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Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan  

Don't Let Paltry 'Speculator' Points 
Fool You - Some 1997 Winners  

(Publishing Date: Saturday, March 11, 2000 - Toronto Section)  

Today Vintages’ mini release features twenty new products. While I have not had the opportunity to assess the portfolio from which they were chosen, the LCBO has snagged some very good buys. Ah yes, the art of cherry picking - separating the best from the rest! 

Starting with the whites, there are two good choices. The first being the internationally styled 1998 Chablis ‘Les Pargues’ Vieilles Vignes from Moreau-Naudet at $23.55. This unoaked, rather fresh Chardonnay is bright and 
crisp with lots of high acidity. The lemon zest and hard green Anjou pear flavours
make it a great match for seafood. 

Perhaps even better but at a higher price ($27.85) is a classic Sauvignon from the
Loire, 1998 Domaine Vacheron  Sancerre which has intense, very dry, fresh cut grass and ripe lemon flavours with fine refreshing persistence. It’s the kind of white that would make even the dullest oysters get up and dance. 

Moving on to the reds, the Luis Pato 1996 Quinta Ribeirinho from Portugal’s
coastal Bairrada region at $12.75 offers fine everyday drinking value. Made from traditional, thick-skinned, Baga grape, it’s slightly leathery, plumy, medium-bodied flavours have a fine thread of red licorice making it a perfect companion for barbecue meats. 

My release highlight is the Brunel 1997 ‘Les Cailloux’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape. At
$32.90 you will be hard  pressed to find a better, more delicious, red from this ancient district in the southern Rhone. The nose is a stunner, rampant with gently smoky, raspberry purée and cassis fruit. The smooth, toasty, black cherry flavours caress the palate with a lovely persistence. 

The wine’s name meaning ‘Pope’s new castle’ dates back to the 14th century when
the papal court moved to and built a summer house just north of the city where the vineyards are located. As one of the first regions to establish strict qualitative controls, today’s diversity of styles reflect the site, yield levels and winemaking techniques. Brunel’s  ‘Les Cailloux’ name comes from the small fist-sized pebbles that cover every square inch of his low-yielding, Grenache-based vineyard. 

The great unknown confronting every wine lover is the question: to drink or not to
drink. According to most authorities Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes 5 to 20 years to evolve. Ironically, the 1997 vintage is not on the wine pundit’s hit parade. - it scores a paltry 81 points in the Wine Spectator (or "Speculator" as it is called by some)! This lowly rating is profoundly important for those of us who actually want to drink the stuff because it means that the "specs" will avoid loading up thereby preventing prices from going through the roof! 

In Bordeaux we have a similar situation - the 1997 vintage didn’t score well (another lousy 81 points) also keeping prices down. Again there are some terrific user-friendly wines to quench the thirst. From last Saturday’s release we have a surprising tasty, supple, fruity 1997 Vieux Chateau Gaubert at $24.90. Deep intense red colour, this Graves has lovely, fairly rich, ripe cassis flavours with a fine, persistent, vanilla and pomegranate finish. It’s showing beautifully and is ready to enjoy. 

And it isn’t the only fine 1997 Bordeaux I have tasted! At a recent portfolio
presentation of Dourthe I discovered the eminently tasty 1997 Heritage de Chateau Le Boscq which is the second wine from this Saint-Estèphe classic estate. Historically Le Boscq produced fairly big brutes that seemed to take forever to come around! After major multi million-dollar upgrading in 1996, Dourthe created this new wine that truly transcends the traditional reds of this appellation. Its soft, plumy, black cherry fruitiness will charm the pants off any cynic. Only 28 cases of this Consignment wine are currently available at a licensee price of $26.45. For details call Academy Brands (905) 844-5040.