2000 Bordeaux Tasting

The Wine Tasting Circle of Vancouver

Vancouver in August can be a garden of riches; the surf rolling gently into Spanish Banks, the warm glow of fading sunlight bathing West Vancouver in the evening, and of course the new Wine Tasting Circle held in the private dining salon of Cibo restaurant/Uva winebar downtown.

Poetic license taken too far?

Perhaps – but these were certainly my thoughts as I sat at the bar of Uva with a friend and waited for the evening to begin. Beautiful people walked past on their way to the beach, or a perfectly situated patio to savor the setting sun and the delicious warmth of summer. We watched and began to lament the lack of well-constructed wine tastings; where oenophiles of every level could come and grow their wine knowledge… banter over a good glass of vino, a plate of tidbits to nosh on, and a cozy corner to do it in.

But that was why I started this Tasting-Circle in the first place! If you hunger for something, and you can’t seem to find it, don’t be afraid to create it yourself. And what a decidedly strong start to our new monthly regime:

2000 BORDEAUX

6 wines from 6 AOC

We started with a classic Haut-Medoc; Bernadotte. www.Chateau-Bernadotte.com The more I learnt about the winery in my research, the more impressed I became! Owned by Madame de Lencquesaing, the owner of prestigious Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, the property has had millions upon millions of Euros invested in it over the past 15 years.

Of particular interest to me was the intense scrutiny they placed upon their soil-analysis. Of course, we say that it makes sense! A grape grows because of it’s soil, but I also know that not all wineries take the time, the energy, the investment of money to create a fully developed analysis. And what was the result of their work? 35 HA of vineyard sub-divided into plots that are picked (by hand, naturally) by a brigade of 75 professionals.

2000 Bernadotte

91 points

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot

Maturation: 12-16 months in 30% new French oak

Production: 11,000 cases

• visual: solid garnet core with substantial brick/orange in the rim
• nose: medium+ youthful characteristics of sous-bois (forest-floor), bright red berries, musky wood tones
• palate: medium+ to full young red currant/red raspberry acid, medium+ grippy tannin, medium intensity and developing palate that matches the nose well. Very good balance, very good structure and medium+ length. Alcohol at 13% was particularly well integrated
• conclusion: If you have this, drink it now! We found the berry-notes, so energetic upon opening, faded to nothing in the matter of an hour. After two hours, the wine was lack-luster and suitable for cooking

Then we moved onto a small, old-school producer in St Estephe: Croix de Marbuzet. Tragically (for me), even my exhaustive research could dig up very little that was truly of interest other then the fact that this is a small producer, with limited sales outside of niche-boutiques in England and France.

2000 Croix de Marbuzet

91+/92 points

60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

• visual: light ruby core with substantial orange/brick rim
• nose: medium concentration of fresh red berries, some wood and gravel tones… this wine really needed some coaxing and was the one wine that merited a solid one-hour decant minimum. For aeration I would have run twice through the aerator into a decanter. After an hour to an hour 30, we discovered the wine was revealing layers of fresh and drying fruit, complex minerality, savory musky wood tones… truly delightful
• palate: much the same on the palate; 15 minutes after decanting the wine seemed innocuous/flaccid, but after 90 minutes was evolving into a graceful creature: restrained and yet intact medium red and black currant acid, medium chewy tannin, medium- alcohol (12.5% ABV), medium+ concentration of developing flavors that are perfectly inline with the bouquet. Very good balance, excellent structure, medium+ length
• conclusion: the sleeper of the bunch! All of us we much impressed with how elegantly it kept developing for hours. I would say that this has years left in it, but will not develop further. Enjoy 2013-2018

From St Estephe we moved East to Listrac-Medoc and the eminently respectable Fonreaud ( www.ChateauFonreaud.com ). As my regular readers as well aware, environmental sustainability in the wine industry is particularly dear to my heart. As such, it was encouraging to learn of the long history in the vineyard of the “Cousine Methode” which, to me, is just a form of ancestral farming/viticulture.

In fact, this vineyard is so old (by North American standards) that when the AOC system was created, it actually split the vineyard in two; dividing it betwixt two different AOCs. This particular portion is placed on a high gravel terrace with a thick clay and limestone sub-soil which is particularly beneficial in dry summers.

