Shira-Zam!
I’ve been accused
from time to time of being a wine contrarian, pointedly zigging when common
trends were zagging. It can be a lonely life, living alone on a stubborn island
of my own construct, like when I was the only member of the “Hooray for
Chardonnay” club in 1998, or when I coined the phrase “You Had Me At Merlot” in
2007 but nobody cared. These days I’m at it again – either ahead of my time or
hopelessly behind it – when I say:
I am wholly,
unreasonably, diving with clothes on, into Australian Shiraz right now. I just
smiled uncontrollably when I typed that.
I can already hear
people say “ugh, they’re so fat and jammy”. Yeah, some are, I’m not in to those
ones. “There’s no nuance or complexity”, I hear. Well, stop drinking that
non-nuance-y un-complex crap and looky here: There are oodles of balanced,
gorgeous, positively civilized Shirazes from Australia, wines that stun and
beam and glow – and the best ones combine an almost extra-terrestrial
concentration of pure fruit with an elegant, precise finish. Maybe I like good
Shiraz because it’s so honestly built to make us happy, no tricks, just beauty
and power. Behold:
Powell and Son 2015, Barossa and Eden Valley
To hear Dave Powell
explain how he was kicked out of Torbreck, the winery he founded, is to
experience a masterclass in Australian profanity, after our meeting I had to
check our building’s foundations for fissures. At Torbreck, Dave made
Australia’s first 100pt Parker wine, but since he owned no land, he built
handshake relationships with all of Barossa’s Old Vine growers to build his
reputation. I’m not sure what Torbreck makes wine from now, because all of
those growers (and their fruit) followed Dave to his new winery he founded with
his son Callum (who works half the year in Hermitage with J.L. Chave). This
blend of ripe Barossa fruit contained by the fresh brightness of Eden valley is
stunning, deep spicy dark fruits with Earl Grey and crushed rocks and herbs – a
hauntingly pretty nose – followed by a rolling body and a finish that is both
intense and almost weightless (the younger Powell’s Rhone influences show
here). We’ll be pouring this on Saturday in the River District Vintage Room at
3pm, you do in fact need to try this. 95 points Robert Parker, $78.49 +tax
Penfolds R.W.T. Vertical, Barossa Valley
“What if we made
Grange with French oak instead of American oak”, was the question. “Let’s test
it out” said John Duval, the Chief Winemaker at Penfolds in 1995. Thus was born
“Red Wine Trial”, which Penfolds decided was far too romantic and shortened to
RWT when the first vintage was released in 2000. RWT is like Christian Slater
in Heathers, not easy to make friends with initially but things get real
interesting if you actually do. Bordeaux is clearly the guiding light here,
structure currently holds sway over fruit (and may always), but the muscle and
timeless frame are bulletproof and the spicy vanilla, cherry notes over earthen
game almost trick you into thinking this is going to be subtle. It ain’t. Of
all 3 vintages the 2011 is the most Bordelais, elegant and drinkable, the 2013
carries the most bullets. The new vintage comes in at $250 but we are going to
sell the back vintages at the old price of $149.99 +tax
RWT 2011 – 93 Wine
Spectator, $149.99 +tax
RWT 2012 – 93 Wine
Spectator, $149.99 +tax
RWT 2013 – 95+
Robert Parker, $149.99 +tax
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Everything Wine
Tasting Lab – The Two Kings of Spain, Thursday February 15 6:30pm
Brix Studio - #102 -
211 Columbia Street, Vancouver – Hosted by me!
Tickets: $57.25
+fees and tax
Our new series of
off-site, downtown classes takes on the twin regions of Rioja and Ribera del
Duero, the origins of Spanish wine, the Traditional vs. Modern debate, and the
very nature of Tempranillo. Since it’s off-site we can pour more wines, and
there’ll be yums on hand, so follow the link below (it’s through Eventbrite, we
don’t sell the tix through this store) to get a head-start on this year’s Wine
Fest theme!!
