A Pinch and a Punch First of the Month

Blah blah blah, Barossa Valley Estate, yadda yadda yadda.   E&E Black Pepper Shiraz 2003, a blah, blahhh, eh?  94 Points blah blah Wine Spectator, êêêê½ winecurrent.com. Oh, oh, only 2,400 bottles in Ontario, blah!

We also have a delightfully mischievous drop from our friends at d’Arenberg to tell you about and a couple of events that might catch your fancy.  We will try to demystify the Vintages In-Store-Discovery programme and give you a few hints on how to navigate the system.   

Your Editor has spotted a few true harbingers of spring this past week, new nesting Cardinals at the backyard bird feeder as well as grass seed and Adirondack chairs at Costco; spring is certainly just around the corner.

"'Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone. Alice looked around the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. 'I don't see any wine,' she remarked. 'There isn't any,' said the March Hare." - Lewis Carroll

Vintages Release – March 1, 2008

Barossa Valley Estate

E & E Black Pepper Shiraz 2003

Barossa Valley, Australia

(731620) $85.33

400 (6 pack) cases available

94 Points – Wine Spectator

Each year, from a selection of more than 80 growers that make up the co-operative, BVE carefully hand picks only the finest Shiraz grapes for the renowned E&E Black Pepper Shiraz. Fruit is predominantly chosen from the most mature, dry grown Shiraz vines from the Northerly aspect of the valley. These vines, cultivated using the utmost of care, are low cropping, producing small berries which provide intensely concentrated colour, aromas and flavour.

Deep, dark blood red in colour with a purple hue, this wine shows a huge lift of cherry blossom, dark chocolate,

spice, coffee, ripe blackberries, and tar, along with complimentary oak on the bouquet. The palate is very rich and ripe, full bodied, with a round mouthfeel and very long finish.

Buy as many bottles as you can afford and lock them up at a tea-toddling Great-Aunt’s house for as long as you can stand.

Here is what winemaker Stuart Bourne has to say about the 2003 Black Pepper.  “Made from 100% Shiraz this wine, sourced from low-cropping Barossa vineyards, spent 18 months in 50% American and 50% French oak (30% was new).  The superb quality and perfection of this Barossa icon is indicative of the intimate working relationship between winemaker and grower. Maximum flavour retention and complexity have been achieved through meticulous attention to detail with each individual process.  The E&E Black Pepper Shiraz is the pinnacle of Barossa Shiraz, representing the best parcels of Shiraz the Barossa has to offer, lovingly crafted. The 2003 E&E Black Pepper Shiraz further reinforces the Barossa Valley Estate reputation of delivering world class Shiraz. Simply superb”.

As mentioned in this report’s erudite introduction, there are 2,400 bottles of the 2003 E&E dispersed throughout Vintages-land.  Our guess is that there are more than a few people who want more than one bottle.  This might be the time to pull in some favours from your friends and family and ask some of them to stand in line for you.  Dress them warmly and make sure they have plenty of hot chocolate!  Bon chance!

“You have only so many bottles in your life, never drink a bad one.” - Len Evans

In Store Discovery

Vintages’ In-Store-Discovery (ISD) programme releases small quantities of products to selected larger Vintages locations. Theoretically ISDs are not tied to release dates, but in practice, the wines are usually shipped with the store’s regular Vintages order and often hit the floor close to the release date. Here is a list of participating ISD locations http://www.vintages.com/store_directory_en.html.  The best way to track down an ISD is to use Vintages’ on-line search engine.  There is also an on-line directory on Vintages website with all of this month’s ISDs.  There are nearly 30 new products that will be released this weekend through ISD.  There are some real gems to be found there, like Tawse’s Pinot Noir, a Beaune Grève Vigne de l’Enfant Jèsus, Meelust’s Rubicon and of course, d’Arry’s Twenty-Eight Road Mourvèdre. Vintages Product Consultants can also be very helpful in tracking down these wines for you. 

d’Arenberg

The Twenty-Eight Road

Mourvèdre 2005

McLaren Vale, South Australia

(677617) $25.57

48 (6 pack) cases available

93 Points - Robert Parker Jr.

‘It is deep crimson-coloured with a very expressive, spicy perfume of damp earth, graphite, meat, smoke, blueberry and blackberry. On the palate it is fat, fleshy, and rustically styled with excellent layering of fruit, sweet tannins, and a long finish. Give it 3-5 years to blossom and drink it through 2020.’

Mourvèdre or Mataro, as it’s sometimes called down under, is the M in GSM.  Mourvèdre is often blended with Grenache and Shiraz/Syrah for balance and ‘drinkability’.  In the southern reaches of the Rhône Valley and all along the Midi, this trio is responsible for some very delectable wines.  It is not very often that you see Mourvèdre out playing by itself since the grape has a reputation for being too tannic and rough. 

Things are a little different in the McLaren Vale for Mourvèdre though.  A long, hot growing season with just the right amount of moisture produces softer, less acidic grapes which produce powerful and exotic wines.  Deft handling in the winery also contributes to this wine’s approachability.  Try Twenty-Eight Road with some medium-full bodied cheese.

In The Pipeline

That “dam dry” Riesling from d’Arry’s is set for release on the 15^th of March.  Fans of the wine will want to squirrel away a few cases for this year’s high grilling season.

Events