Sean Thackrey Pleiades XVI Old Vines

Sean Thackrey is a bit of a crazy wizard. He apparently reads something like a dozen languages, including mediaeval dialects from Europe, from which he culls his crazy wizard wine making techniques. This bottle is his easiest to find and cheapest wine - but rest assured it is unlike any other wine out there.

The nose is out of this world unique, with intense eucalyptus (Thackrey ages the wine in open vats under the stars in his eucalyptus grove), spice, cherry fruits and berries. A real mine field of aromas. The palate is woody, eucalyptus again, but also blackberries, strawberries, chocolate, minerals, metal, and more. Incredibly layered and complex, all I can say is: singularity to the utmost. This wine has serious personality, somewhat like a masquerade of flavours and layers of complexity with a textural suppleness that entrances. Chameleon like wine. A blend of around 13 different grapes. Thanks to Sean for pointing this out.

Very Good+ to Excellent (but everyone really has to try this wine)

$23 at K&L

Petaluma Coonawara 2004

Cool climate Australian wine is the underdog of the Aussie wine world, at least in North America. So many consumers go for Barossa or McLaren heavy duty fruit beasts without realizing the climatic variation in Australia and the massive impact that it has on grape quality. Perhaps the North American critics have brought all the profile to the two main regions without spending enough time on the cooler versions. That, at least, leaves them to discover for the rest of us, and thankfully keeps prices relatively sober.

This Petaluma red blend is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot mixture with Cab being the dominant grape. At once on the nose one notices cassis, licorice, with black and blueberry compote. But, as with most cool climate Australian wines I've tasted, there is a distinct calmness to the nose that bespeaks the perhaps greater balance present in the best of these wines. The palate was suave, with cassis, cedar and mint predominating like a classic cab. However, the merlot seems to have really smoothed out the palate and the tannins are very fine. There is great purity of flavour and the wine is long and full in the mouth with a nice touch of tang on the finish. Cool climate brilliance.

Excellent

$50 at Marquis

Niepoort Redoma 2003

Niepoort is best known as a family firm producing superb vintage ports. However, although this part of their operation has less breadth of recognition, they also produce some fantastic dry red blends from grapes grown in the Douro valley. I think Portugal is an exciting place for wine right now, although they are having some problems with marketing themselves as well as the other big European exporters. They are, nevertheless, worth seeking out for good quality and good value dry red wines.

This particular red blend was very rich and dark in the glass. Its nose of blueberry, plum and earth was powerful and yet restrained. A tasty earthy and blueberry tang fills the mouth as the wine progresses smoothly to a licorice and herb-like mid-palate and into a nice mid to long finish. While not terribly complex, I do think the Redoma strikes a good compromise between flavour, drinkability and length. It is, perhaps, a tad too expensive in this market, but I expect it is less than half price down south.

Very Good
$56 at BCLDB

Vina Chocalan Gran Reserva 2005

I have enjoyed Chocalan's Cabernet Franc in the past and had wanted to give this a try, so when I saw it at the local BCLDB I grabbed a bottle. A nose of big dark black fruits, plum, and dark roasted coffee. The palate offered cassis, chocolate, coffee, toffee and plum. This had decent structure and potency for the price and was very flavourful. However, this was slightly hot and unbalanced. A good drinking wine for the price.

Very Good
$25 at BCLDB

Grande Cuvée du Chateau Cabezac 'Belvize' 2003

First off, 2003 was not a good year for Minervois, where this wine was made. It was overly hot, which tended to bring alcohol levels way up (the Cabezac sat at a stunning 15% ABV), and this tended to bring baked character to the fruit.

This paricular Minervois was reddish brown and had a nose of plum and dark berry. The palate expanded to include roasted nuts, chocolate and gameyness. The wine was definitely a bit too alcoholic and lacked refinement. However, despite its not having a super elegent structure, it did have a core of intense well extracted flavour that wasn't artificial. So, even with all its faults I enjoyed this wine and would be willing to give it another try in a better year.

Very Good

$35 on sale (normally $55)

Rustenberg John X Merriman 2005

Another experiment in South African wines, this comes from a well respected producer of red blends. The nose on this Cabernet based blend was oaky and heavy in cassis (I find a lot of SA wines to be a bit too oaky or woody). However, while this was perhaps too oaky, the oak DID give structure and depth to the fruit that probably would not have been there otherwise. Simple, but concentrated flavour, this is pretty good for the price point and worth a try for those interested in exploring a more worldly milieu.

Very Good

$35 at BCLDB

Lucente 2005

I had this during the last Vancouver International Wine Festival and thought then that it was excellent value. So much so that I picked up a bottle to drink later. As usual I couldn't keep it for long - and this is what I tasted:

Dry, dusty cherry on the nose and tart cherry raspberry on the palate with a hint of earth. This had nice balance, but I found the length somewhat short and lacking complexity. At the same time, this wine also had very good grip and liveliness.

Very Good+

$40 at BCLDB