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Gismondi on Wine 2011 - Top 100 by Anthony Gismondi and Stuart Tobe We taste thousands of wines a year including a large number of wines that are no longer available through traditional retail channels.
Gismondi on Wine 2011 - Top 100
by Anthony Gismondi and Stuart Tobe
We taste thousands of wines a year including a large number of wines that are no longer available through traditional retail channels. This list is our top 100 picks that for the most part were released in 2011. Some may still be available somewhere in your market at better wine shops or on auction. Notes and prices are from the year they were tasted.
Number 1
97 Taylor Fladgate Scion N/V Touriga Nacional - Tinta Roriz - Touriga Franca -Tinta Amarela -Tinta Barroca - Tinta Cão
Douro Valley, Northern Portugal, Portugal
BC $3,500.00 specialty listing; Everything wine, ON $3,500.00, QC $3,500.00
Taylor Fladgate Scion, self-described as one of the oldest and rarest wines ever sold will be made available in very limited quantities to collectors and connoisseurs around the world this month. The pre-phylloxera port was crafted in the mid-nineteenth century and has been ageing in cask for the past 155 years. Taylor Fladgate successfully acquired both remaining casks after the death of the last remaining family member in possession of the wine and moved the wine Vila Nova de Gaia in January. Given the pedigree and current quality of the wine it was decided it would be bottled without blending to become a highly sought after collector's item. Announcing the release CEO Adrian Bridge said: "This extraordinary Port, which has spent fifteen decades in oak casks, may be one of the only wines to survive from the pre-phylloxera era in faultless condition." The wine is offered in a specially designed crystal decanter that recalls the period in which the 155-year-old Port was made and a limited-edition book which tells the story of Scion. Our tasting note is as follows: a deep brick/brown colour with a green edge. Molasses, tobacco, rancio, toffee, cedar, fiery, dried cherry, black tea and savoury aromas waft from the glass. The palate is creamy with fine acidity and only moderate sweetness and plenty more toffee, cedar, tobacco, molasses, walnut, dried orange peel and butterscotch flavours. All in all a smooth, nutty, rancio-style finish in what can only be described as an old tawny with an intensity you must experience. A real piece of history. Only 1000 units were made and bottled in a replica decanter reflecting the style of pre-phylloxera Portugal. It is a rare opportunity for collectors to buy a wine so old and exposed to the elements that it will likely remain unchanged in style for decades. Should be in select Canadian markets by mid-March. (AG)
No. 2 97 Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha 2009 Touriga Nacional - Touriga Franca - Tinta Roriz - Tinta Barroca Douro Valley, Northern Portugal, Portugal BC $247.00 private wine shops Some wines can make your year, like this incredible Vinha Velha 2009. Chosen from the oldest vines grown on the five plots known to be the 'old vineyard' at Quinta de Vargellas, 2009 is even more compelling given the dry conditions and low yields that drive its concentration. The nose is staggeringly complex and rich offering fruit and terroir all in one whiff. You can still expect the Vargellas elegance and stamina but with fruit and composure and length and persistence. Simply amazing and decades from its peak. A massive bargain when compared to any first growth Bordeaux. The terraced plots containing the oldest vines (80-120 years) account for over 15% of the estate's total production although Vargellas Vinha Velha vintage port seldom exceeds 2% of the total production of the property. (AG) No. 3 96 Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vielles Vignes 2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, France AB $130.00 fine wine shops, ON $160.00 The 100 percent roussanne "Vieilles Vignes" is 3 hectares in size and the old vines are now 89 years young. Some 30 to 50 percent is fermented in barrels and the remainder in stainless steel vats and similarly 30 to 50 percent is aged in oak and the remainder in stainless steel for about eight months. The colour is light yellow the nose is simply gorgeous with acacia flowers minerals and honey throughout. It is one hundred percent roussanne (brown in French) which gives it the capacity to age for a long time. So fresh and complex it's hard to believe how good this wine can be. According to Thomas Perrin it is a wine to consume up to five years of age or after a decade but not during the intervening years. (AG-ST) No. 4 96 Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2007 Mourvèdre - Grenache -Counoise - Syrah - Cinsault Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, France BC $92.00 specialty listing, AB $200.00 (1500 ml) private wine shops, AB $90.00 private wine shops, ON $92.00, ON $400.00 (3000 ml), QC $90.00 The 07 Beaucastel casts a wide swath in the glass. Black in colour and rich in aromas that remind of blueberries and cassis jam with plenty of liquorice and meaty notes but all with a fine balance of acidity. A fine reflection of the hot days and cool nights that marked the vintage. So rich and manly but with finesse and a floral savoury undercurrent that keeps it on balance. You can drink this now but 15 years in