simply are not worthy of a detour for the money being demanded. My highlight, the traditionally-styled 1995 Manzone Barolo Vigna Fraschin actually managed to get my heart pounding with its rich, sweetish, complex, barnyardy nose and flavours!  A relative bargain at $49.95. If a more modern style appeals to your palate then try 1995 Conterno Barolo La Ginestra ($54.30) which is fairly full bodied with excellent structure and lingering, rich, still youthful, baked plum fruit flavours. Last but not least, the 1995 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo ‘Enrico VI’ ($59.95) is no shrinking violet with its intense but rounded, cedary, roasted chocolate-cherry flavours.

Truth is, there are much better Italian values elsewhere in this release. For high rollers where finesse and drinkability is of concern, you can’t beat the complex, well-proportioned 1994 Frescobaldi Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta di Castelgiocondo ($44.25) with its rich, leathery, baked ripe red cherry and cassis flavours. A less-expensive buy is the spicy, gently cedary, well-structured 1995 di Rodano Chianti Classico Riserva Viacosta ($ 25.50) with a lingering sandalwood finish. A great buy at only $14 is the solid cherry-driven 1996 Tedeshi Valpolicella Classico Superiore ‘Capitel dei Nicalo’, which calls out for a robust winter stew. For those who want something lighter and brighter, you might try the ready-to-drink, versatile LCBO Wine of the Month - 1997 Monsanto Chianti ‘Santa Caterina’ with its crowd-pleasing, spicy, ruby grapefruit driven flavours at only 11.95.

One of the most exciting wines of the release and a personal “best buy” comes from Portugal - 1995 Fonseca Quinta de Camarate with its lovely, rounded, spicy, ripe plum and chestnut purée flavours. It offers delicious drinking value at $13.55 and comes in an upscale modern Mondavi-styled bottle. Just a tad lighter and spicier is the 1998 Markou Cabernet Sauvignon, a well-made, ready-to-drink Greek crowd pleaser that is only $12.95. Also well priced is the 1998 Beaumont Shiraz ($15.95) from South African with its gently peaty, spicy, cassis and sun dried tomato flavours.

If raspberry purée turns your crank, don’t pass on the 1996 Montes Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.40) from Chile’s Curico Valley. Even better with gobs of cedar driven, sweet, raspberry purée fruit is the 1997 Tempranillo “Q” a fine buy at $19.95 from the Mendoza region of Argentina. Unfortunately, it’s only available at a few selected Vintages stores

From Australia, three reds hit the bell. My favourite was the well structured 1998 Queltaller Estate Cabernet/Merlot at $21.55, although neither the fine, cassis driven 1996 ‘Ebenezer’ Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.95) nor the minty 1997 Cape Mentelle Shiraz ($22.75) can be sneezed at.

“Must buy” French reds include the charming, medium-light bodied 1998 Alary Cotes du Rhone ($12.30) with its warmed, spicy, ripe plum flavours.  Also an excellent, surprisingly approachable Bordeaux - 1997 Chateau Puygueraud delivers lots of chocolaty, baked plum flavours for a very reasonable $19.95.

As for the whites, the honeyed, sweet, ripe pear flavours of the spicy Swiss 1998 Château d’Auvernier Pinot Gris makes it a perfect sunny winter afternoon sipper or perhaps with Thai cuisine.

Two New Zealand whites are definitely worth exploring. For Sauvignon Blanc fans there’s a delicious, gently grassy 1998 Sherwood Sauvignon Blanc at $15.50. A change of pace white with lots of cedar and pear purée is the barrel-aged 1997 Hawkes Bay ‘Wood Aged’ Chenin Blanc at $13.95. Dry with very fine length, try it with a rich cream soup or poultry.

From France, there’s the complex 1997 Chateau Cruzeau ($17.95) from the Bordeaux house of Lurton with its refined Anjou pear purée fruit flavours and wink of zesty limes and buttered toast on the finish. From the Rhone, the excellent, slightly nutty 1996 Domaine des Remizières Crozes Hermitage at $18.50 is a great poultry partner. Last but not least, there’s the delicious after-dinner sipper - 1996 Chapoutier Banyuls ($ 17.95) with its creamy, sweet, fig-chocolate-prune flavours.