Cellaring Adds Value + Taste

So beginning next week, you can expect some minor modifications to this column and some of the wine content that appears in the Saturday Sun. Don't worry you will still see all six wine picks on Saturday, but the descriptions and details will appear together alongside the labels - easier to clip out and take to the wine store. The column itself will become a bit more free form covering a range of topics that define the modern wine business.

The British Columbia wine of the week, our event notices and bites of wine information will all move to Wednesday's Arts & Life section starting Sept. 26. Joining that package will be a new feature for wine collectors. There have been many requests to feature wines suitable for cellaring so every Wednesday we will offer a specially selected, highly available wine pick that you can lay away for five to 10 years in the cellar.

When it comes to cellaring wines, something I've done for three decades, the best advice I would offer aspiring collectors is to remember that eventually all wine is made to be consumed. After that it's up to you to decide the best method of "investing" your time and money in wine. Keep in mind the basic concept is to buy wine at today's prices and wait for it to mature in your cellar both physically and economically. Not only will you save the premium that years of aging adds to the retail cost of wine, but a decade down the road you will be assured of owning a scarce and valuable commodity.

Aside from any growth in value, "investing" in wine is all about marking time to allow a great wine to develop to its full potential. During the aging period, the harsh angular components of youth give way to the rounder, more complex flavours that are the hallmark of fine, old, mature wine.

The long maturation period offers other possibilities as well. Many collectors now "put down" wines to mark special events such as their child's birthday or their wedding anniversary. Just imagine celebrating your birthday every year with a wine as old as you are. All you need is patience and persistence.

In terms of cost, quality and quantity always keep in mind that you are not buying wine for next week. If the difference between a good wine and a great wine is only a few dollars always buy the better wine. Believe me, the few extra dollars it costs will look like a bar-gain a decade from now. The amount you buy is more a matter of budget, but anywhere from three to six bottles of any one type is sufficient to age, taste, track and trade along the way.

We begin with a local icon Mission Hill Oculus 2009. Oculus is the pinnacle red at Mission Hill fashioned after the great red blends of Bordeaux, and made with select grapes from designated blocks in Osoyoos and Oliver. No wine in the region is handled more gently before it is aged 14.5 months in French barriques. The mix is now 50 per cent Merlot with 30/15/5 bits of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all of which lends the wine an attractive soft, elegant demeanour and slippery, fine-grained tannins. You can drink it now if you must, but five to seven years will repay your patience handsomely.

White wine is often over-looked by young collectors but wines like the Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Premier Cru Vaudésir 2009 will change your mind. Its round, full, juicy, fresh palate is packed full of lime, honey, green apple, pear skin, spicy, light butter, seashell flavours with a long, fresh finish and a touch of lees. Delicious Chablis that will only improve over the next two to four years in bottle.

The latest Chester-Kidder Red Blend 2007, a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Malbec is the best yet from Washington's Long Shadows home winemaker Gilles Nicault. The attack is full and smooth with good acidity and rich vanilla, coffee, pepper, tobacco, blackberry jam/cassis flavours. The finish is long, warm and stuffed with youthful tannins yet to be shed. Give this another three to five years in bottle or serve now with roasted meat.

I'm very impressed with the Laughing Stock Vineyards Syrah+7/10 from the Okanagan Valley. From gingerbread and sage to sausage meat and blackberry jam, this is one savoury red. The style is big and bold with a warm, slightly tart finish that craves a piece of lamb, or two to five more years in the cellar. Well done.

A completely different take on Syrah and equally compelling is the M. Chapoutier Monier de la Sizeranne Hermitage Rouge 2009 from the Rhone Valley. The style is dry and fresh with both elegance and austerity with a flood of smoky, curry, peppery, meaty, leather, barn-yard, garrigue and plum flavours. A more restrained, youthful wine that needs another three to seven years aging in the cellar to reach its peak.

We finish with Signorello Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 - not your typical Napa caber-net. Owner Ray Signorello, who splits his time between California and his hometown West Vancouver, is fascinated by the complexity of French wine, and is determined to make a similar style in Napa. Pepper, menthol, dark chocolate and cassis pre-view a warm rich red but one with great finesse and flavour intensity. An impressive effort that will clearly improve in bottle over the next six to eight years.

Mission Hill Oculus 2009, Okanagan Valley

Price: $70

UPC: 776545981301

Score: 92/100

Remarks: Drink it now if you must, but five to seven years cellaring will repay your patience.

Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Premier Cru Vaudésir 2009, Chablis, Burgundy, France

Price: $72

UPC: 0012086325113

Score: 93/100

Remarks: Delicious Chablis that will age well for another two to four years.

Chester-Kidder Red Blend 2007, Columbia Valley, Washington

Price: $50

UPC: 808755003877

Score: 92/100

Remarks: Give this another three to five years in bottle, or serve now with roasted meat.

Laughing Stock Vineyards Syrah+7/10 2010, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

Price: $34

UPC: 00850451001466

Score: 91/100

Remarks: An excellent bold, rich style that really needs two to five more years in bottle.

M. Chapoutier Monier de la Sizeranne Hermitage Rouge 2009, Rhone Valley, France

Price: $110

UPC: 003391181020732

Score: 92/100

Remarks: A restrained, youthful Syrah that needs another two to five years aging.

Signorello Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Napa Valley, California

Price: $80

UPC: 00752183057769

Score: 92/100

Remarks: An impressive effort for the vintage, and likely better than the 2007 in the long run.