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Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan

A Beaune for all seasons

(Publishing Date: Saturday November 4, 2000  - Toronto Section)  

With the holiday season just around the corner, the LCBO is working hard to start pumping up sales. Today’s fancy full colourVintages catalogue contains 147 new listings along with a brochure featuring an additional 43 holiday gifts.

For a number of reasons, more than a third of these items were not available for pre-evaluation. Fortunately, National Post readers will be getting exclusive updates in upcoming columns. Last month, for instance, not a single drop of winewriter’s ink was spilled on the classic Louis Latour 1997 Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches perhaps because only a puny 50 cases were purchased by the LCBO. And that’s a shame because readers really want to know what a wine is like before going out and blowing $45.95.

In this case it’s money well spent. The colour is medium red, which is just fine for pinot noir from Burgundy. Ironically, some critics permit colour to influence wine scoring. For me, it’s the way something smells, tastes and feels that‘s critical, not colour.  Would you buy an inferior tasting wine because it happens to have better colour?

Ditto for the vintage. Sure the Wine Spectator gives 1997 only 83 points compared to 89 points for 1998. But these are only the grossest of generalizations. Surely it’s what’s in the glass that matters not the mumbo-jumbo numeric scores. This very pretty and accessible 1997 Beaune is a winner with elegant, medium bodied, rounded, dried black cherry flavours.

Moving on to today’s release, the most significant Canadian wine buy is the delicious Vineland Estates 1999 Sauvignon Blanc Rosomel Vineyard at $14.95. This refreshing New Zealand inspired white has lovely hints of honey and minerals with bright, fresh, gently herbaceous gooseberry flavours - certainly the best I have tasted to date.

From South Africa we have the light bodied bargain of the release Goedverwacht 2000 Colombar at only $8.45. Thank God Vintages bought 500 cases of this one. Used in the production of Cognac, this grape is believed to be a Chenin Blanc offspring and is better known as the ubiquitous French Colombard in California.

As a staple of the South African brandy business, it has a very appealing, zesty, lemony nose with some citrusy notes. It’s a miracle on the palate, tasting just like a Sauvignon Blanc with dry, extremely crisp, gently grassy flavours that would be great with seafood and oysters.

In the Chard department I have three selections. Today’s best buy is Peter’s Hill 1998 Moscenyi Chardonnay a steal at $8.45 with slightly toasty, crisp, bright, stewed lemony-pear flavours that show good intensity and a long finish. Fortunately, there are 600 cases of this versatile, crowd-pleaser.

A notch up in terms of quality is the bright pear-peach purée flavoured Vina Santa Rita 1998 Medalla Real Chardonnay ($14.95) from Chile’s Valle de Casablanca. This crisp whopper has 14% alcohol and yet is nicely proportioned with hints of nuts, honey and wild flowers on the lingering finish.

Those searching for great fruit-driven Burgundy at a reasonable price need look no father than the truly delightful 1998 Mercurey Chateau de Chamirey $27.75. Its seductive, medium bodied, toasty, pear-purée flavour sport fine hints of lemon zest on the lingering finish.

From Italy we have the refreshing, light-bodied Lungarotti 1999 Torre di Giano Bianco at $9.95. This versatile, crisp, dry blend of Trebbiano and Grechetto is nicely balanced with lightly herbaceous, grassy flavours. A ready-to-quaff fall crowd pleaser.

Moving on to reds, there are two stunners from the Rhone both from the excellent house of M. Chapoutier, which will go perfectly with game. The first is a relative bargain at only $17.90, down from $21.95 (for their rich solid 1997 which was released last March). This 100% Syrah Chapoutier 1998 Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers has an abundance of smoky, plum-prune purée flavours and shows surprising accessibility.

From the southern Rhone comes the solid Chapoutier 1998 Gigondas at $24.90. This highly vaulted vintage has produced a very fine wine which isn’t big or beefy but shows lots of finesse. It’s harmonious, ripe plum purée and gently smoky, licorice flavours show excellent length - good today, and even better tomorrow.

Finally, Jancis Robinson visits Toronto this coming week. In contrast to her excellent indispensable Oxford Companion to Wine, the just-released co-authored Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America is a disappointment that's likely to satisfy only casual readers, especially at $69.95. The lack of detailed updated information, unbelievably poor maps and occasional skimpiness earns it a thumbs down rating.