2000 Fonreaud

89 points

All lots picked, fermented and matured separately, then blended

12 months in new French oak (percentage unknown)

• visual:   solid ruby core, slightly brick rim
• nose:   medium+ to fully intense and developed bouquet of savory herbs, musk, spice tones, warm earth, a myriad of berry tones: red and black cherries, raspberries
• palate:   medium- to light raspberry acid, medium- silky tannin, medium- developed flavors that match the aromas but with less vigor, good balance, very good structure, medium- length
• conclusion:   once again, a great vintage to drink now should you have any left. The acid is fading, the tannins are mostly gone as is the concentration. Still a beauty, but a fading one. 

From Listrac-Medoc we moved to an under-represented AOC in the BC market: Premier Cotes du Bordeaux. One of the largest AOC, it runs from the beautiful river-port city of Bordeaux south for about 50 km to Cadillac (home of the famous oak forests). About 5 km wide at it widest span, the Cotes contains a plethora of soil types; from limestone to clay to gravel and everything in between. Geography is everything! And one of the most interesting things about this area is the diversity in grape varietals; from the expected Cab-Sauv and Merlot to the rambunctious Cab-Franc and Petit Verdot to one of the last areas still planting Carmenere in Bordeaux. Carmenere of course, finding great success in Chilean soil, is a delight and though I couldn't find any hard evidence to support my theory, I believe there was/is some in this next wine...

2000 Chateau Saint Yves
90 points

• visual:   very pale ruby core with highly oxidized brick rim
• nose:   medium+ developed aromas of warm musky wood, forest-floor in Summer, Winter spices
• palate:   medium+ raspberry acids, medium meaty/chewy tannin, medium+ concentration of developed flavors that match the nose exquisitely, excellent balance, great structure, medium- length
• conclusion:   this wine held it's own quite well after being open for two+ hours. For that reason, in collusion with my tasting notes, I would guess several years of life left - though no further development. Enjoy 2013-2016

And then we crossed the river... from Left Bank to Right Bank is sometimes viewed more as a shift in philosophy, a subtle (or not so subtle) re-alignment of ideology, rather then a geographical movement. From the Cab-Sauv dominated blends of the Left; filled with pencil shaving-graphite aromas and flavors of old leather, warm earth and crisp red berries we enter the world of the Right; full and nuanced red fruit compote bouquets mixed with subtle wild-herbs and tea-leaves.

And if one thinks of the best of the Right Bank? One must then think of iron-rich pockets of sandy-soil, bringing to these (fairly) Northerly wines a roast-beef tinge similar to the best of that wildly famous Southern cousin: Chateauneuf du Pape.

Here I found myself in luxury; a small producer from Pomerol who happens to have that blessed mixture of iron and sand top-soil ( http://www.jbaudy.fr/#/monregard/ ). The 1.3 HA vineyard has been a family project since its purchase in 1924, and is proud to state categorically that they hold 7,500 vines of Merlot. Not one more, not one less! This is a wine to the dilettantes who rant from their pulpits that the Merlot grape is incapable of producing true depth, true substance.

2000 Chateau Monregard la Croix

91+ points
consultants: Michel Rolland and Christian Veyrey
average vine age: 35 years
maturation:  18 months in 30% new French oak
production:   500 cases

• visual:   medium+ ruby core, light cherry/oxidized rim
• nose:   medium+ to full concentration of developing classic aromas of ferrous/iron/roast beef, warm cherry compote with a trail of scrub-brush on a warm day
• palate:   medium red cherry acid, medium+ chewy/grippy tannin, medium+ concentration of developing flavors that are very much in line with the nose; the bright red berry tones dance on the palate, followed by warm savory sous-bois tones.... continually evolving! A natural to pair with dark chocolate :) ...  Great balance, great structure, medium+ length
• conclusion:   Yes, you can hold onto this wine for several years - but why? This is drinking so sublimely, and kept doing so for well over an hour... Enjoy this wine at it's prime, can drink 2013-2017+

Almost done.

Our magical evening was coming to a close, but we still had one wine left. One more chance to taste the labor of a families work, from a spectacular vintage, over a decade ago. What were you doing in the Summer of 2000? I remember that year, that Summer, and smile. I was on top of the world and had no idea that it could ever be better.

