What does the newest Vintages release have to offer? Let’s take a look!
General Thoughts:
Today brevity will be our best virtue, so let’s look at the key points. We’re spotlighting some of the less obvious parts of the wine world: the often-overlooked Tempranillo grape, and the often-indecipherable region of Burgundy. They typically operate at two extremes: Tempranillo (and Spanish wine in general) offering some fabulous values, and Burgundy occasionally raking us over the coals for its best bottles.
As always, the best of the best is reserved for the Classics catalogue, but we have some good entry-point pieces here and some unusual offerings to take advantage of.
The only contention I make to this recent collection is the bolded tagline, “To understand Burgundy, one must look to its people…” The subsequent, “and their profound bond with the land,” receives less attention. The promotion then goes on to give the backstories of four modern winemaking houses. It’s a cool idea, and it’s great to know who’s making your wine, I think it overlooks what Burgundy has classically been about.
While I will never discount the impact of civility in winemaking, to properly understand the dynamics of Burgundy you must understand the terroir. It’s a lot of work that many of us don’t have time for, but it’s important to at least keep it in the back of your head.
In short: land matters above all else. The isolation of soils and what elevation/direction the grapes are grown at are paramount. Vineyard spaces are delimited so specifically that when you see Grand Cru or Premier Cru or AC Blah-de-St-Blah, there is a preconceived reputation coming from each one. That doesn’t mean vineyards can’t underperform or overperform, but a LOT rides on their history.
Burgundy is a tricky place to grow grapes. The weather’s miserable most of the time, and few grapes would do well there. They can’t just open up endless acres and expect everything to ripen — as is the New World habit.
The monastic orders did the hard work. Bordeaux was the mercantile winemaking area, whereas Burgundy - the Cote d’Or especially - developed more fully under the church’s influence. Since they had a lot of time and the ability to keep records (remember, not everybody was literate back then), they were critical to learning viticulture and site-evaluation.
Anyways, I’m not trying to undermine the LCBO’s sales pitch. In fact, I’d love the $80 bottle of ‘05 Nuits-St-George they’ve listed (117705). However, I’m sold on that one mostly because of the year and the area rather than the story about the producer. 2005 in Burgundy=Classic. It’s a “Once in a Lifetime [til the next one]” Vintage, as far as I’ve read. The prices reflect that considerably. Moreover, these are bottles which shouldn’t be touched for a few years minimum. Look to 2002, 2003 and 2006 for safer picks to drink in the short-term. As always, there are exceptions.
The best advice I have is to make your decisions carefully. You have to drop a lot of money to get the best stuff out of Burgundy, and if you’re not careful you could drift into a lot of cash traps: buying $20-30 bottles which underperform but still dent the wallet. Be ready to go $40-60 at the outset, and read, read, read your reviews! 
(I said I’d be brief at the beginning of this post, right?)
Bottles to Consider:
Benwarin Wines Semillon 2006 — Hunter Valley, Australia — $17.95 in Ontario (683235)
Here’s a reasonable price for a textbook style which is - relatively - rarely found in our market. The score of 92 by James Halliday is probably a touch inflated, but it should give us the confidence of being flaw-free.
The key lines of the note are “lower than usual alcohol” and “grassy/lemongrass/citrus/mineral flavours will allow the wine to grow and mellow with age”. We aren’t looking at a blockbuster which is going to eat us alive. If anything, we’re looking at a wine which could masquerade as a Sauvignon Blanc - based solely on the note.
Since grapes in the southern hemisphere are harvested earlier, this wine was in-bottle by 2006. I’m hoping that the near-3 years have subdued it to the point of being more recognizable as a straight Semillon. We shall see!
Didier Barre Domaine Berthoumieu Haute Tradition Madiran 2005 — AC Madiran, France — $18.95 in Ontario (102996)
If you’re looking to destroy your tooth enamel, look no further.
Last time, I wrote about my secret crush of Mourvèdre from Bandol. This time, we meet the Bordelais’ evil cousin sequestered to the attic: the Tannat grape from Madiran. We’re looking at a wine which contains 55% Tannat, some Cabernet Sauvignon, and is rounded out with the local Pinenc grape.
Madiran, and Tannat specifically, is a big reason why micro-oxygenating became so widespread. (In a nutshell, the process introduces oxygen into tanks of wine to soften harsh tannin and effectively age the wine.) During the current rise of heavy New World wines post-Australia, Argentine Malbec has definitely reaped substantial attention. So where does a customer turn next? If they’re brave, they’ll look for dark wines of might and girth that aren’t afraid to shun ripe fruit.
Check the tasting note to see if it was plagiarized from Hemingway. “Deep colour. Soft, deep and brooding nose. Big brooding mineral fruit. Elegant smooth tannins.” Since they’ve made a point to include elegant, smooth tannins, this bottle may have had some micro-ox. At this price, it’s worth grabbing a couple bottles; decanting the first/enjoying some sirloin, and laying the other down.
Chateau de Maligny Fourchaume Chablis 1er Cru 2007 — Chablis, France — $34.95 in Ontario (718288)
We’re going for queer wine. You have to want to throw $35 around for a wine that doesn’t appear friendly to commercial palates. In fact, if this note is accurate, don’t even think of this as Chardonnay. “[G]reen fruit, floral, seaweed and iodine notes that give way to more refined medium-bodied flavors that possess outstanding intensity on the explosive though slightly warm finish.”
Sounds a little different from pretty much every other Chardonnay out there. Cool-climate Chardonnays can quite commonly veer toward this direction, but seaweed? Iodine? Those are hardly the norm. But seaweed leans toward stuff like brine, salt, and maybe a titch like worn out romaine lettuce on rocks. Iodine - at least from childhood memory - is ultimately abrasive, with that iron-like quality that penetrates the nostrils much the same way alcohol can when out of balance. Seaweed and iodine seem to be indicators that our wine has a distinct mineral-driven, or rather, soil-driven essence.
So why do we want this? Well, Premier Cru Chablis at this price is very kind, but consider this: the author, Allen Meadows, has tasted enough Burgundy that when he says “outstanding intensity” you have to take it seriously. The wine is incredibly young, and soil-driven Chablis has every right to be somewhat closed in its youth. I’ve not read any reviews of ‘07 Burgundy yet (calling the Bordeaux ‘07 a hit-or-miss vintage would be giving it too much credit…), but I see this bottle as a worthwhile investment to drink after 2011 with high upside.
Bodegas Valdemar Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva 2001 — DOCa Rioja, Spain — $39.95 in Ontario (745562)
Most people want to drink something that’s ready to go now and something from a great year. Many Spanish wines do the aging in-house, and the customer can only benefit. The Conde de Valdemar boasts a 90 point Spectator rating, which - while not the most impressive score in the world - still gives me solid confidence.
Here’s where I get greedy and pick the weight that’s right for me. The note reads, “Not heavy, but has focus and intensity, with a floral, spicy finish,” and is recommended to drink until 2011. We’re looking at a mature wine which should be perfurmed and textured to a certain extent. I’m imagining a less-profound, Spanish version of Margaux. Granted, it may not deliver such a lofty expectation, but I’m confident it will satisfy for the price tag.
If you want guts and glory in a Spanish red, try the a subsidiary of Vega Sicilia: the Pintia 2005 offering (22954, $64.95) which is built for an extended life in the cellar, and boasts a Parker-affiliate 95 score. A more cost effective match which should thrill: Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva 2001 (976670, $39.95). It’s quoted as being “[f]oursquare and balanced”. Sounds like a bruiser!
