Acquired Tastes

Our 101 Favourite Wines of 2009

88)	90 Segura Viudas N/V Heredad Brut Reserva Penedès, Catalunya, Spain $25-$45
	Good fine persistent mousse. Fresh nose with strawberry, floral, lime, lemon, nutty, melon, biscuit, peach skin aromas. Crisp, dry, round, elegant palate with very nutty, floral, slate, peach, baked pear, caramel, lemon and lime flavours. A bit fuller than most cava but very elegant and suave with a slightly sweet finish. Best served with seafood tapas and slightly salty light meats. (AG)
89)	90 Schloss Schönborn 2006 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Kabinett Rheingau, Germany $25-$45
	Floral, baked green apple, honey, slate, pear, slightly smoky nose with a bit of peach skin. Fresh, crisp, elegant, juicy, delicate palate with slate, light petrol, baked pear, honey, nectarine, pink grapefruit and mineral flavours. Understated but delicious and balanced. Will keep for 3 to 7 years. (AG)
90)	90 Rosehall Run 2007 Rosehall Vineyard Pinot Noir Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada $30-$50
	Bright clean fruits abound in this fine pinot. Lifted cherry and cooked strawberry fruits balanced by pleasant earthy tones and clove spice. Lively acid freshness on the palate but remarkably drinkable and smooth textured. Drink now or in the near future. (TF)
91)	90 Pieropan 2007 Soave Classico Soave, Verona, Veneto, Italy $15-$30
	The pinnacle of mineral driven wines come of Northern Italy and Pieropan is the master. It's embarrassing to think this wine has been unable to grab a spot in B.C. liquor stores over the past 3 decades. Mostly garganega with a bit of trebbiano. It's fresh and clean and chock full of mineral, pear and nutty flavours. Alive and vibrant it will pair with most seafood dishes. (AG)
92)	90 Michele Chiarlo 2007 Nivole Moscato d'Asti Gavi, Piedmont, Italy $10-$20
	Light frizzante mousse that is continuous and fine. Very floral, perfumed, soapy, peach skin, spicy, slate aromas with a touch of orange and lemon. Crisp, fresh, somewhat fizzy palate with a little sweetness. Peach, spicy, lychee, mineral, green apple skin and lime rind flavours. Consistent, fun and flavourful style for dessert or an apéritif. (AG)
93)	90 Le Volte 2007 Tuscany, Italy $20-$40
	The '07 harvest was kinder to the late ripening cabernet sauvignon than merlot in Bolgheri but in the case of Le Volte it is the sangiovese (51 percent) that carries this edition that mixes (34 percent) merlot with (15 percent) cabernet sauvignon. The wine gets about 10 months of aging in older Masseto and Ornellaia barrels. You notice a fragrance and freshness seldom seen in New World reds not to mention a sense of balance and harmony that keeps you coming back to the glass. Look for a delicious balance of spicy, floral red fruits with a kiss of oak and coffee. Very impressive and so balanced you can actually drink it now or hold it through 2015. Well done. (AG)
94)	90 Jermann 2006 Vintage Tunina Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy $50-$70
	Nutty, buttery, grapefruit rind, floral, melon, honey aromas. Rich, round, soft, somewhat fat palate but dry. Grapefruit rind, nutty, spicy, buttery, green apple skin, baked pear, grassy, vanilla, anise flavours. Good finesse but a touch soft and short with some butterscotch. Very attractive style if a tad warm. It will age well. (AG)
95)	90 Fuligni 2003 Brunello di Montalcino Montalcino, Siena, Tuscany, Italy $70-$90
	Peppery, tar, smoky, dried cherry, tobacco, barnyard, leather, resin, black olive nose with some herbs and floral notes. Ripe, rich, round, full, hot palate with some dusty tannins and a bit of acidity. Tobacco, cedar, liquorice, resin, black cherry, raisin, peppery, tapenade, meaty, dried plum flavours. Good finesse for a hot vintage but very warm on the finish. Drink now or keep 2 to 3 years. (ST)
96)	90 Espelt 2005 ComaBruna Empordà, Ampurdain-Costa Brava, Catalunya, Spain $30-$50
	Deep cherry/purple colour. Smoky, peppery, meaty, allspice, floral, black cherry, rooty nose flecked with liquorice and tobacco ash aromas. Dry, round, slightly austere entry with some tannin to shed. Very spicy, floral, dried herb, meaty, smoky, garrigue, menthol, black cherry and tobacco flavours. Good concentration but still a bit tight and rustic. Best in 2 to 3 years or with grilled steak now. A unique blend of syrah, cariñena and marselan. Well worth investigating. (AG)
97)	90 Castello di Bossi 2005 Berardo Chianti Classico Riserva Castelnuovo Berardenga, Siena, Tuscany, Italy $45-$65
	A single vineyard sangiovese, this has very spicy, peppery, leather, meaty nose with flecks of black berry, vanilla, black olive and saddle leather. Ripe yet somewhat tannic and dry. More vanilla, coffee, peppery and meaty, tobacco flavours mix with leather, iron, black berry, black cherry jam. Good length with some grainy tannin to disperse. Needs 3 to 5 years. Aged in French oak barriques for 24 to 36 months. (ST)
98)	90 Burgans 2007 Albariño Rías Baixas Rías Baixas, Galicia, Spain $15-$30
	Now under screwcap, this Albariño is clean and as fresh as a whistle. Look for a crisp mineral, nectarine skin nose. On the palate it's juicy with creamy, green apple, melon honey notes with a citrus finish. Tailor made for curious white wine drinkers who love seafood. (AG)
99)	89 Viu 1 2006 Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Rapel, Region del Valle Central, Chile $60-$80
	Open, spicy, vanilla, chocolate, tobacco nose with meaty, barnyard, smoky, saddle leather, savoury notes mixed with black cherry and cassis. Rich, round, warm, dry palate with grainy tannins. Peppery, spicy, cassis, saddle leather, chocolate, vanilla, garrigue, tobacco leaf, meaty, liquorice flavours. Despite the obvious alcohol, it is well balanced for a big wine. Needs another 3 to 5 years in bottle to round out. (AG)
100)	89 Veramonte 2005 Primus Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile $20-$30
	Change is afoot at Primus where the emphasis is moving towards ripeness of fruit and texture on the palate. The '05 mixes 51/32/17 merlot, cabernet sauvignon and carmenère all from Casablanca. Look for tobacco and dried cherries and chocolate to dominate on the nose and palate in this full-flavoured red with fairly rich tannins. It's not as ripe as the new merlot and cabernet reservas varietals coming out of Colchagua but we expect this is the direction the wine is heading. Still it shows more finesse under Espinoza and is certainly one to watch for the price. (AG)
101)	89 Santa Rita 2005 Medalla Real Reserva Especial Cabernet Sauvignon Valle del Maipo, Region del Valle Central, Chile $15-$30
	This is really an amazing wine for the price when you consider it comes from a single estate in the Alto Jahuel district of the Maipo Valley. Look for a spicy dried herbs nose with rich black fruit/cassis cedar and more bay leaf flavours wrapped into a full-bodied mid-palate and finish. The tannins are rich and soft but should easily melt into your steak. Fine value here. (AG)