What does everyone plan on picking up this time around?

Right now, I plan on only picking up some 2001 Bodegas Castano Hecula. I still have a couple of the 2000; great value @ $14.00Cdn.

I expect to pass on this release altogether. There are a couple of items of modest interest to me, however, and they are:

2001 Weingut Karl Lingenfelder Grosskarlbacher Osterberg Riesling Spatlese
It's names like these that result in the German section of my cellar being so small!

2000 Chateau St. Georges, St. Emilion
I can't get enough QPR B2K!

I am also thinking about Hecula plus one or two others, however I do have some hesitations here. Last year there was a big issue whether Hecula released in Ontario is the same one Parker likes. Something about "bastardized" version. Not sure if this is a real thing this time.

Thanks, Dmytro. I had forgotten all about last year's controversy surrounding the Hecula. For those who are interested, the details can be found here.

I'm going to grab a bottle or two of the 1997 Masi Serego Alighieri Vaio Armaron Amarone and a few bottles of 2000 Chateau Roquetaillade La Grange. I figure for the price, that's a pretty sound Bordeaux to buy.

ROQUETAILLADE LA GRANGE is another wine I am considering. While WS score is impressive, it is already a second time this wine is released in Vintages and the first time around there were different reviews. For example, Michael Vaughan:"Dark purple colour. Grapefruit peel, pine cone and anise on the nose. Medium-medium light bodied, slightly chalky, ripe plum, hints of chocolate, melon and grapefruit notes. Seems to be nearing peak. Above Average". Anyone has tried it?

[This message was edited by Dmytro on Feb 05, 2004 at 04:08 PM.]

Slan,

Do you subscribe to vintage assessments.com? And if so, do you find it usefull? Didnt know it existed.

nothing for me

Al,

I do subscribe (it's a gift, actually) and I find it quite useful.


Dmytro,

Given that it is a subscription site, I would suggest that it's probably best not to post Michael Vaughan's notes on a public site such as this. I have occasionally made reference to his ratings (e.g., Michael Vaughan gave it 3 stars, etc.), but I try not to post detailed notes unless the information is otherwise publicly available.

Slan,
Sorry, my mistake. However, Michael Vaughan gives free access to his newsletter about a week or two after the release, almost without exceptions. The tasting note I have posted is from the old newsletter (August 2002)and not the current one.

I'm thinking of:

Allegrini 1999 La Grola

as well as three wines from the ISD program:

Giuseppe Cortese 1998 Barbaresco Rabaja
Provolo 1998 Amarone della Valpolicella
Chateau Rousselle 2000 Prestige Cotes de Bourg

drthvader - Did you get your order for Sassicaia accepted at the Classics tasting?

oakville_al - Dmytro is right, Michael Vaughan does provide free access to his reports as soon as the release dates for the month have passed. So you can follow his reviews at the end of each month and decide for yourself if you agree with his opinions.

I think it's a great way for you to assess how useful it would be to subscribe to his service. Personally, I've found that my taste buds don't line up well with his, but I do appreciate him allowing me to find this out for myself without having to commit first to a subscription.

I'm thinking of getting

1 btle of 98 Campolongo di Torbe Amarone
2 btles of 97 Vaio Amarone
2 btles of 01 Grove Mill Chard (already picked these up today)
1 btle of 01 Argyle Pinot Noir
2 Btles of 99 Faithful Hound from Mulderbosch
2 Btles of 01 Barbera d'Alba by Paolo Conterno
2 Btles of 01 Centine by Banfi(already picked these up today)
2 btles of 02 Rubizzo by Rocca delle Macie
3 btles of 99 La Grola by Allegrini
3 btles of 01 Hecula
1 btle of 00 Rosso di Montalcino by La Gerla(already picked this up today)
1 btle of 97 Vino Santo by Lungarotti (already picked this up today. Tried it from the tasting bar, didn't impress me, but for the price will the wife judge it)

As you can see, I'm buying not much of anything but lots of variety. (basically nothing in the release really stands out.)

I forgot to mentionned that I'm passing on the Roquetaillade since I still have 2 bottles left (and wasn't impressed enough).

As for the Reynella Cab, the product consultant that usually talk to, said he wasn't impressed. Overly acidic/acidified.

I am thinking of returning my bottles of 99 Lynch Bages. I wasn't impressed with it at all at the offline. Probably exchange the 3 for one bottle of 96 Ducru Beaucaillou. (they have a 3 litre of 96 ducru in ottawa for $1100).

I tried to buy some 2000 Chateau Roquetaillade La Grange and Coriole Mary Kathleen last night a three different stores I knew put out the Saturday stuff on Friday night. It was already sold out (at 7pm) at all three, and had been gone for a while. I guess 90 Ws points + 2000 Bordeaux + CAD$19 price equals a mad rush for that one, but I was suprised that the Mary Kathleen was also going fast, though it did score 92 points.

Just as well, as my Classics order will more than break the bank even if I don't get everything I order.

snow sucks, cold is worse.......

People were loading up on the La Grange and Hecula today at Summerhill.

I walked out with a couple bottles of the '97 Masi Serego Alighieri Vaio Armaron.

Bman you should have went to bank and walkley store. They lots of La Grange this morning. People were scooping it up, but there were still some left over.
The Hecula was going but no flying off like I thought it would.
I got everything I mentionned above.
The Masi wines were not getting any takers besides me.

I thought the 2000 Roquetaillade was a very good wine last time I tasted it. Maybe not the 90 WS gave it but a CDN$19 Bordeaux. I still have one and might have bought more except that space is at a premium in my cellar and there is something about a $19 wine taking up space that bothers me

The 99 La Grola is an excellent wine, as usual.

I find the Reynella cabs to be inferior to their Shiraz. My $0.02.

I picked up
- Chateau Roquetaillade La Grange by Graves
- Chauteauneuf du Pape 2000 by Duclaux
- Barbera d'Alba by Paolo Conterno
- Brunello by Col d'Orcia
- Hecula 2001 by Bodegas Castano

Not sure if was due to the quality of the release or post-Christmas debts, but the LCBO outlet I was at was pretty empty in contrast to other release dates. The most popular wines seemed to the Roquetaillade and the Hecula.

Nada for me from both February releases, though if I see the Mary Kathleen in my travels I'll likely pick it up.

I've kept my powder dry for the Aussies in the Winter Classics catalogue. All the household pets have sizaeble orders in this time around!

At the end of the day I have decided to stick to couple of bottles of Hecula and La Segreta.

I left empty-handed.

3 Heculas to keep my vertical intact and 3 Mary Kates. The Lagrange was the first to be depleted at the Markham outlet.

3 each of the Masi's
3 Ch. St. Georges 2000
3 La Grange 2000
3 Rocche dell'Annunziata Barolo Riserva 1997
3 Col d'Orcia BdM 1998
12 La Grola 1999

6 X 01 Hecula
1 X 00 La Grange
1 X 99 La Grola

Thats it for me.