Wines from Italy are often found on our dinner table, so this offering is one of the most anticipated of the year. I will comment on some of our previous purchases and taste experiences, and muse on possible purchases.
The Wine People were a new supplier to Opimian last year and we tried a couple of their selections that looked interesting – we were not disappointed. Two of those selections are back this year, #9558 Denatile Grillo Chardonnay 2017 and #9562 Colpasso Primitivo 2017 – both deserving of recommendations.
In my last blog entry I wrote about an appassimento wine from Puglia, and in a twist of coincidence, there is a similar one in this offering: #9563 Carlomagno Primitivo Appassimento 2016. I imagine it is well worth considering if you favour this style. The final two selections from this supplier feature two of my favourite grapes from Italy: Montepulciano and Pecorino. Both #9564 Pemo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2016 and #9565 Pemo Pecorino 2017 will be on my short list.
We visited Werner Walch’s establishment in Alto Adige back in 2010 and were treated to a education on wine making in the region. Besides offering their own selections, Avenue identifies some wonderful small suppliers to bring to the attention of Opimian and consolidates their orders.
Avenue have been with Opimian for a long time, and over the years I have tried and enjoyed many of their wines, including examples whose more recent vintages are offered in C256: #9567 Pinot Grigio 2017, #9568 Prendo, Pinot Noir 2016, and #9587 Seraphicum Rosso Toscano 2016. Last year we had the Grecanico version of #9598 Roceno Grillo 2017. Two of the best wines I purchased last year, from all offerings, were #9591 Vigna Benefizio Morellino di Scansano 2016, and a Riserva made by Reggiano similar to #9592 Sicomoro Morellino di Scansano Riserva 2015. I am now a big fan of this DOCG. I believe the Riserva was the Founder’s Choice selection for the offering, and given the price this year, seems like it was very good value last year!
I don’t believe I have purchased an Alimenta selection previously. Given my discovery last year of the Morellino di Scansano DOCG wines, I will be giving #9603 Spiaggiolo Morellino di Scansano 2016 and #9604 Poggio Maestrino Riserva Morellino di Scansano close consideration.
This is Opimian’s first “guest” region – a concept introduced to provide members with access to regions that are difficult or impossible to find in Canada, but which might not sustain a consistent level of purchasing if they were included every year. It will be interesting to see how well it is accepted.
Certainly the wine styles and grapes represent the region quite well. I find Vermentino to be a useful and tasty white wine for food pairings, so both #9605 L’Alzetana Blanc 2017 and #9608 Cuvée des Gouverneurs Blanc 2016 caught my eye (especially the price of #9608). The native grape Sciaccarello in #9606 L’Alzetano Rosé 2017 also caught my eye, as I like to try out different varietals. And what Mediterranean island would be complete without a sweet white wine like the #9610 Cuvee des Gouverneurs Muscat!
We buy #9612 Folies Parisiennes nearly every year as an everyday drinking wine. We have purchased #9614 Saint-Bris Sauvignon 2016 several times and it has also be a delicious version of the grape. Of course Lamblin’s main contribution to Opimian over the years has been the fantastic selection of Chablis wines from AOC to Grand Cru. Lamblin has been with Opimian longer than me, so I’ve pretty much tried everything they produce.
If I was to pick our a moderately priced (for Chablis) wine, it would be #9617 Vieille Vignes Chablis 2016. The mixed case #9620 containing two bottles each of Chablis, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru seems to be of particularly good value. Lamblin’s fruit liqueurs as found in the #9621 mixed case – Cassis, Framboise, Pêche de Vigne – are, frankly, to die for!
The Opimian Society is “Canada’s wine club” and offers some 500 wines to 15,000 members across the country each year. All wines are selected by Master of Wine, Jane Masters, and sourced from suppliers from all the major wine regions of the world. Wines are ordered and delivered to members via the liquor boards or equivalent in each provincial and territorial jurisdiction (except Nunavut). Disclosure: I am a former member of the board of directors of the Opimian Society and former area representative.
We enjoyed our last virtual tasting so much we had to do it again – a great excuse to pull out some wines a little more special than normal, particularly the sweets, which are rare without (real) company. And then we combine this with a chat about the wines (and other things) with our wine […]
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We had been interested in setting a date for a dinner and tasting with our two close-by friends, but it was derailed by the recent omicron surge! Instead, we arranged to dine separately, but using the same wine selection, and then connect on Zoom over the dessert wine and discuss the wines, and the match […]
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Opimian has expanded its offerings in some of the lesser known and/or underappreciated regions of Italy such as Sicily and Puglia. We are seeing more options from these two regions from new suppliers and that is fantastic.
For my Bird’s Eye View this offering, I went with one new wine from last year and one Dear Old Friend that has made a return this year after a short absence.
#9598 Roceno Grillo 2017 was first offered last year and was included in the Discovery case in 2017. Last year’s vintage was crisp and acidic, easy to drink and paired spectacularly with Salmon Tartare
My old friend #9589 Il Veltro, Brunello di Montalcino,DOCG, 2013 is a great example of what happens when an amazing varietal is grown in ideal conditions and then the wine is made by a talented winemaker. 2013 is a 4* vintage for Brunello. For comparison purposes I recently tasted the 2005 (also a 4* vintage) and was blown away by how wonderful this tasted after 13 years. Still lots of body, nice balance and soft suppler tannins. If you have any of these wines in your cellar, you should drink them up as I think they have reached their peak and will not benefit from further cellaring. Paired with Chicken Supreme with Chasseur Sauce, it was a perfect match for the richness and earthiness of the mushroom infused dish.