For the past several weeks, the Short Cellar has been celebrating bottles from the dimly lit corners of the wine world, places like Switzerland, Thailand or Romania. Such wines are fascinating specimens, blazoned with local colour and unique in pedigree. Unfortunately, take away the multicultural novelty value, and most of them are pretty bad as far as just being wine goes.
I thought it would be a sensible change of pace if I reviewed some decent bottles that actually taste good. Therefore, the Short Cellar is proud to present four great bottles from very boring places:
Michel Picard 2007 “Les Corbins” Meursault, Burgundy, France ($43.95, Vintages #183335)
Meursault is an elite subregion of Burgundy that specializes in creating an exquisite and distinctive style of Chardonnay. Rich fruit, a buttery texture and a deliciously rancid bouquet mark out the true Meursault. This offering from Michel Picard is just such a bottle, except that it is a good deal cheaper than one would expect. It’s savoury, nutty and meaty but never comes across as heavy because of its buoyant citrus zing. Aging it for three to five years will knit the flavours closer together, but even now it has excellent intensity and complexity. 91/100
Zolo 2007 Reserve Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($16.95, Vintages #081091)
This is a fine example of Argentine Malbec, with a purple colour and an inky, smokey profile. If you’ve ever wondered what people meant by “New World Wine,” taste this and you will understand. This is a fulsome, fruity and flavourful delight. 88/100
Château Fongaban 2006 Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux ($16.95, Vintages #192401)
The Côtes de Castillon is one of my favourite places to find good value Bordeaux, and the Château Fongaban does not disappoint. This bottle is 90 percent Merlot, and it captures Merlot’s classic character of sweet plum and strawberry. However, this fruity interior is encrusted with dark barrel flavours: charred toast, black tea and chocolate. This makes it complex and engaging. The tannins are still a little spiky, so it is a good candidate for short term aging (one to three years). 89/100
Charles Cimicky 2004 “The Autograph” Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia ($28.20, Vintages #027326)
Some wines are elegant, but some wines say “fuck elegance” while snorting blow and driving an unmufflered Harley over a cliff. The Autograph is such a wine. It is so dense that it’s almost coffee coloured. The nose reminded me of rum balls and hand cream, while the palate abounds with a plush, dark fruit. This marinade of raisins, plum and tangerine is both aggressive and seductive. To top it all off, the finish persists for minutes. It tastes great now but will continue to improve for ten years or more. 94/100
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He blogs weekly here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column also appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca. Follow along on Twitter: @shortcellar.
Photo by Chuck Coker