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Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan

Red, right and true

  Copy for Saturday, January 15, 2000 - National Post Toronto Section

Today's release offers a fine crop of tasty reds.  My release highlight, an Amarone, is perhaps Italy’s most eccentric red. It's made by drying out freshly harvested grapes prior to fermentation.  This greatly increases flavours and sugar (thus 15% alcohol).  Don't miss the deliciously supple 1993 Tedeschi Amarone Capitel Monte Olmi ($38.90). A stunning bouquet - gently smoky, wild strawberries, cedar, jasmine and oolong tea.  It’s not big or heavy, just perfectly proportioned and ready to drink (only 120 cases available).

Not to be ignored is the1993 Masi Amarone Della Valpolicella ($59.95) with a whopping 16% alcohol.  The still-youthful, spicy, chestnut purée nose sports leather and chocolate-cherry flavours.  It has excellent structure and length but probably needs another decade or so to evolve. 

In terms of light styles, two new Beaujolais offer acceptable value.  At $18.95 the well-made 1998 Mommessin Brouilly is crisp bright and fresh, while the 1998 Georges Duboeuf Saint Amour Cuvée Saint-Valentin ($19.95) has subtle cherry-raspberry flavours.  The latter is perfect for Valentines Day. Both are available by the half bottle.

Some very good buys come from south of the equator.  The rustic Malbec was originally grown in Bordeaux and is now found in the wines of Cahors southwest France.  From Argentina we have two tasty Malbecs.  The fruity 1997 Canale Malbec at $13.90 is a definite crowd pleaser with spicy, cedary, strawberry- black cherry flavours. The drier, richer 1997 Bodegas Esmeralda Malbec Alamos Ridge ($14.25) offers mouthfilling smoky red licorice. Great with steak.

A best buy from South Africa is the fairly complex 1998 Bayview Cabernet Sauvignon ($13.45). It's well balanced, gamy, vanilla-laced, sundried tomato flavours would go well with a rack of lamb.

Another best buy is the delicious, deeply coloured, ready-to-drink Chilean 1997 Veramonte Merlot ($14.95) with spicy, black currant jam flavours and great extract.  You may want to compare it with a more restrained, lighter styled Bordeaux - the pleasant 1997 Chateau Laubarite at $15.70. Made from organically grown grapes, it shows its Merlot-inspired licorice notes. 

If Pinot Noir is your bag, don’t miss Byron’s 1997 Pinot Noir from California’s Santa Maria Valley ($28.40) with a lovely, ripe red cherry and vanilla bouquet, creamy texture and lingering finish. This versatile crowd pleaser beat out two more-expensive Burgundies!

For fruity flavours, look to California Zin. A stellar example is the deliciously supple 1997 Rosenblum Zinfandel Continente Vineyard ($27.80) - a versatile crowd pleaser with spicy, black cherry flavours and lingering vanilla finish. In a similar but less expensive vein, check out 1997 Curtis Heritage Old Vines ($11.95). This California Grenache-based blend offers loads of spicy fruit along with soft tannins. And if your taste leans in a raspberry direction, try 1997 d’Arenberg Red Ochre. This Australian Grenache-Shiraz blend is a best buy at $11.95. It's gently minty, cedary, fruity flavours will bring nods of satisfaction at any casual event.

Australia produces wonderful Shiraz (also found in some of the best Rhones). A release highlight is the deeply coloured 1995 Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz ($39.95). Its wonderful nose - creamy stewed black cherries with French vanilla ice cream and rich, spicy, dark chocolate and smoky chestnut purée flavours will melt your heart (194 cases of 6). An interesting Syrah comparison is the much drier 1996 Saint-Joseph Domaine du Chene ($19,80) from the northern Rhone. It's very smoky, meaty nose stands up and says hello. Great with game, but not for everyone.

Today's most sought-after red is the solid 1996 E & E Black Pepper Shiraz 1996 ($55.00). It has great concentration of raspberry purée fruit and will benefit from extended aging.  The '95 released last March ($45.95) was perhaps more Grange-like with an abundance of bourbony vanilla-directed eucalyptus flavours!

Don't miss Chateau Routas 1997 Infernet ($13.95) from Provence - a blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Cabernet and 25% Syrah.  Still young and slightly peppery, it's medium bodied, well balanced, faintly sweetish, fruity flavours are worth a detour

Some Italian gems include the well-structured Tuscan 1996 Avignonesi Vino di Montepulciano ($24.95) with its slightly earthy, baked plums flavours. Sicily also offers some incredible values. Not to be missed is the cedary Donnafugata 1996 Tancredi Contessa Entellina very well priced at $19,75.  Freshly baked plums, blueberries and persimmons elegantly jump from the nose to the palate. This blend of Nero dAvola and Cabernet Sauvignon has very good length.

As for the most expensive reds of the release, the 1996 Sassicaia ($89.00) has a very fine nose that can be coaxed out with some breathing. It's not overly big but has good finesse and should be laid away for 2+ years. As for the excellent 1996 Chateau Lynch-Bages ($112.70) its earthy, barnyard nose jumps out of the glass and will definitely appeal to aficionados of this style. A cheaper alternative would be 1997 Chateau de Cruzeau which at $24.95 also offers excellent, leathery, earthy flavours.