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Our continuing series of holiday wine guides takes you off the beaten path this week in the hope that you might show up at the big party with something different.
Notice I didn't say interesting, because that's what we wine tasters say when the wine is, shall we say, less than impressive.
Today's picks deserve a bit more attention, because the people who made them were thinking out of the box. They were trying to produce a wine just a little bit different from the norm. It may sound easy to do but in today's era of copy-cat labels, wines that tell a story are few and far between.
As the holidays approach I can't emphasize enough that you should shop early and get the wines you want now, because come December the best buys, the top values and other highly recommended labels will all be gone. Just in time, inventory management has improved the monopoly's bottom line but has drastically reduced your choice in stores.
Typical orders of new and interesting wines often begin with a palette of 56 wines or if the monopoly is feeling big-hearted they might order 128 cases (and that's for the entire province), so if you miss out on any of today's suggestions by delaying your buying, you can only blame yourself.
My first pick is the new vintage of St. Hallett Poacher's Blend 2003. Its unusual blend of semillon, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, riesling and colombard, all grown in the Barossa Valley should be enough to make the list, but it gets better. The attractive mineral, floral, honey, earthy aromas and round, slightly sweet citrus, melon, honey/kiwi flavours are now $4 cheaper than they were in the summer. How or why this has happened is beyond me. Either we were being hosed or Yellowtail is scaring the dollars out of its Oz competitors. In the meantime take advantage.
Varietal cabernet franc is not your everyday party wine mostly because it's difficult to find a fully ripe version free of those green leafy characters. This is why the Hawthorne Mountain Cabernet Franc 2002 is such a pleasant surprise. In spite of its garish green package the '02 Okanagan franc is full of mocha, spicy, smoky, compost, cherry aromas streaked with black olive and cigar smoke nuances. More oaky, spicy, tobacco and fresh black raspberry flavours flecked with pepper and black olive impress on the palate. It has fine varietal expression with just the right oaky finish to attract a crowd. Great value.
It's easy to champion grenache (as they say in France) or garnacha (in Spain) when it tastes like the Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2002. Sold by the same local folks, Next Beveridge, who hit a home run with Castano Monastrell (or mourvedre), Las Rocas is the most exciting red wine under $16 to come into the market in years.
If you don't know much about garnacha, you will after you drink this white pepper and raspberry scented red, replete with mineral, gamey, leathery notes and just a touch of cardamom. On the palate it's unbelievably supple and juicy with more black raspberry, peppery, spicy, orange peel and licorice flavours. This will sell out by early next week although I'm told there is plenty more on the way. This is the kind of wine that makes the hyper jump from plain old varietal wine to exciting food friendly juice that will change your palate forever.
A new shiraz from Chile is the Santa Rita 120 Shiraz 2003. The nose is a mix of minty, gamey, licorice root aromas and blackberry, leather smoky compost notes. It's quite round and soft on entry but with some dry mineral, minty, briary, licorice, smoky prune flavours. A fun red for grilled meats that will get better in bottle over the coming year.
The new Madfish Shiraz 2002 does a fine job of representing Western Australia. There's a premium to be paid for WA wines (although I'm not sure why) but in this case it's worth the money. This is the best Madfish we've seen in some years. Look for raspberry, spicy, white pepper, meaty, floral aromas followed by smooth textures. Juicy plum and jasmine fruit combine with fairly high in acidity and a fruity confiture aftertaste. A perfect fit for duck or goose or even turkey. Solid value.
Finally, I'm equally stoked (as my kids would say) by the latest vintage of Promessa Negroamaro 2003 from Apulia. It opens with a ripe gamey, black raspberry jam nose streaked with black licorice, tobacco, spicy pepper nose. The tannins are smooth; the flavours, black cherry, pudding, raspberry and smoky licorice, are long and fruity. It's a bit chunky and rustic, but it has great fruit and intensity. A consistent good value from southern Italy.
Anyone bringing the aforementioned labels to a party would definitely look like he or she knew what they were doing. So what are you waiting for?
Weekend Wine Tasting: Wines with a Story
Wine St. Hallett Poacher's Blend 2003,
Price $12.95
UPC 9316920000329
Score 87/100
Remarks Incredible value and it tastes good too.
Wine Hawthorne Mountain Cabernet Franc 2002,
Price $15.95
UPC 624738030209
Score 89/100
Remarks A rare B.C. cabernet franc that is ripe, tasty and good value.
Wine Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2002,
Price $15.95
UPC 805109270039
Score 88/100
Remarks Big juicy black raspberry, peppery red. Buy this by the case.
Wine Santa Rita Shiraz 120 2003, Valle del Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile
Price $11.99
UPC 686586000254
Score 86/100
Remarks Briary, licorice, smoky prune flavours shiraz made for grilled meats.
Wine Madfish Shiraz 2002, Western Australia, Australia
Price $19.95
UPC 9320403107009
Score 88/100
Remarks Black raspberry, mineral, orange peel flavours streaked with juicy plum and jasmine.
Wine Promessa Negroamaro 2003,
Price $15.95
UPC 80267055011101
Score 88/100
Remarks A chunky and rustic party red with great fruit and intensity.
