By Zoltan Szabo
Wines are released March 10th, Vintages Shop Online
2003 Château Carbonnieux Blanc, Pessac – Leognan, Bordeaux, France Vintages Shop Online #0120527
Light – bright golden. Pear, bee’s wax, oak – vanilla – baking spices and mineral. Medium to full weight white with excellent mouthfeel, flavour intensity and acidity. Very long finish. Eight years young, can further age and evolve – develop for another five to eight years. Impressive.
2009 Yealands Pinot Gris, Awatere Valley, Marlborough New Zealand $19 Vintages Shop Online #0172031
Deep straw – light golden colour. Aromas and flavours of peaches and dried nectarines amplified by crisp acidity. Persuasive finish with spicy tropical fruit accents. Excellent value. carboNZero wine too.
2007 Domaine du Coulet, Cornas “Les Terasses du Serre” Rhone, France $75 Vintages Shop Online #0182816
One of the most impressive Rhône reds I have tasted lately. Bouquet of floral – violet, black raspberries, bush herbs – garrigue, sweet tar and white pepper spice. Full with striking complexity and balance, freshness and tannic integration. Super – long finish. A sexy beast. Will age ten to fifteen years easily, although it is already approachable and drinking so very well.
2005 Zambujeiro, Tinto, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal Vintages Shop Online #0084806
Blend of Alicanté Bouschet, Touriga Nacional and Aragonez from 45 years old vines. The nose and palate boast blue fruits, red plum, beet root, floral and sweet – elegant oak notes. A powerful red with great fruit density and vibrant tannins. Bold and into – your – face, a wine that’s growing on you after every sip and will certainly coat your teeth purple. Give it a couple of years to soften up, although, for the record, I like it as it is right now.
2006 Peninsula Ridge Merlot ‘Vintners Private Reserve’, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
Spicy – savoury fruit, oak toast and a bit of barn – game notes on its nose. Lighter – style and fresh with gentle tannins. Very old worldly. It was aged in a selection of French oak barrels. It is available from the winery and a small batch of it was produced only. Costs you $42 justifiably. Made by JP Colas and finished by new winemaker, Jamie Evans. The great Jonathon Kuhling is now general manager of this premium Niagara Peninsula estate. Try it with seared duck breast salad with blue cheese – strawberry vinaigrette, arugula – dried cherries – pine nuts.
Read more of sommelier Zoltan Szabo at zoltanszabo.org and follow him at twitter.com/zoltanszabo.