Now I'm an older man - debatably more mature man. Now I have a family of my own, and I can see the fruit of my labor. I have a home that is filled with love, and family, and friends. Now, perhaps, I'm ready to taste the work of these other families and tell their story with sincerity and conviction... for I know how hard it is to leave my daughter in the morning; hear her tell her mother that she needs to "go to work with Daddy" with tears in her eyes. Whether its to the vineyard, the factory or the desk, we all of us know the power that lies in sacrificing a little of our personal wants to develop our lifelong needs and goals.

The Massonie family of Lalande de Pomerol know this as well as any, for they've been working this land since 1890 ( http://www.chateauperron.com/histoire-chateau-perron-perron-la-fleur-vignobles-mp-massonie.pdf ). Starting as negociants in northern France, the family developed a brand that has inspired a cult-following. At least 10% of all of their production is sold immediately to personal clients; mostly in the areas surrounding Reims, Bethune and  in Belgium.

2000 Chateau Perron
90+ points
80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignion, 10% Cabernet Franc
soil:   sand and gravel subsoil with iron pockets
average vine-age:   45 years
harvest:   100% a-mains (manual), 2 triages
maturation:   12 months, 30% new French oak
production: 12,000 cases

• visual:   deep ruby, almost garnet core with slight cherry rim
• nose:   medium+ Pomerol-like qualities; less musky then Pomerol, but tons of baked earth aromas, baked fruit compote
• palate:   medium+ cherry acid, medium- fine yet chewy tannin, medium concentration of developed flavors that are in-line with the nose; warm berry tones, old leather, good tobacco. Good balance, good structure, medium+ length
• conclusion:   a delicious example of region, a superb choice to open tonight as it seemed to be peaking that very evening. No need to rush, but will not develop further, enjoy 2013-2018

And like that - POOF - it was done! The room cleared of people, the servers came to set for the next day, and I was left with the empty relics of our thoroughly enjoyable evening. I was sad then, just for a moment, to see it end.

But then I remembered that Wednesday, 04th September, we'll be delighting in the 2005 vintage of Bordeaux and suddenly I felt on top of the world again! Please come and join us - tickets are available on www.LocalWineEvents.com 

As always, I look forward to your thoughts here, or on Twitter @ AStudentofWine

CINCIN~!!!    SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Veranda Beach Cellars, Washington State

http://www.verandabeach.com/

Jim Hammond, developer and principal behind the concept of Veranda Beach, Oroville, Washington, remembers growing up on the great plains of Saskatchewan. Specifically, he reminisces on those eternal Summer evenings where lazy melded with moonlight and decks became festooned with hammocks, sleeping bags and air-mattresses in an attempt to beat the heat. Childhood talks, carried by breezes, spoke of new bicycles, where the fishing would be good, and who was a better swimmer.

I remember those nights too.

Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, I had a great-uncle who had a farm in the (then) small community of Fort Saskatchewan. My parents would drive us out in the heat of the day and we kids would pick strawberries and Saskatoons for dessert, eating as much as we put in our buckets. Then we'ld slump on the wrap-around deck with gallons of lemonade whilst the fruits of our labor (literally) were turned into pies, tarts, or simply covered in cream in deep bowls to be devoured.

That was a good time to be a kid; riding my bike along the highway in the morning (I was only 6 or 7) on Brave Adventures... coming home only to eat, and then back out again to Forage in the Wilderness. We were scamps, we were feckless, we were a force without reckoning.

And now, many years later, I watch my two-year old growing up in land where she will perhaps never know such wild abandon, such freedom to discover. And I thought of this even more as I tasted the wines from Jim Hammond's development.

Styled as a throwback to the 50's and showcasing over a mile of private beach on what must be the warmest lake in Canada, Veranda Beach is a beacon to that lifestyle. Today though, let me tell you more about the wines then about the resort... For as much as the place itself deserves to be advocated, the wines are articulate and well-crafted, meriting a champion. (insert Kristof as said Champion)

I first came across the wines of Veranda Beach on a decidedly far too warm private coach ride from Lake Chelan, Washington to Penticton, British Columbia and the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference. It was June and the bus had failing air conditioning and yet on-board came our brave adventures from the resort with beach balls, bottles of chilled wine, and unfailing joie-du-vie. They laughed as they poured and we wine-writers responded with good manners and more then a cursory interest in the wine.

How could we not? Crisp, clean, great concentration and yet refreshingly easy to enjoy on their own - but I digress. For to tell the story of the wines of Veranda Beach, one first needs to tell the story of Katy Perry.

???

