Lawrason’s Take on Vintages May 26th Release

David Lawrason

Bargain Portuguese Reds, Fine Pinots, Great Whites and Bordeaux VSOs

Vintages has assembled yet another collection of 90 point wines for this release; with 90 points being the magical tipping point for guaranteed sales success. Frankly, 90 points is no longer a big deal – I am routinely awarding 90 point “excellence”. Ten years ago this was the realm of the world’s most iconic wines; now we have 90 pointers everywhere. One reason is that wine quality continues to increase around the globe, and across wine styles. So I am going to ignore the 90 point theme this time and skip right to some bargains, at any price or rating.

Bargain Reds Under $20

Portugal has always been a place to search for bargains and although there are no truly profound wines or 90 point examples in this Portugal “mini-thematic”, there are some very good wines for not much money. This has always been the case with Portugal – and it is having a very tough time breaking through into the limelight and being “cool”. With stalwart reliance on native grapes that mean nothing to most Canadians, Portugal plods stoically along. But take a moment on this release to acquaint yourself with the three basic styles of Portuguese reds – from Douro in the north, Dao in the centre and Alentejo in the south. As always, wine styles make climatic sense.

Porca de Murça 2008 Reserva Tinto is a fine example of Douro red for $16.95. I always look for a Bordeaux-like sense of refinement in Douro reds, if with a bit more density that most Bordeaux. This delivers very nicely. From the green, mountainous Dão region in the centre I look for more forest and earthy complexity and nerve (dare I say a bit more like Burgundy) and Cunha Martins 2008 Reserva is a very good example at only $14.95, if just a bit commercialized with some cocoa/clove flavouring. The hot arid Alentejo in the south produces dense, soft very ripe reds and Monte Vilar 2008 Reserva at $15.95 catches the spirit very nicely while fencing with raisiny over-ripeness common in this zone.

Before leaving well priced, under $20 European reds, there two others that you should try. One of my weeks in France was spent in the southern Rhône and Provence, and I just loved the quality of many of the local wines, especially from the 2009 vintage. And we have had our share come through Vintages in recent months. Here’s another, for drinking early and often. Pierre Henri Morel Signargues 2009 Côtes du Rhône-Villages is simply delicious, if not profound, at $15.95. And from Italy, one of my favourites year after year is Di Majo Norante 2009 Ramitello Biferno Rosso. Hailing from the Adriatic province of Italy’s calf, Molise is a transition point between central Italian sangiovese-based reds and southern montepulciano-based reds, and a quintessentially Italian glass for all occasions at $15.95

Fine Pinot Noirs

After spending last week in Burgundy – pinot’s homeland – I came away even more of a pinot fan, if that is possible. This is ground zero of the grape that cabernet and syrah fans hate to love, and love to hate. I was personally blown away by the overall quality of red Burgundy, from the larger companies like Bouchard Père et Fils, Chanson and Champy, to the smaller producers like Domaine Maume and Pascal Marchand (more another time on the Tawse/Ontario connection to these wines), Dominique Laurent, Joseph Roty and Bruno Clair. The overall level of winemaking in Burgundy is better than I remember from visits in the 80s and 90s.

If you want to taste it for yourself, try Domaine des Tilleuls 2009 Clos Village Gevrey-Chambertin. It is not cheap at $49.95 but it is a terrific example of Gevrey, of which I tasted several samples last week. The Gevrey pinots here have a certain tension, minerality, grit and power, all built around fruit that resembles black currant, more than say cherry. It’s a cooler climate feel which – as an Ontario pinot fan – I was picking up on right away. If you want, broader, richer pinots look to the west coast of the USA. La Crema 2010 Pinot Noir ($29.95) from the Sonoma Coast is an old favourite that returns to form in this vintage with a certain brightness. And from Oregon’s Willamette Valley Boedecker Athena 2008 Pinot Noir ($36) is my first encounter with wines from Stewart and Athena Boedecker, and it is very impressive. That’s the thing about pinot; it keeps luring so many interesting and passionate people into the field. The Boedeckers are focused on making handcrafted, sustainably grown pinots from French clones in French barrels. But unlike the French they close their pinots with screwcaps.

White Highlights

I have not tasted every wine on this release but there are three whites that I found particularly interesting – not necessarily as bargains. Portugal’s Adega Deu la Deu Alvarinho 2010 Vinho Verde expresses surprising complexity and structure for a wine style usually defined as being a summery spritzer. Part of the reason is the alvarinho grape variety, perhaps better known over the Spanish border as albariño where it can deliver quite rich, aromatic wines. One might shy away from spending $19.95 on a Vinho Verde but it is a very classy wine.

And so is Trimbach 2009 Riesling from Alsace at $18.95. From a classic producer staunchly proud of its dry styling, this riesling shows great poise, fruit and nerve, which is especially interesting given it is from the ripe 2009 vintage. I have not been all that enthused with Vintages Alsatian purchases recently, even more so now that I have spent five days tasting in Alsace I know what great quality and value abounds. The 2010s in particular are scintillating and the prices seem reasonable. How about a special release of biodynamic Alsatian 2010s?

The third notable and excellent white is Robert Mondavi To Kalon Estate Reserve Fumé Blanc 2009 from Napa Valley. It may surprise many to see a California sauvignon blanc priced at $44.96 but this is one of California’s great whites – an old vine, low yield, barreled blend of sauvignon and semillon that roughly emulates white Bordeaux. Robert Mondavi himself was a fan of the genre, parcelling a fairly large chunk of his best cabernet vineyard to make Fumé back in the 60s. Indeed he coined the name Fumé Blanc – a double entendre referencing the smokiness of barrel ageing and the Fumé in the Loire Valley’s famous sauvignon called Pouilly-Fumé.

Bordeaux VSOs

Once a month or so I get a chance to taste new releases through Vintages Shop Online stream – wines available for purchase Online with delivery to your local LCBO store. The selection ranges across the world but Bordeaux seems to have the lion’s share. That, plus a special recent media tasting of Bordeaux still “available in stores and warehouse” indicates that Vintages is in thick with mid-level Bordeaux, especially from three middling vintages – 2006, 2007 and 2008 – and that they are trying to move them out to make room for the oncoming, well hyped 2009s. Anyway, there are some good buys among these wines, so check out my recent reviews of Château Larcis Ducasse 2008, Château Gazin 2008, and Château Belle-Vue 2008. I have also recently tasted Château Troplong Mondot 2007 and Château Langoa-Barton 2006. I have not tasted all the wines on the May 26 release but will attempt to catch up with some in the days ahead.

Cheese Please

On the weekend of June 1- 3 I will be in Picton helping with the wine program at the Great Canadian Cheese Festival. Several Prince Edward County wineries will be pouring on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, as well as at the Cooks and Curds Gala on Saturday night that features eight chefs from across Canada. I attended the inaugural event last year and enjoyed it so much I wanted to get involved. I’ll be leading a seminar on matching cheese and wine on Saturday afternoon, and after three weeks in France with a daily diet of cheese and wine I am feeling particularly primed for the task. Other seminars focus on cheeses of Quebec, B.C. and cheddars from across the country. Check it out by clicking on the ad below.

From the May 26th, 2012 Vintages release:

David’s Featured Wines
All Reviews

David Lawrason

VP of Wine