Saturday September 29, 2018 - Vintages Release Report
27 Sep 2018- Details
- Category: What I'm Tasting
Key to the 5-star rating system:
5 = Outstanding … 4.5 = Excellent … 4 = Very Good … 3.5 = Good
Wine colour indicators - Red, Whites, etc.
The Foci … What’s Your Story (WYS) & Reasons to Love Riesling (RLR)
The Skinny … A real lacklustre release, probably one of the most lacklustre in quite some time – there are some good wines, including an Italian IGT that over delivers at $25 and a Rhone red that does the same at under $14 … but after that you have to dig pretty deep into the catalogue and pay a few extra bucks for the good stuff … here’s my take:
Argentina …
Catena 2015 Alta Historic Rows Malbec ($49.95 - #982355) – blackberry, black cherry, cassis, smoke and pepper. (*** ½+)
Colome 2017 Torrentes ($15.95 - #357913) – Gewurztraminer-lite with floral, citrus and mandarin orange. (***+) … WYS
Luca 2015 G Lot Pinot Noir ($34.95 - #175570) – pretty floral notes with earth and coffee bean. (*** ½+)
Trapiche 2014 Medalla Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.95 - #568865) – mocha, oak, vanilla and spice. (*** ½)
Australia …
Best’s 2015 Bin No. 1 Shiraz ($21.95 - #222323) – big chocolate notes with a hit of red cherry. (*** ½)
Canada (British Columbia) …
Burrowing Owl 2015 Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon ($44.95 - #073098) – smoky, mocha, black cherry and licorice. (****)
Burrowing Owl 2016 Estate Bottled Chardonnay ($33.95 - #208694) – lively fruit of peach, pear, apple and melon. (****)
Canada (Ontario) … click on wine name for full review
2027 Cellars 2016 Wismer Vineyard Fox Croft Block Chardonnay ($22.95 - #421362) … ****
Featherstone 2016 Canadian Oak Chardonnay ($21.95 - #149302) … ****+
Malivoire 2016 Courtney Gamay ($29.95 - #524231) … ****+
WildAss 2017 Rosé ($18.95 - #071712) … *** ½
Chile …
Maquis 2014 Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc ($19.95 - #576066) – smoky, blackberry and cassis. (*** ½)
William Fevre 2014 Chile Espino Gran Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon ($24.95 - # supple dark fruit with hints of mocha and licorice. (****)
France (Beaujolais) …
Henry Fessy 2016 Gamay Noir ($16.95 - #556571) – delicate cherry, cranberry, white pepper; a real pleasing introduction to Gamay from Beaujolais. (*** ½+)
France (Burgundy) …
Arnoux Pere & Fils 2014 Les Beaumonts Chorey-Les-Beaune ($38.95 - #557785) – light cranberry, red cherry, juicy core with mineral undertones. (****)
France (Midi) …
Gerard Bertrand 2015 Saint Chenian Syrah/Mourvedre ($16.95 - #370247) – sweet mid-palate, chocolate, smoked cherry, vanilla, oak, pepper and spice. (****)
France (Rhone) …
Chateau des Roques 2013 Cuvee du Chateau Vacqueyras ($24.95 - #352039) – leathery, smoky and black currant. (*** ½)
Ferraton 2016 La Tournee Rouge ($13.95 - #561282) – easy drinking, silky smooth, black ad blue berries, leather and coffee; great value. (****)
Xavier 2016 Vignon Cotes du Rhone ($17.95 - #297317) – red and black cherry, mocha middle, nice spicy finish and good length. (*** ½+)
France (Roussillon) …
Reserve des Tuileries 2013 Cotes du Rousillon ($21.95 - #561191) – mocha, silky smooth, black cherry. (*** ½+)
Germany …
Dr. Zenzen 2016 Hochgewachs 1636 Riesling ($19.95 - #561514) – delicate sweetness, mineral and lemon zest. (*** ½) … RLR
Italy (Piedmont) …
Beni di Batasiolo 2008 Riserva Barolo ($39.95 - #330704) – sweet dried cherry, balsamic and licorice. (****)
Canti Estate 2014 Barbera D’Asti Superiore ($14.95 - #478941) – light and fruity, easy drinking with plum and blackberry. (*** ½+)
Italy (Sicily) …
Feudo 2015 Maccari Saia Nero D’Avola ($32.95 - #128967) – well spiced and lots of black fruit. (*** ½+)
Italy (Tuscany) …