Yes, friends, Katy Perry. Just not that Katy Perry. The one I speak of is a tenured winemaking professional, with a pedigree that would do any cellar proud:

This uber-professional has not only a degree in viticulture from famed UC Davis, but also in eonology. This means the lady has smarts - real smarts. But there are many types of smart, right? Katy knows this as well, so she went to Australia and worked with the former winemaker from Penfold's before going to world-class Yalumba on a stint. But even Aus wasn't big enough to hold Katy and so she flew back to America to work with the pantheon known as Stag's Leap, and then a foray into boutique production in Carneros AVA.

But we all know that there's no place like home, and home beckoned to Katy one fateful day when she was asked to speak at an event in Lake Chelan, Washington. She fell in love with the area, and then that minxy mistress Fate dropped in and Katy was being asked to take on the role of winemaker at Woodville for Chateau St Michelle. This is a dream-job for many, and so on forged our brave Katy, working alongside Eric Olsen and Ernst Loosen to create the first iconic vintages of "Eroica".

Now Katy and her husband have their own vineyard and winery in Lake Chelan; Tildio Winery (  http://www.tildio.com/ ) and Katy is firmly in-place driving the wines of Veranda Beach to greater heights with the able assistance of vineyard manager Finis Hale.

We all know that winemakers agree; 80% of the work done with wine is done in the vineyard, so Finis has a lot on his plate if he's going to keep the vineyard matching the pace of Katy - right? One small (potential) hitch: the vineyard is in the development. Yup - that's right, your cottage at Veranda Beach may in fact be one of those that's surrounded by Sangiovese or Cabernet Franc. A nice way to wake up, if you ask me, but I could see challenges getting the picking equipment between the parked station-wagons (lol).

Actually, vehicles aren't allowed at the cottages, which means the kids can run as free as they want to - which brings me back to how I started this article: I started tasting these wines and remembering what it was like to be filled with the freedom that (seemingly) only children possess. I wanted to ensure that my daughter had that as she grows up.

Perhaps, just like smarts, there are many types of freedom. What is Freedom if it isn't a young Paleontology assistant becoming winemaker in her own winery and at the same time in another World-Class resort just down the road? What is Freedom if it isn't a boy from Saskatchewan growing up to build a resort where kids can run free and parents can relax on wrap-around decks whilst sipping sinfully seductive Riesling?

And speaking of Riesling, I almost forgot to review the wines@! Here you go my friends...


2012 Regatta Rose

90+ points

50 cases produced
Double-Gold; www.SeattleWineAwards.com

• visual:   clear; medium solid raspberry/cherry core with watery rim and silver highlights
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense and youthful aromas bursting with fresh red berries; strawberries, cherries, red raspberries and currants abound followed by a savory/muskiness and a clean, precise line of minerality
• palate:    clean; medium+ red raspberry acid, light+ body, medium+ alcohol (13.1% ABV), medium intense and youthful flavors perfectly inline with the bouquet; a stunningly bright/fresh mineral note washes through with a kaleidoscope of red berries, a light savory tinge completes.Very good to excellent balance, very good to excellent structure, medium- concentration.
• conclusion:   drink now, drink slightly chilled, drink often. This wine will not develop with time but will last in the cellar for a few years with ease; enjoy 2013-2016
• FOOD PAIRING:   so crisp, so clean, I really want to serve this to start a meal and open the palate~! Consider prosciutto wrapped spot prawns, mesquite grilled, with Okanagan peach-heirloom tomato-basil salsa... the salt of the prosciutto will love the berry tones in the wine, and the sweet/salty prawn will do the same... the basil enhances the natural herbaceous qualities and brings them forward to balance 

So you remember that perfectly pretty girl in school/work? The one that you soooo wanted to dislike; she was curvy, she was athletic, she wore clothes that made her look like a rock-star. You were so sure that she was a ditz, and how you would savor trumping her in brains! Ah.... then you found out that she was a straight A student as well, and... she was really nice. Crap.

You found yourself liking her, despite your best intentions. In fact, she may have become your best friend (or your wife - lol).

