The pundits have declared the 2012 vintage "Good, not great" and they may be right. There were no perfect scores to be found from any of the famous Bordeaux reviewers and anything short of a perfect vintage was destined to be over-shadowed by the wake from the back-to-back juggernauts that were 2009 and 2010.
However, there are still some great wines to be found in 2012, especially from Graves and studious collectors will know that even the so-so wines of the new vintage will outshine the best of anything coming from the forthcoming 2013 vintage, so you better stock up on 2012's now, cuz you won't be buying anything next year!
Below are our recommendations, based on our own research, on what we consider the 'Best Bets' from the vintage taking into account price, metacritic scores and longevity potential.
Our picks for 2012:
- Château Beau-Séjour Bécot,
St-Émilion $99
- Château Belgrave, Haut-Médoc $50
- Château Clerc Milon, Pauillac $88
- Clos de l’Oratoire, St-Émilion $69
- Clos du Marquis, St-Julien $88
- Domaine de Chevalier,
Pessac-Léognan $90
- Château La Dominique, St-Émilion $68
- Château Fleur Cardinale, St-Émilion $69
- Château La Garde, Pessac-Léognan $38
- Château Gazin, Pomerol $118
- Château Haut-Bailly,
Pessac-Léognan $138
- Château d’Issan, Margaux $85
- Château Larcis Ducasse, St-Émilion $95
- Château Pape Clément,
Pessac-Léognan $160
- Château Rahoul, Graves $28
- Château Rauzan Ségla, Margaux $99
- Château Carbonnieux Blanc,
Pessac-Léognan $58
- Château Climens, Sauternes $58 (375 ml)
Please note: The prices above relate to the release price via the BCLDB. The 2012 Bordeaux release is on Saturday, October 3rd. Go to their website for more information:
http://www.bcliquorstores.com/promotion/bordeaux-vintage-2012-release
This month we cast our critical eye towards BC Pinot Noir... and like what we see.
SpierHead Winery 2013 Pinot Noir - $24
This release is their largest production at 600 cases and is a blend of their different East Kelowna vineyards, revealing a minimalist, fruit-forward approach with a pleasant balance of red fruit and earthy notes on the sweetly scented nose and the smooth, yet, mouth-watering palate. Dry herbs and spice add depth throughout. A hint of bitterness and sagebrush lingers on the moderate finish.
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Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars 2013 Pinot Noir - $25
Black cherry, forest floor, brambly berries and mineral aromas give way to a combination of bright red fruit, spicy plums and weighty oak and earth flavours. The finish is long with lingering bite from tannins and spices. Excellent.
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Eagle Bluff Estate 2013 Crooked Post Pinot Noir - $27
Fairview's popular Pinot Noir is made without bleeding a portion of the juice off the skins during the crush to intensify the colour and flavours - this wine needs no alternation to add intensity, it has heaps of natural red fruit and earth flavours to begin with.
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Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2013 Pinot Noir - $30
This is a big, bold wine with the concentration and 'heat' to match the winery's flagship Meritage label. Intense, red fruit, dialled-up to '11', opens this Pinot with layers of toasted oak, sweet flowers, cured meat, cedar plank and pepper aromas on the nose.
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Quails' Gate Estate Winery 2013 Pinot Noir - $30
Essentially, this is everything you want from a BC Pinot Noir: expressive red fruit supported by earthy characters and hints of herbs and oak. The nose is generous and ripe and worth quaffing while you enjoy this mouth-watering, slightly smoky-tannin Pinot with classic, Pacific Northwest pairings of BBQ salmon and game birds.
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Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2011 Oldfield Series Pinot Noir - $35
The 2011 vintage had its ups and downs with a cooler than average growing season, yet, the finished wine shows ripeness in its tasty, New World blend of both juicy and tangy red fruit and light, earthy-herbal notes. The flavour profile is further enhance with a savoury blend of spices like anise, spearmint and cloves and is neatly wrapped in a blanket of mouth-watering acid and ever-so-slightly greenish tannins.
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JoieFarm 2012 "En Famille" Reserve Pinot Noir - $40
Produced from a blend of Pinot Noir fruit sourced from vineyards in Summerland and the Skaha and Naramata benches. This reserve wine spends 8 months in Burgundian oak prior to bottling and then a further 18 months in bottle prior to release preserving the wine's fresh, vibrant red fruit characters while allowing the earthy notes and tannins to integrate beautifully.
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- Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca
