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Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist - Michael Vaughan

A red wine so amazingly good, he's recommending it twice

(Publishing Date: Saturday June 10, 2000  - Toronto Section)

Release day at Vintages once again, and how often do I get asked, “if you had one wine to choose from, which one would it be?” 

Some try to evade this question with the answer that it’s really a matter of taste. Well that’s true and it also matters if you actually have to pay for the bottle of choice.

Today, I am happy to reveal that if I had my single choice, the one red wine I would choose (whether or not I had to pay for it) is Cline Cellars 1997 ‘Ancient Vines’ Zinfandel at the extremely reasonable price of $24.90. 

Second choice? Well, it would be another bottle of Cline! Now that’s a recommendation! This wine is seamless and brimming with fruit. The palate possesses certain ripe black cherry flavours and finesse that sweeps me away. 

The flavours go on and on like the Energizer Bunny. It certainly isn’t that youthful Robert Parker 100-point blockbuster that brings nods of respect but which secretly nobody really enjoys, at least today. No, this is the kind of wine that brings back fond memories and a smile to your face, sort of like hearing Marlene Dietrich sing Falling In Love Again.

Of course there’s the refrain, “what am I to do?” This is a tad more challenging. There are only 223 cases available. My suggestion is make a beeline to the best-stocked Vintages store immediately and buy whatever you can. It’s a good idea to call first. You can thank me later once you have the prized bottles in your possession.

Of all wines, Zin comes in the most diverse number of styles – from sweet, fruity, even jammy, canned tropical fruit cocktail to firm, ripe, complex Bordeaux-inspired efforts. Generally, I like the latter dislike the former. Having said that, I recall having reviewed a whack of red wines and heaped great praise on a pricey red Bordeaux, while scorning on a less expensive tootie-fruity Zinfandel. A friend invited me over to feast on his special formula sweet smoky BBQ ribs. Two decanters were presented blind - the first seemed dry and tannic while the second sang with fruit and was simply delicious. The wines? You guessed it; old tootie-fruity Zinfandel vanquished the Bordeaux stallion.

Let me tell you that having to eat my hat for dessert was not fun. The lesson to be learned here is that food can make the wine, much in the same way that wine can make the food. Had we only drank this highly rated Bordeaux, the meal would have been much less attractive (unless we downed the whole bottle prior to eating). Don’t take this as a knock against Bordeaux, there are a great variety of styles here as well meaning that a better match could have been found. 

So there it is - my big recommendation for this week.  But don’t think you needn’t read further because just in case you arrive at the LCBO only to find that old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard is bare, there are still a bevy of other worthwhile reds in today’s release. 

Perhaps closest in quality and style is Babcock 1998 Syrah which is fleshy and mouthfilling with slightly spicy, plumy, dried red cherry fruit-driven flavours. At $32.60 it isn’t a steal but is worthy of a detour. Even more expensive at $44.65 is the very well made companion piece Babcock 1997 ‘Fathom’ Meritage which has rich, well structured, classy, lingering, cassis flavours.

Another wine worth nailing down is the creamy, flavourful Kendall-Jackson 1998 Pinot Noir ‘Vintner’s Reserve’ at $23.60. It’s made very much in the sunny California style meaning that it’s a versatile, easy-to-enjoy, crowd-pleaser.  Having had the privilege of judging the California State Fair with KJ’s winemaker, I can attest that he values the bright fruit that California’s climate can deliver in spades. While not unfairly priced, I have seen KJ Vintner’s Reserve releases featured at Californian supermarkets at just under $10 a bottle!

While inexpensive great buys from Italy have become increasingly hard to find, let me recommend the very decent 1997 Casa Emma 1997 Chianti Classico which exudes fine, rounded, fresh plum purée flavours. It offers excellent ready-to-drink value at only $19.35. Moving up a notch in quality, there is the solid, chocolaty Marchesi de Frescobaldi 1996 Merlot ‘Lamaione’ which is still quite firm with robust, dried plum flavours. Aged 18 months in oak and made from 100% Merlot, this can still use a year or two of aging and would be perfect with osso bucco.

I have said it before - ascertaining the quality of a wine isn’t a cakewalk. It’s easier to be a critic than having to buy “the right” wine each and every time.

 How many times have I tasted a wine, which seemed great at the winery abroad only to be disappointed when it arrived here at home? It can happen for reasons that aren’t always fully understood. Wines go through a series ups and downs that makes the window of optimal drinking elusive. Of course, shipping and storage can make a tremendous difference. If, for instance, the wines are not kept refrigerated, the super hot shipping containers can transform a youngster into a geriatric almost instantaneously!

My disappointments at today’s release include the 1995 Spanish red from the well-known house of Bodegas Martinez Bujanda that costs $29.95. Having just assessed two bottles in the LCBO lab, I found this fairly dense and oaky wine to be somewhat hot, cooked and perhaps a tad oxidized. Nevertheless, if you like this style go for it. Ditto for the vintage-challenged Amity 1996 Pinot Noir at $19.95, which is now, well past its prime.

As for cheap and cheerful, my vote would go to the rather dense Concha y Toro 1998 Merlot ‘Trio’ ($12.60) from Chile’s Maipo Valley and whose rich, cedary, herbal-chocolaty flavours would be a good match for a BBQ steak. Unfortunately, not all the well-priced wines were previewed by the LCBO meaning that there might still be some yet-undiscovered gems.