This next wine is alot like that for me; from the first whiff of the ripe, stonefruit-and-honey laden aromas I thought "Oh - another pretty girl who can't chew gum and walk at the same time." Oh how I was wrong! Layered with goodness and dimension, this is a wine that expresses not only varietal correctness, but is an excellent candidate to showcase what the South Okanagan is capable of for World-Class whites. This makes me hungry to try a late-harvest from the vineyard... and seems a natural for Spatlese or Auslese style. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tlese )

2012 Lakehouse (Riesling)

91 points

102 cases produced
whole-cluster pressed
100% stainless steel
Double-Gold; www.SeattleWineAwards.com

• visual:   clear; pale straw core with watery rim, silvery/golden highlights
• nose:   clean; medium+ intense and youthful bouquet; intoxicating (forgive the pun) layers of honeyed raisins, warm apricot compote, little white Summer flowers dripping with pollen... so sweet it smells like there must be Muscat in the glass
• palate:   clean; off-dry, medium- white grape acid, medium- body, medium- alcohol (12.4% ABV), medium+ intense and youthful flavors perfectly inline with the aromas; lusciously ripe stonefruit is cut by an almost Burgundian (read: Masterful) wet-slate minerality, floral notes are diverse like warm-climate Viognier and the finish is crisp, semi-sweet. Excellent balance, excellent structure, medium+ length
• conclusion:   I would love to watch this wine develop it's aged characteristics, but is sheer pleasure to drink now! Enjoy 2013-2020 and possibly beyond
• FOOD PAIRING:   I want to drink this whilst on a boat - a yacht... I want a loaf of fresh French bread, baguette, even a green-olive ficelle, with soft brie, smoked chicken (or turkey, or duck) thinly sliced, some pickled purple onions and a dab of Rainier-cherry relish.... don't be deceived~! This wine has dimension and depth to handle complicated dishes (Thai, Filipino and Vietnamese foods will adore this wine) but I will savor it's nuances with simple foods, as rich with flavor as it is.

And then we came to the end of the tasting... an innocuous bottle named "Collage". Immediately, crafts-classes from Grade 1 came springing to mind in a most unfashionable-manner. I thought that perhaps this was the end of my lucky-streak of finding rare wine-gems... little did I know~!

I love Washington-State Sangiovese. And when I say love, I mean love in the purest sense! This isn't an infatuation, this isn't puppy-love where I try a bottle and say "oh this is looovely" and then never write about it again. No my friend, Washington-State Sangiovese is worthy of time, of consideration, and most of all; worthy of your money. This is the second time in a month that I've tried it and been stunned. 

2010 "Collage"

70% Barbera, 20% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Franc

92 points

250 cases produced
Silver; www.SeattleWineAwards.com

• visual:   clear; full garnet core with slightest cherry rim, no bricking
• nose:   clean; fully intense youthful bouquet of buttery/creamy wood tones, ripe red fruit at the height of Summer, nuanced sous-bois (forest growth) and woody/musky sandalwood, slight eucalyptus/menthol finish
• palate:   clean; dry, full red raspberry/currant acid, medium+ fine tannin, medium- body, medium alcohol (13.8% ABV), medium+ youthful expressions that match the aromas brilliantly! Crisp/tight red berry/fruit tones cavort with a herbaceous undergrowth, whilst a musky backdrop reveals itself. This wine has layers upon layers. Very good balance, stunning structure and medium+ to long length.
• conclusion:   almost a tragedy to drink now - if you must, then decant a minimum 1 hour or double-aerate. Enjoy 2015-2020
• FOOD PAIRING:   this is a wine suited for a prince. Live like a prince for one meal! Chorizo and roasted walnut stuffed partridge breast, cranberry Manitoba wild rice, chevre-stuffed fresh figs torched with "Fireweed" honey, cranberry and fresh thyme essence... yes, perhaps a little overboard, but, don't you deserve it?? This wine needs a little fat to balance those overactive acids and the chorizo will provide just that - but the wild red berry tones will cosy to wild meats and partridge is gamey without being "too" gamey. Cranberry tones enhance the bright red berry tones already there and the fig is a dark fruit which balances. Chevre balances with fat, but a savory fat, and the wild thyme enhances the slight herbaceous tones. Delightful~!

And that, as they say, is that. There are plans to develop the property, and expand the vineyard. But plans are just that: plans. They sometimes go astray and oft lead us to places we never expected. I sincerely hope that your plans, well-laid or not, lead you to Oroville, Washington soon so you can tell me your thoughts on these brilliant wines. The proof is in the glass!

