Question: I like the easy drinking fruit of Argentine Malbecs. Would you please recommend a Malbec from there at an affordable price but worthy of more serious study by me?

Answer: Yes, there are lots of good Malbecs from Argentina out there in the marketplace. Some now are quite expensive but your scribe likes what is happening for fair value with the Catena Appellation Wines. Similar to the Bourgogne classifications they are using the Village name on the label for grapes used from those sites that go into the Appellation wine bottles. Good defining feature to try and develop a distinguishing terroir. There are four Malbecs worth investigating:

LUNLUNTA: Popular more mocha styled – a bit softer
LA CONSULTA: High 3600 feet elevation is more vibrant less oak
VISTA FLORES: Longer 12 months French oak (35% new) Structured
PARAJE ALTAMIRA: Lower pH and better lifting balanced acidity. Suggest buying these and comparing the village appellations. Both fun and educational.

Also checkout their Cabernet Sauvignon from Agrelo, Cabernet Franc from San Carlos, and Chardonnay Tupungato. A fav of mine is the unique White Clay from high altitude Lujan de Cuyo of Semillon (60%) blended with Chenin Blanc (40%) instead of the usual Sauvignon Blanc Bordeaux mix.

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Bordeaux wines are now world renown and those who received recognition in the five levels of the 1855 Classification are expensive.

It wasn’t always the case back in the seventies.

Your scribe has been a long time enthusiastic student of Bordeaux wines for over 50 years starting with a first extended visit in 1970. Humbled to be the only Canadian to be among “les Membres D’Honneur” of Academie Du Vin De Bordeaux. A particular fan of Pauillac (and St. Julien) it was fun to collect properties early on that were less expensive. That classification is led by 3 Pauillac First Growths of Lafite, Latour, and Mouton followed by two top Seconds of Pichon Longueville Baron & Pichon Comtesse Lalande. However, there were 18 Fifth Growths (out a total of 61 now Classified) of which 12 were Pauillac. This value list was led by highly admired Lynch Bages, classic Grand Puy Lacoste, and more recently improved Pontet Canet. The other 9 included often underperforming Batailley, Haut Batailley, Grand Puy Ducasse, Lynch-Moussas, d’Armailhac, Haut Bages Liberal, Pedesclaux, Clerc Milon, and Croizet-Bages. In some vintages those 9 overperformed like Batailley did in 1964, 1961, and 1953. Today they are all much improved and more consistent. Collecting vintages of these lesser Pauillacs provided a great opportunity for me to study them over the years and obtain some education on both the style & terroir of the properties and the quality of the vintages.

There is always going to be bottle variation with old wines but it can be miraculous when you catch it on a high complex plateau. The gravel soils with clay of Pauillac usually develop wines with aging that generally show more powerful full Cabernet Sauvignon dominant of cassis cedar cigar box tobacco plus sometimes graphite mocha notes. This last week we pulled out our last bottles of Chateau Batailley from 6 vintages 1975-1982 matched with six at home dinners. A few surprises among these wines that generally were better if opened a decade or two earlier:

1975 BATAILLEY: Showed better than expected paired with a delicious recipe for chicken by Chef Eric Ripert. The slow developing tannic cab sauv year finally had softened enough leaving still some sweet chocolate fruit left to enjoy it. Surprise of this vertical!

1976 BATAILLEY: Earlier bottles showed more appeal and charm from this hot dry year. Earthy spiced fruit drying out. Over the hill but matched just OK with a garlic chicken breast course.

1978 BATAILLEY: Called a miracle vintage by Harry Waugh for the long warm sunny weather from the last half of August to the start of harvesting in early October. Quite mature aged look but some solid herbal greener fruit left paired well with pork loin curry mustard. Very ready. Pichon Lalande holding better.

1979 BATAILLEY: Big crops with higher acidity retained younger looking bright red colour. Less charm than 1978 but fresher on the palate paired with pasta marinara suiting to the tomatoes.

1981 BATAILLEY: A lighter year but another surprise of a lovely rather complex perfumed bouquet that stands up well to the chicken pasta course.

1982 BATAILLEY: Outstanding vintage helps this one. Like all the six wines shows as a 12 abv but way more ripe fruit and balance here. Finishing out the best plateau but just starting to dry out. Matched appropriately with a lamb shank & polenta. Enjoyed some better bottles younger but pretty good terroir showing. Not close in depth and complexity to the still sensational 1982 Grand Puy Lacoste.

Interesting mini-vertical of vintages from when this now excellent property since 1982 was not at its highest fruit concentration level then but underrated for the modest price they cost. Long aged less weighty Bordeaux may continue to surprise you.

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Question: Sid – Which wine do you suggest I match with my choice wild oysters from Malpeque Bay Prince Edward Island?