the cellar will build something far greater. (AG-ST) No. 5 96 Antinori Solaia 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabernet Franc - Sangiovese Tuscany, Italy BC $250.00 specialty listing, AB $250.00 private wine shops, NB $483.00 (1500 ml), NB $209.00, NF $887.00 (1500 ml), NF $1,873.00 (3000 ml), NF $3,776.00 (6000 ml), ON $250.00, QC $561.00 (1500 ml), QC $242.00 The latest Solaia strays a bit from the classic reverse Tignanello blend of 80/20 cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese dropping the cab to 75 percent and adding 5 cabernet franc but the result is no less impressive. This is a very fine rendition of Solaia that is redolent in cassis, black olive, blackberry and tobacco scented fruit but with very firm acidity, minerality and chiselled but form tannins. Very young and while it there is some of the 2007 ripe exuberance this wine has a long life ahead of it, certainly 20 years in bottle is possible and likely will be very rewarding to the collector. (AG-ST) No. 6 96 Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 2008 Puligny Montrachet, Côte de Beaune, Côte d'Or, Burgundy, France BC $349.00 specialty listing Citrus, honey, nutty, toasty, vanilla, peach pit, melon, anise and pear aromas. Round, rich, full and long with very good acidity and concentration. Huge waxy, citrus, green apple, butter, vanilla, honey, mineral flavours with a hint of guava and pineapple. Outstanding finesse and intensity with great acidity and delicacy yet the ability to age 20 years. Some 500 cases for the world explains the price. (ST) No. 7 95 Ornellaia 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Petit Verdot Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy BC $429.00 (1500 ml) specialty listing, AB $170.00 fine wine boutiques, BC $179.00 specialty listing, ON $160.00, ON $499.00 (1500 ml), QC $160.00 We are bit late getting to this wine but patience has its rewards. The '07 is a 55/27/14/4/blend of cabernet sauvignon/merlot/cabernet franc/petit verdot and it delivers. It was an excellent year with no over ripe characters that led to a spectacular Bordeaux-like wine with that savoury, Mediterranean/Bolgheri undercurrent. The wine spends 30 months in wood and bottle before release. Love the deep, intense, dark fruit, characters with a twang of acidity or balsamic notes. The mid-palate is already smooth and showing silky tannins/ the finish is long complex and suitably rich to match the savoury fruit flavours. A great bottle of Ornellaia. This will keep for decades. (AG-ST)
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No. 8 | |
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95 Roederer Cristal Champagne 2004 Pinot Noir - Chardonnay | |
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Champagne, France | |
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BC $278.00 Everything Wine, ON $287.00 Vintages, ON $756.00 (1500 ml) Vintages, QC $280.00 | |
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Lots of very fine, continuous mousse. Creamy, toasty, brioche, honey, floral, citrus, baked green apple, cherry, pear and butter aromas. Fresh, crisp, elegant, intense palate with lots of fine mousse and medium sweetness brut level but higher acidity. Brioche, nutty, spicy, baked citrus, baked green apple honey, lemon, spicy flavours. Long finish with fine intensity, needs 2-5 years to fully develop. (AG-ST) | |
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No. 9 | |
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95 Signorello Padrone 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc | |
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Napa Valley, California, United States | |
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BC $155.00 specialty listing | |
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Another intense aromatic spicy nose from Signorello's best cru. Love the opulent milk chocolate savoury cigar tobacco notes that saturate the palate. This is full blown California cabernet with the lines held taut in the finish. The mix 84/8/8/ cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc and it meshes seamlessly in along supple finish flecked with cedar, minerals, menthol and cassis. Structure and will easily keep 15 years and beyond. Worth collecting. (AG-ST) | |
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No. 10 | |
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95 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 2007 | |
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Napa Valley, California, United States | |
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BC $159.00 specialty listing, AB $140.00 private wine stores, QC $149.00, US $112.00 retail | |
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It's been some time since we tasted a Beringer PR cab this good. Obviously 2007 was kind to Napa. If anything the normal-ish but dry growing season helped to reduce berry size and give this wine the extra added oomph that makes it special. Dense dark and delicious it has all the bells and whistles; this is Napa (Howell Mountain) opulence at its best. The six percent cabernet franc seems to add just the right spice and texture to complicate what has always been a very varietal cabernet. You can actually drink this now but it will be much better in 2017 and well beyond. Terrific wine. (AG-ST) | |
The complete list is available here
