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Weekly Wine
& Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan
Move
fast if you want to try this zippy Zinny
(Publishing
Date: Saturday, March 4 - Toronto Section)
Before
tackling the big, bold, lip-sticking reds in today's Vintages release
I would like to toast readers with a fine
preprandial - the single vineyard
Hidalgo
Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada ($15.90). Now that isn't a name you will
find in many privatized wine shops.
Indeed,
even the LCBO incorrectly identifies it as a, God forbid, sherry.
Well, that would have been true in the past,
but today Manzanilla, which
originates from nearby vineyards surrounding the seaside town of Sanlucar
de
Barrameda, is not officially allowed to be
described as sherry.
Manzanilla
Pasada is made from the same grapes and in a similar method as
sherry's Fino Amontillado. Deep straw in colour,
it is light-bodied and dry
with floral, freshly roasted almond flavours
with a dash of salt and lemon
peel. It is said that the more humid climate of
this adjoining region
accounts for the lower level of alcohol - 15.5%
as compared to sherry's 18%
plus. This is no longer the case. About five
years ago, Tio Pepe, the
world's largest-selling Fino, lowered its
alcohol level to 15.5%.
Like
its neighbour, serving Javier Hidalgo's aperitif slightly chilled with a
variety of appetizers is bound to charm the
most discerning of palates. Act
quickly, however, as only 60 cases are available.
Moving
on to the bounty of gutsy reds in this release, some like the
Cline
Cellars
1996 Ancient Vines Carignane at $22.40 are extremely fruit driven.
Deep purple in colour with a massive 14%
alcohol, its cedary, minty, plumy,
roasted black cherry flavours fill every nook
and cranny of your mouth.
Cline’s
carignane is grown Contra Costa County just over San Francisco's Golden
Gate
Bridge on the way to Sonoma. This was the first
area in Northern California
to be planted in vines and dates back to the
1840's! Indeed, there used to
be some 27 pre-Prohibition wineries in this
region.
Like
Manzanilla, Carignane isn't a grape variety that's on everyone's lips.
Originating in northeast Spain, few are aware
that by the 1960s it became
France's most widely planted black grape.
Southern France, including the
Rhône, was blanketed with it. Hearty and
extremely high yielding, it
produced prolific amounts of tight, often
astringent vin ordinaire - a style
that failed to capture the consumer's palate.
And
so French growers have been on a recent rampage to tear it out, anxiously
replanting it with tastier Syrah and Mouvdre.
But,
as the saying goes (and in this case it's true), oldies are goldies. It
seems that once Carignane has been around for
40 plus years and the yields
are significantly reduced, the quality of the
wine becomes transcendental.
In Cline's case, the 75- to 100-year-old vines
yield only 1.5 to 2 tons per
acre (versus its 12 ton potential). It's like
the ugly duckling becoming a
swan. Unfortunately, few if any growers have
the patience or deep pockets to
wait for this transformation, meaning that less
and less will be available
in the future. With only 3,170 cases of this
Zinny look-alike being
produced, the 300-case LCBO shipment will soon
be gone.
I
have two choices for robust Rhône reds.
The first is the still youthful, modestly rich,
smoky Chapoutier 1997 Crozes
Hermitage
Les Meysonniers, $21.95. This reasonably solid Syrah with gently
peaty, dried plum and tomato leaf flavours
needs another two years of
cellaring before prime time.
Even better is Pierre Perrin 1996 Coudoulet de Beaucastel. At $24.75, it is
very supple and drinking nicely. The persistent
leathery, gently smoky,
plumy flavours make it a great match for game,
roast pig or a rosemary
infused rack of lamb.
Those
who want big, distinctive flavours at bargain prices need look no
further than the gamey Santa Barbara 1996 Salice Salentino at $10.70.
Its slightly sweet, leathery, licorice-driven,
dried black cherry flavours
may not be for everyone but they are a terrific
foil to tomato based dishes.
Another
flavourful entry is Delheim 1998
Pinotage ($15.95) from the
Stellenbosch region of South Africa. I love its
distinctive, spicy,
leathery, stewed sundried tomato flavours,
which get better and better as it
breathes. Too bad the shipper incorrectly
invoiced the LCBO for this red,
which should sell for $12.65!
If
elegance is on the list, Tuscany has a serious blend of Sangiovese and
Merlot that should not be missed - 1995
Brigante dei Barbi ($26.75) with its
sublime, slightly sweet, smoky, black cherry,
chestnut purée nose and taste.
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