As the turkey and festivities of Christmas slowly fade and the shiny New Year rapidly approaches, I thought I'd reflect on three wines that my family enjoyed over the holidays. We were at a wonderful little French restaurant, which is now closed forever, where the chef made what he made and you brought your own wines.
It was unfortunate that we only discovered the now defunct restaurant in November but were lucky enough to have enjoyed it a second time over the holidays. There was just the chef, and when you entered, he motioned you to have a seat, and then the food would begin. Near the end of the evening, we invited the chef for a glass of wine and he pulled up a chair, sipped a glass, and joined in on our conversation. What an experience!
Two of the three wines had spent some time in a cellar. It is gratifying when you hold onto a wine for a few years and it turns out well. It is not an exact science and I have been burned before by keeping a wine for too long. It seems to me that a high quality, strong tasting Bordeaux blend or bold grape such as Merlot or Cab Sauv has the potential to age better than some other grapes. Of course, there are exceptions but I think this is a pretty good starting point.
Now, onto the wines....
First we had a 2012 Cantina Tollo Mo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Italy. It was a great deal at $23.50 - way less than I thought it cost as I had bought it a few months before and stuck it in my cellar. It was the perfect pairing with charcuterie that included mushroom caps, prosciutto, and various cheeses. There were aromas and tastes of black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, leather, cedar, and tobacco. There were medium tannins with this wine and medium body, medium plus acidity, and medium plus (13.5%) alcohol. Even before I knew the price of this wine, I would have given it a rating of Very Good.
The 2006 Mission Hill Select Lot Collection Merlot ($70 if you can find it) was a wine that my son-in-law was a bit nervous about sharing. He’s opened a couple of these and they have had faults - but not the bottle he shared with me. This was a fantastic Merlot - much better than most that I have ever tasted before. Even after 13 years, there was still some nice fruitiness to the wine but there was also the benefits from ageing. There were flavours and aromas of blueberry and blackberry along with oaky flavours of chocolate and caramel. The ageing brought leather and tobacco to the table as well as other earthy flavours. The different flavours, however were wonderfully integrated in this wine. It was a perfect glass. This wine had full body and a silky, soft mouthfeel with medium tannins. It retained medium minus acidity and was definitely ready to drink. If you can find this wine, buy it and drink it. Unfortunately, Mission Hill no longer makes the Select Lot Collection any more. An Excellent rated wine.
Finally, there was wonderful Bordeaux-style blend from the Okanagan. The 2012 5th Element from Road 13 Winery in the south Okanagan is not going to be easy to find. There is, however, a 2017 available for under $50 and, if the 2012 is any indication, it’s going to be a great wine. By the way, although Road 13 is owned by Iconic Wines, the same company that owns Mission Hill, this wine was bought when Road 13 was an independent winery. The grapes in this wine are Merlot dominate with Cab Franc, Syrah, Cab Sauv, Malbec and Petit Verdot. There were tastes and aromas of blackberry, plum, and black currant as well as oaky flavours of tobacco, cedar, and vanilla. The ageing of this wine also added leather, smoke, and other earthy flavours. This is a full bodied wine with softening tannins, medium acidity, and a wonderful intensity of integrated flavours. This had aged nicely and benefitted from a half hour or so in a decanter. I have another bottle of this in my cellar and feel it will still age a couple more years - although it is definitely fine to drink now. Balanced, with length, intensity and complexity - overall, an Excellent wine.
Now, to pick something out for New Year's Eve.
Cheers!
