Deckbusters
As the mercury edges
upwards our meals edge outwards, and before we know it we’re cooking and eating
everything out on the deck. Dude, it’s crazy out there. Never mind the squeals
of the kids from adjacent yards or the yips of jealous dogs, the average patio
is a chowder of sniffs and smells. Lawn cuttings, sunscreen, chlorine from the
pool, even your own BBQ is smoking more than a stop/slow-sign holder on a
roadwork site.
You need great wines
to go with dinner, but subtly nuanced study pieces need not apply. Only bold,
intensely focused red wines can cut through the nose-quiche of scents on your
deck, and it just so happens that I have a few in mind...
Scala Dei Cartoixa
2015, Priorat, Spain
The Baseball Bat
from Priorat. The Burning Flame from Eastern Spain. The Blast-a-Zone-a near
Barcelona. No matter what it rhymes with, Priorat is HUGE, and this
deck-capsizing blend of Garnacha, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on
stark sunburnt slopes is no exception. Named after and grown next to the
Escaladei monastery from the 12th century (Escaladei = Ladder To God), this
juice from the historic Cartoixa vineyard is dark as night but tastes like
evening sun. Violets and licorice precede the fruitsplosion of dark berries and
plums, a buttery, lush mouthfeel and a long spicy finish that qualifies as an
aftershock. Enough concentration to cellar this for a decade, but we won’t. 97
points Decanter, 3 6-packs available, $59.99 +tax
Zuccardi Concreto
Malbec 2017, Uco Valley, Argentina
Jumping in with both
feet to the growing Mendoza movement of capturing high-altitude Malbec with the
lens of Italy rather than California, the Zuccardi family aims for elegance
(and nails it - see the points) with Concreto, using whole-cluster fermentation
and concrete aging (hence the name). Stony red fruits are the star of this
electric race car, with dried herbs and flowers underwriting the track, and
blackberries and cassis waiting at the finish line. Zippier than most zippers.
We may have found the Song of the Summer. 96 points James Suckling, 94 points
Robert Parker, #10, Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2018, 6 6-packs available,
$46.98 +tax
Orofino Petit Verdot
2014, Similkameen Valley, B.C
Previously mentioned
on these pages, but I sold out and now I got more so this is a victory lap of
sorts. I am soooo not supposed to have this, seeing as the Weber family only
makes 3 barrels, but I got the new guy when I called in and he didn’t know I couldn’t
have it so I took everything they had. Simply one of my very favourite BC reds,
a beast of a wine with just enough fruit-weight to match the leathery tannins,
with blackberry, tar and lavender surrounding the mouth of the cave. A true
statement of how Similkameen stands apart from Okanagan, and totally worth that
new guy getting fired. 3 cases available, $45.98 +tax
Shaw + Smith Shiraz
2015, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Cousins Martin Shaw
and (Master of Wine) Michael Hill Smith specialize in two things: making
exquisite wines from cool(ish) Australian climes, and using the initials M.S..
This Shiraz from the high(ish)-altitude Balhannah vineyard in Adelaide Hills
shows their grasp of balance perfectly, the invariably intense fruit
concentration is commensurate to the elegant acid that defines the finish.
Drinking Shaw + Smith is having one’s cake whilst eating it: you get to enjoy
the generous blast radius of a fruit bomb without experiencing the impulse to
spread it on toast. Blackberries and cherries with mint and rocks, freaking
delicious. 97 points James Haliday, 96 points James Suckling, 3 6-packs
available, $56.98 +tax
Until next time,
Happy Drinking!