Vintage Assessments Home Page

Recent Articles

Archive of National Post Articles

Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan  

Getting Inside The 'Classics' 

(Publishing Date: Saturday, February 12^th - Toronto Section)

Trying to get great wines isn’t easy. The LCBO through its Classics Catalogue purports to present the best wine money can buy. An admirable objective that unfortunately often seems off the mark. Coming out three times a year, wine lovers are now chomping at the bit to dig into some 150 new upcoming selections appearing in the new glossy 76-page oversized Winter Supplement. To have a real chance of securing the wine of your life, you must mail or fax your order to the LCBO by 5 p.m. on February 16^th - processing commences on the following day.

Of the 311 products listed, 174 or 56% are from France with 62 red Bordeaux representing the lion’s share, followed by 54 Burgundies. Italy follows with 63 selections, followed by a lackluster collection of 24 Spanish reds mostly lingering on from last summer.  There’s also a Bin End Sale which consists of 49 items.

The distinction between the Classics and the stuff found in the monthly Vintages releases seems blurred. Does a Burgundy like Drouhin’s 1997 Beaune Clos des Mouches really belong in the Classics? Wouldn’t it more effective, much less expensive and more convenient to simply have an ongoing selection of new reserve wines released each month along with the regular Vintages products? Surely a simply monthly lottery approach to these limited availability items would make life easier for all concerned.

One thing the LCBO finally got right is the “limited availability” symbol which now (for the first time) defines exactly how many bottles can be ordered. This makes it more likely that everyone will have a chance to purchase the best. I say “chance” because Vintages has been known to reward certain customers by giving them special invitations to tasting events that are not open to more casual shoppers. Hopefully such preferential treatment will not be extended to filling Classics orders.

As the wine press was recently given an opportunity to pretaste some 18 items, I want to share some remarkably good buys with you. The first item presented was the 1997 Cave Spring Cellars CSV Chardonnay a well made wine at a not unreasonable $30. This is the single Canadian entry, which at least is one more than what appeared in the last edition.  To say it’s shameful that the LCBO couldn’t have dug a little deeper to unearth some true Canadian hits is an understatement.  In all fairness, most of the problem lies with the producers and importers who refuse to sell their best products to the LCBO! Not only are they missing an important window of visibility, they are not serving themselves or the customer.

Moving on. Don’t miss Australia’s beautifully proportioned 1998 Cape Mentelle Chardonnay at only $24. Here is a wine stands up and says “hello” with its creamy, toasty, orange zest flavours and outstanding lingering finish. Surprisingly there is no limit on orders despite an extremely tight Canadian allocation of only 28 cases!

As France is the heart of Classics, I am pleased to report that there are some wonderful buys! From Burgundy, two whites were tasted. My hands-down winner was the 1997 Givry Servoisine Blanc Domaine Joblot which is extremely well priced at $29. This rich, intensely flavoured, toasty Chardonnay from the often-ignored Cote Chalonnaise towered over the pricey ($67) 1997 Puligny Montrachet Les Chalumeaux, at least for current enjoyment! Orders are limited to 3 bottles, so act today.

Of four red Burgundies tasted, it will be next to impossible to beat the spicy, ripe red cherry flavours that leap out of the glass of the 1997 Savigny-Lavières 1er Cru Domaine Tollot-Beaut. It’s exceedingly charming value at $32 and will thrill fans of good Pinot Noir. For laying away, you might consider the somewhat richer 1997 Morey-Saint-Denis La Rue de Vergy Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot at $54.

From the Rhone we have two tasty reds. First from the north we have the deeply coloured, rather smoky 1996 Saint-Joseph Anais Domain du Chene, a wonderful ready-to-drink best buy at only $23. The complex, leathery, peaty, baked cherry flavours make it a perfect match for a lamb osso buco. Moving south towards the Mediterranean we chance upon Rasteau which is not a name on the lips of most Classics wine buyers. Indeed, when I mentioned it to one label-lover, he asked in his inimitably snobby way if it was from Jamaica. No, this dark purple beauty is from a small rather unknown region in the Cotes-du-Rhone. And the 1998 Rasteau Gourt de Mautens at $37 is great drinking value with its gently spicy, sandalwood and jammy dark cherry flavours. Only 50 cases are available and sales are limited to 6 bottles.

Of the six Italian reds tasted, the best buy would be a beautifully balanced barrique-aged Langhe from the Piedmont region - 1997 Fabio Andrea Asberto ($34). This delicious blend of ripe Nebbiolo and Barbera casts a large shadow over most of the higher priced Barolo available at the LCBO. With 14% alcohol, it’s at its peak so drink and enjoy. Having tasted all three vintages (1994-96) of Tignanello last fall, let me steer you towards the least expensive - 1996 Tignanello Marchese Antinori ($59) with its rich, baked plum and chestnut purée flavours. This unfiltered blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet was aged 14 months in oak and had better fruit and poise than the others.  

Finally for Valentines, this month’s Vintages mini-release offers two great Ontario whites which will melt the heart of any sweetie. The first is the delicious, sweet, honeyed ruby grapefruit flavoured 1997 Reif Riesling Icewine at $52.95 and worth every penny.  If you are looking for a serious white, look no farther than the 1997 Reif Chardonnay Reserve ($ 16.95) which is loaded with rich, toasty, citrusy, baked apple flavours. The grapes come from 18-year-old vines and were fermented and aged for 15 months in new Allier/Nevers oak. Not only was it a Silver medal winner at last year’s Toronto Wine and Cheese Show, but Reif Estate was awarded the trophy of ‘Best Canadian Winery’ at Vinitaly.