Cafaggio 2010 Basilica Solatio Riserva Chianti Classico ($39.95 - #441279) – nicely aged Chianti, tobacco, dried cherry and mineral. (*** ½+)
Castelli del Grevepesa 2015 Clemente VII Chianti Classico ($18.95 - #421388) – smoky and meaty with lovely dark fruit core. (*** ½+)
Tenuta di Burchino 2010 Il Burchino ($24.95 - #515460) – blue and black fruit, mocha, cola and spiced-plum. (****+)
Italy (Veneto) …
Cantine di Ora 2016 Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore ($23.95 - #451666) – cherry kirsch, blackberry and spice. (*** ½+)
New Zealand …
Borthwick Vineyard 2017 Paddy Borthwick Sauvignon Blanc ($19.95 - #361220) – sweaty with lemon, grapefruit and grassy goodness. (*** ½+)
Portugal …
Sandeman 1999 Vau Vintage Port ($12.95 / 375ml - #583013) – dried cherry, leather, spiced-orange with a wonderful acid punch. (****+)
Spain …
Ardal 2013 Crianza ($21.95 - #167601) – silky smooth, licorice, cherry and floral notes. (*** ½+)
Castano Collection 2014 ($22.95 - #035493) – mocha, blackberry, black cherry and dark chocolate. (*** ½+)
Clos de Tafall 2015 ($19.95 - #574616) – big cherry and cassis. (*** ½)
United States (California) …
Siduri 2015 Pinot Noir ($44.95 - #159293) – nice licorice and spice, meaty even with some cassis, and blackberry; a full bodied Pinot Noir. (*** ½+)
Wente 2014 Beyer Ranch Zinfandel ($21.95 - #066118) – sweet entry with cola, black cherry, red berries, a real generous fruit core. (*** ½+) … WYS
Wente 2015 Charles Wetmore Cabernet Sauvignon ($29.95 - #963397) – the preamble is dark fruit and white pepper plus a good acidity on the finish. (*** ½+) … WYS
Wente 2016 Riva Ranch Single Vineyard Chardonnay ($27.95 - #979344) – dense Cali-Chard with vanilla, smoky oak, apple cobbler and a spiced finish. (***+) … WYS
United States (Oregon) …
Carabella 2015 Dijon 76 Clone Chardonnay ($27.95 - #180133) – herbal, grapefruit, melon rind and spice. (*** ½)
United States (Washington) …
Chateau Ste, Michelle 2016 Riesling ($16.95 - #685651) – big acid bite with nice pear tones on the mid-palate. (*** ½+) … RLR
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In-Store Discoveries: wines that appear at selected Vintages outlets …
Bachelder 2015 Saunders Vineyard Chardonnay, Ontario ($44.95 - #324103) - ****
Clos Bagatelle 2015 Au Fil de Sol Saint Chinian, Languedoc ($22.95 - #561258) - *** ½+
Colome 2015 Lote Especial Tannat, Argentina ($28.95 - #575308) - ****
Domain Mega Spileo 2012 Grand Cave Red, Greece ($29.95 - #466110) - *** ½
Flying Goat Cellars 2012 Pinot Noir, California ($58.95 - #577254) - ****
L’Ecole No. 41 2014 Perigee, Washington ($89.00 - #374413) - ****
Leeuwin 2014 Art Series Shiraz, Australia ($47.95 - #004929) - *** ½
Nativ 2016 Suadens Bianco, Italy ($28.95 - #577767) - *** ½
Quinta do Sagrado 2011 Reserva, Portugal ($25.95 - #568774) - *** ½+
Sixto 2015 Uncovered Chardonnay, Washington ($57.95 - #609123) - *** ½+
Torres 2013 Mas La Plana Cabernet Sauvignon, Spain ($64.95 - #129676) - ****+
If You Can Afford It: wines worth their high price …
Beringer 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($59.95 - #091058) - ****
Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut Champagne, France ($84.95 - #384529) - ****+
E. Guigal 2013 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone ($69.95 - #727503) - ****
Masi 2012 Mazzano Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto ($129.95 - #597476) - **** (WYS)
Best Values in this Release - (September 29, 2018) …
Ferraton 2016 La Tournee Rouge ($13.95 - #561282) – France
Gerard Bertrand 2015 Saint Chenian Syrah/Mourvedre ($16.95 - #370247) – France
Sandeman 1999 Vau Vintage Port ($12.95 / 375ml - #583013) – Portugal
Tenuta di Burchino 2010 Il Burchino ($24.95 - #515460) – Italy
Happy Shopping