Answer: Lucky you with some of the best fresh oysters in the world! Andre Simon in Partners wisely recommends CHABLIS – and quite specifically Mont de Milieu – with oysters. That Premier Cru or better still Montee de Tonnerre or Vaulorent (or an aged Grand Cru preferrably Les Clos) will match very well. Due to global warming the key is to find a Chablis that is not too ripe or soft but with higher acidity, vibrancy, and saline minerality that pairs well with briny oysters. Even lemony citric Petit Chablis or Chablis AC could work well. However, there are now so many other less expensive wine possibilities from around the world with those needed dry crisp characteristics. Muscadet (western Loire Valley), dry Riesling (steely German Grosses Gewachs “Great Growth” or improved Canadian ones), and Sparkling all immediately come to mind as excellent ideas. Good luck in your decision and please let us know what match you preferred.

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Saint-Aubin has been a white wine restaurant list preferred choice of your scribe for decades. They used to be very inexpensive and less popular consumer picks so provided some real value for aged white Burgundy. Today they are still less expensive than their neighbours but now more popular with the increased price getting up there. So well situated on the hills adjoining Chassagne and Puligny they didn’t always ripen to the same degree but are in a good zone presently with the help of global warming.

The Vancouver Group of Eight celebrated event # 123 at the Summer function with spouses on August 13, 2024 at Blue Water Cafe featuring 8 Premier Cru Saint-Aubin from 4 recent vintages. The overall impressions made were most favourable and confirmed my humble opinion that they remain underrated for the quality delivered. A few comments follow:

The aperitif was the dependable house POL ROGER 2012 SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL CHAMPAGNE all Grand Cru only 7 g/l dosage with a majority of pinot noir leaning to the style SWC preferred of “robustness, a full-bodied character and relative maturity. ” Certainly this vintage shows seductively ripe, dense, powerful, round, creamy rich, and forwardly. Perfect match for the diverse Dungeness Crab Trio.

THE EIGHT SAINT-AUBIN 1ER CRU:

1. 2020 CHARMOIS DOMAINE MARC MOREY Respected Chassagne producer with first of 4 Charmois (borders on Chassagne 1er Cru Le Chaumees) vintages to compare vertically. Very attractive chardonnay focus from an excellent year with wonderful elegance but has less length.

2. 2020 LES MURGERS DES DENTS DE CHIEN CHAVY-CHOUET Well exposed site with elevated airflow on the Puligny side. This defined “pile of stones’ of “dog’s teeth” is outstanding with classy citrus aromas and long balanced complex mineral flavours. Clear winner of the first flight.

3. 2020 CASTETS ARMAND HEITZ Purchased grapes (picked early on August 28) from the Western most site results in the lightest colour wine and rather lean bodied but shows refreshing top quality paired with the impressive halibut dish.

4. 2022 LE CHARMOIS DOMAINE BOUARD-BONNEFOY Small artisan long time grape grower family of this youngest vintage has sulphur issues at the moment overriding the closed in fruit.

5. 2018 LE CHARMOIS AU PIED DU MONT CHAUVE PICARD Famille Picard holds over 1/3 of the total Charmois vineyards (plus some red too). Very hot 2018 vintage style dominates with big ripe 14 abv softer richer textured fruit in full ready drinking style.

6. 2017 LE CHARMOIS AU PIED DU MONT CHAUVE PICARD Same wine as last one but entirely different. Fresh classic acidity balanced structure much more elegant in 2017.

7. 2017 CHAMPLOTS OLIVIER LEFLAIVE Steep SW facing vineyard at 300-350 metres often produces a leaner style but also this vintage with younger vines used here contributes. 20% new oak. Excellent with the delicious pasta seafood course.

8. 2017 CLOS DE LA CHATENIERE VV HUBERT LAMY Old vines planted in 1964 from a top vineyard on the Puligny side S/SW facing on a very steep hill and from a top quality producer. Less morning sun exposure but long late day rays leads to this opulent balanced outstanding wine. So terroir driven. Clearly wine of the second flight and has 3 years extra development on the 2020 vintage.

Finished up with two stellar wines of 1995 BARBARESCO MONTESTEFANO PRODUTTORI MAGNUM (lighter more accessible at 30 than the recent more tannic classic 1996 also in magnum) with well paired rabbit & foie gras and chanterelles plus 2001 GUIRAUD SAUTERNES outstanding year yet this property has sweetness but is quite evolved already.

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Question: What is the latest trend occurring in the wine business?

Answer: I am not a trends person. However there are always many changes happening in the wine business. We previously have highlighted some of them. A few major items include the emergence of the more popular new categories of no alcohol & low alcohol wines – both at retail and on restaurant wine lists. Similarly the increased demand for lighter white & rose wines over big more alcoholic reds. Also the continuing debate over the best wine container with support for the convenient use of smaller individual serving cans and the search for more sustainable marketable materials other than heavy glass bottles.

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