As always, I look forward to your comments, here or on Twitter @AstudentofWine

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Lifford Wine and Spirits Winery of the Week: Staete Landt, New Zealand

www.LiffordWine.com

www.StaeteLandt.co.nz

Ruud Maasdam is a great fellow; jovial, quick-to-smile, enthusiastic when he speaks and rarely cross, and so I naturally found myself liking him as he and I spoke at the 2013 Lifford Wine tasting at the Stanley Park Pavilion in Vancouver, BC.

I must say that I actually owe Ruud an apology: I recorded our conversation for podcast, but there was so much ambient sound that it made my recording unpublishable. Anyways! So Ruud is a great guy, and we were having a fantastic discussion on wine, but why oh why is this important to you?

Because Ruud makes World Class Wine. Period. You and I may instinctively think of New Zealand and make associations with Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, but what if I told you that one of the most exciting Chardonnay I had all year was from Staete Landt, from New Zealand?

New Zealand Chardonnay? My friends, if you haven't had the pleasure of trying some of the absolutely brilliant product that never leaves the country (because the Kiwis drink it all!) then you must, definitely must try some. And soon!

And so when my good friends at Lifford Wines sent me a quick email saying that they were choosing Staete Landt as their Winery of the Week, I simply had to re-post. This is a winery easily on par with the very best from that country, and most certainly worthy of your time and attention. But I will defer to my colleagues at Lifford to say what they've managed to coax out of the Maasdam family and into our over-taxed country.

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is an email from Lifford Wines intended for restaurants and Independent Wine/Liquor Stores, not the general public. The views here-in are Lifford Wines', not my own.

Staete Landt is a boutique family owned and operated vineyard and winery. They are focused on producing ultra premium wines that represent the unique terroir of the famed “Golden Mile” in New Zealand’s most important wine region, Marlborough. The Golden Mile is a special strip of land in the sub region of Rapaura; a unique micro-climate (close to the Wairau river) creates the region’s best wine growing conditions. It’s home to some of the oldest and most famous Marlborough vineyards. Staete Landt wines are estate grown and made with the firm belief that the best wines are wines with character, complexity and great balance. Other Cool Stuff: A wine family we love… a lot. Ruud Maasdam and his wife Dorien, Dutch by birth, moved their family to a New Zealand apple orchard in search of producing the country’s best wines. Incredible passion and dedication to quality: in depth soil analysis led them to identify 24 different blocks within their small vineyard. Each block is picked separately according to slight variations in maturation. The name, Staete Landt, references Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who discovered New Zealand in 1642 and proclaimed it “Staete Landt”, land for the Dutch state. Although that didn’t work out, the Maasdam family carries on the legacy of Tasman in the heart of Marlborough. Okay okay we know SAUVIGNON BLANC. Yep, theirs is elegant, nuanced and complex, WE KNOW. But have you tried the Chardonnays?! OR the Syrah?! OR the Riesling?! Sensational.  §   Map Maker Sauvignon Blanc 2011 *spec, SKU 889444 12 x 750 mL $17.99   "Annabel" Estate Grown Sauvignon Blanc 2011/2012 *spec, SKU 638403  12 x 750 mL $27.99   Estate Grown Riesling Auslese 2010 *spec, SKU 364117 6 x 750mL $34.99   "Josephine" Estate Grown Chardonnay 2010 *spec, SKU 402198 6 x 750 mL $34.99     Map Maker Pinot Noir 2010 *spec, SKU 519280 12 x 750 mL $29.99   "Paladin" Estate Grown Pinot Noir 2009 *stocked spec, SKU 401547 6 x 750 mL $39.99 "Arie" Estate Grown Syrah 2010 *spec, SKU 620807 6 x 750 mL $39.99   § Please contact your Sales Agent if you require more information. Plamen Velikov – plamenv@liffordwine.com Joe Dobbie – joed@liffordwine.com Nick Waggott – nickw@liffordwine.com Niki Randall – nikir@liffordwine.com If you would like to taste any of these wines between August 12th and August 23rd, email igala@liffordwine.com and he will be pleased to arrange an appointment.

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As I said my friends, this is a winery on the same level as many from the same region charging far more per bottle. Excellent wine but stunning value, and, you get to support a really fantastic fellow :) ... If you're looking at making room in your portfolio for: more New Zealand, a new Chardonnay, etc-  then this will be worth your time.

The proof is in the glass!

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments, either here or on Twitter @AStudentofWine

CINCIN~!!!      SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!