IWFS Blog - The International Wine and Food Society

Ask Sid: What do think of the U.S. Surgeon General advising on the risks of alcohol consumption?

Question: What do you think of the Sturgeon General of the United States issuing an advisory on Alcohol & Cancer Risk?

Answer: Yes the buzz this week is the worrisome advisory issued by the U.S. Sturgeon General on the increased cancer risk from the consumption of alcohol. On the one hand it is helpful to provide the consuming public with complete up-to-date and correct information so they can make their own personal choice. Lots of information is available to you on the web – both correct and incorrect. A popular one near me in Canada getting exposure is the University of Victoria with their knowalcohol.ca site. You can ask all sorts of questions including “What are my health risks, costs, and calories from drinking alcohol?’ On the other hand making calculations and suggesting the use of warning labels to alert consumers as a result is a much more controversial matter. An important article on this issue “Are the Surgeon General’s Alcohol Risk Calculations Correct?” by Mark Hicken on wine law.ca is linked here. I recommend you read it.

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CHÂTEAU GRUAUD LAROSE SAINT JULIEN CAN PRODUCE OUTSTANDING SECOND GROWTH WINE

Looking back at the historic 1855 Classification of Bordeaux there were 61 winery properties listed in five groups (or growths). Eleven of them are in Saint-Julien with no First Growths and no Fifths but near the top are five Second Growths. Among those Seconds the three Leovilles were the highest rated followed by Gruaud-Larose (G-L) and then Ducru-Beaucaillou. Gruaud-Larose has been a particular favourite wine of your scribe over the years because of the great value plus availability by the owners Cordier (imported by Chateau & Estate Wine Company – sole agent for USA).

One of my first outstanding wine experiences was the glorious 1961 G-L which always showed so rich, powerful, and concentrated with that textbook terroir of Saint-Julien. It has aged well with Decanter reviewing it in April 2021 with a high score of 95 stating “really very subtle, vibrant, very much alive. Not yet at its peak.” The early sixties was a great period for this property with reliable 1962, 1964, and especially Michael Broadbent “long distance runner” vintage 1966 – still so balanced with cigar-box notes. Another fantastic period for this property was the early eighties under talented regisseur George Pauli starting with the undervalued 1981 followed by outstanding 1982, solid 1983, elegant 1985, and still young classic 1986. However, overall the G-L record has been somewhat spotty with Brett issues and higher yields compared to some other more consistent properties. G-L was purchased from Cordier in 1997 by Jacques Merlaut as part of the Taillan Group (Haut-Bages-Liberal, Chasse Spleen, Ferriere, and La Gurgue) with extensive replanting of more Cabernet Sauvignon and gradual improvements with lower grape yields in the wines (though twins especially 1996 and also 1995 are pretty good) through the aughts (surprisingly wonderful 2001 & great vintage 2005) and now the late teens are truly blossoming with an outstanding pure 2019 & excellent 2020.

Over the 2024 year end celebrations and the welcoming in of 2025 your scribe has revisited some of these G-L wines with recent memories and opening of bottles. The highlight was a magnum of 1981 G-L superbly paired at dinner with long roasted Alberta fresh lamb shanks deboned after cooking with Imam Bayildi. Amazed at how fresh, elegant, and complex this vintage currently is in Magnum format. Truly an underappreciated beauty. Looking back at that splendid early eighties decade for G-L:

1986 is powerfully rich with still old style tannins but is evolving nicely. Jewel that is aging well. Patience needed to wait for its best.

1985 seductive ready with lovely cloves tertiary development so exciting. Drink and enjoy.

1983 Full & spicy with more weight than 1985. On a drinkable plateau no rush. One of the top northern Medoc wines in this variable vintage that favoured the better weather of Margaux & Graves.

1982 Killer though can be bottle variable. Admire the ripe cassis/blackcurrant flavours with tobacco and smooth lush textures. A complex treasure with the 1961 to seek out as a legendary textbook Saint-Julien at its best.

1981 Cedary with some mint is an elegant refined charmer with exquisite balance. A point.

Check out this revived stellar chateau with cherished older bottles from the early 60s & early 80s and their great encouraging current releases. G-L is not usually included among the “Super Seconds” but it can be if you purchase wisely. Enjoy.

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RECOMMENDATION: AN OUTSTANDING VALUE WINE PURCHASE OPPORTUNITY

Best wishes & joyeuses fetes to all our followers for the festive holiday season. You and yours deserve a special treat. These days finding a good wine value – especially in Canada – is usually an oxymoron. The government taxes are not helpful in seeking out wine bargains. Additional issues are adding to the problem with threatened Trump tariffs from the USA and the weakening Canadian dollar – now at $1.45 to purchase an American buck and heading towards $1.50. However the one helpful break is the GST/HST tax relief (of at least 5%) including on wine purchases from December 14, 2024 to February 15, 2025. Accordingly now is the time to take advantage of buying that special value bottle to gift or reward yourself for enjoyment on a future special occasion.

Your scribe has a key recommendation at QPR (Quality-Price Ratio) for you to seek out the 2019 BARBARESCO RISERVA PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO. Yours truly was there during this harvest with insights as advised here on October 21, 2019 and at a recent 2009 vertical on June 17, 2024 reported here. All nine vineyard crus are recommended as most worthy well balanced classy quality Nebbiolo in this wonderful vintage. Though always a big fan of high altitude complete RABAJA (and the south facing warmer bigger MONTESTEFANO site from older vintages) my top pick in 2019 is their classic outstanding vineyard ASILI. Already given a perfect score of 100 by Kerin O’Keefe “an absolute stunner” and 98 by Ian D’agata “this is a beauty” Asili comes with high accolades. The best news is that it is available at the British Columbia Liquor Stores at the excellent price of $77.99 Canadian (would be $113+ at current US exchange rates) while more costly than that everywhere else. Super that these wines are approachable with pure vibrancy early on but can easily be aged for 25+ years developing more complexity with your own patient storage. Not cheap wine but not expensive for the very high quality delivered. Wines with such high respected near perfect scores from any wine region are very expensive. Believe me it is a true bargain to get a wine treasure at this price awarded around 100 points by Piedmont experts. Take advantage of this rare opportunity now.

Merry Christmas and the start of Hanukkah on December 25, and a very Happy New Year 2025!

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Ask Sid: What do think of the U.S. Surgeon General advising on the risks of alcohol consumption?

CHÂTEAU GRUAUD LAROSE SAINT JULIEN CAN PRODUCE OUTSTANDING SECOND GROWTH WINE

Top 10 Ask Sid posts of 2024!

Top 10 Posts of 2024!

RECOMMENDATION: AN OUTSTANDING VALUE WINE PURCHASE OPPORTUNITY

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