C311-QC

Seriously Old Dirt 2021 by Vilafonté

There is substance in the name, which references Vilafontes, one of the world’s oldest recorded soil types (650 million years and counting) and the natural occurring outcrop which gives its name to the estate itself. Whether this gives an intrinsic advantage over younger soil types is a question best left to geologists. It is a good name, though.

SOD is a regional blend from multiple growers, consisting predominately of Cabernet Sauvignon, a small slice of Malbec (8%), and a smattering of Merlot and Cabernet Franc (2%). There is a dedicated winemaker in Stellenbosch University graduate, Arlene Mains, who cut her teeth among the glitterati at both Opus One and Mouton Rothschild.

So what of the wine? The 2021 has spent 18 months in older French oak barriques and is the result of a cool harvest that largely avoided the perennial Cape summer heatwaves. It shows a corresponding freshness and vibrancy, redcurrant and cherries mingling with the fuller dark fruit that one might expect from the traditional Cape blend. Harvest time was roughly two-weeks later than average, which may account for the nuanced nose, which holds something back before, on the palate, the fruit lets loose in an avalanche of plums, cassis, and more cherry. The acidity is gentle and the tannins assertive enough without ever overpowering. This is a wine designed to be drunk and enjoyed to the last drop. 2024-2033–mp

EDITORIAL

All About Change

By Michael Lutzmann and Greg Rinehart, Opimian Managing Directors

Let's face it. The last few years have been hard on all of us. No matter where you live on the planet, you have been affected by the pandemic and the all-encompassing, permanent change it brought with it. Has wine and, by extension, Opimian helped? Surely!

But the change in the world order has affected winemakers more than wine drinkers. Especially in South Africa. The perfect storm of global issues has made winemaking in South Africa exponentially more difficult. On a recent virtual tasting with Groote Post owner, Nick Pentz, he joined via battery power because the power grid has been operating on rolling blackouts.

COUPS DE COEUR ......................................................................... P7

CANADIAN CORNER P8

SOUTH AFRICA P12

Bosman Family Vineyards P13

ORANGE WINES CORNER P17

SOUTH AFRICA P18

Groote Post Vineyards P18

TUSCANY P22

Cinciano P23

EVERYDAY WINES P24

Fattoria Sorbaiano P30

Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano P34

Giovanna Ciacci P38

COLLECTOR’S CORNER ........................................................... P42

CELLAR UP! P46

Climate change has upset the already delicate balance of temperature and rainfall. The 2020s have proven to be the largest challenge our partners Groote Post, Bosman and Vilafonté have ever faced.

These challenges have contributed to Richard Kershaw Wines and Aristea pausing their exports to Canada. We are doing all we can to ensure that both of our valued partners will be back.

Despite that, they continue to make stellar wines and continue to share them with us. By ordering and consuming these fabulous wines, you have contributed to a win-win.

While Tuscany was not immune to the tectonic shifts of the past few years, they continued a tradition of centuries. Tuscan wines are some of the originals and some of the most popular in the world. Everyone will enjoy the Chiantis that we all know and love. Make sure to add Super Tuscan knowledge and enjoyment to your wine lover's quiver. One of our Master of Wine, Igor Ryjenkov MW, explains them in detail in the Master Piece, and you can find a selection of them on page 32.

Our Masters of Wine have chosen some exceptional Tuscan examples for you. Our previous partners Cinciano, Scansano, and Sorbiano are back with both favourites and new wines for you to experience. Add to that, new wines from Giovanna Ciacci and L'Oca Ciuca, and you can choose the best Tuscan wines money can buy.

This Cellar goes to print too early to include pictures and stories from the Opimian Member trip to Tuscany in early October. Check out your blog, your Opimian social media channels and your email. It just may convince you to join us in 2024 for your own, exciting experience. You can also strike out on your own and visit our producers. They always welcome Opimian Members with open arms.

Cheers

Michael & Greg

YOUR MASTERS OF WINE FOR THIS CELLAR

Toronto-based Igor Ryjenkov MW was the first in Canada to earn the prestigious Master of Wine credential in 2003. His wine business expertise has been informed by 24 years in the Ontario trade, first in retail, then in key buying positions, and lastly, in projects, most notably, developing the new 5-dot wine style matrix. Igor is one of Opimian’s Masters of Wines.

Ordering Made Easy

1. SELECT YOUR WINES

Let yourself be inspired by Opimian’s Masters of Wine. Our custom chart features a list of symbols to help guide your selection. Still unsure which wines to order? Contact us!

2. PLACE YOUR ORDER

There are three ways to order. The last day to order for each Cellar Offering can be found listed on the cover. No orders will be processed after this time.

3. LET US HANDLE THE REST

The wines featured on this Cellar Offering are still at the producers’ wineries when you order them, so it is normal that the process takes a bit of time and effort on our side.

Release dates are dependent upon actual arrival dates, distance from port of entry to liquor board and processing time required by each liquor board.

Once the wine arrives at your local liquor store or distribution centre, you will receive a Pick-up Notice with the specified date (the Release Date) and your pick-up location.

MASTER PIECE

Tuscany: Of Roosters and Mavericks

By Igor Ryjenkov MW

…It was still an early morning when the two riders, traveling in opposite directions, spotted each other. They met near Fonterutoli, about 20 kilometers outside of Siena, and, as it had been agreed, this was where the boundary between the rivaling Florence and Siena would be set…

The ride was triggered on both ends by a day-break rooster’s call. While Siena’s white bird had been well fed and pampered, the Florentines’ black rooster had been on a “diet” and kept in a dark small coop. Super-alert on the day of the ride, it was all too eager to announce the morning’s arrival, ensuring a head-start for the horseman from Florence. By the time they met, the Florentine rider had travelled for

nearly three times as long as his counterpart from Siena. While this brought a peaceful resolution to a long standing dispute, it also ensured the territorial dominance of his city for centuries to come.

It is hard to trace the roots of this fable, attributed to the Middle Ages, but the recorded symbolic connection to Gallo Nero dates to the late 1200s, and the League of Chianti, a military alliance of three villages right in the heart of today’s Chianti Classico. Possibly, that story was already recounted then. Overtime, the local wines took the name of the area. The first recorded reference to Chianti as wine appears in 1398, a white wine at the time, although reds were also in the conversation.

In 1716 the Chianti wine producing area was formally delimited by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, making it one of the earliest designated continuously producing wine areas. It was not until 1924, when the Consorzio of Chianti Classico Wine was formed, that the Black Rooster became an official emblem for and later displayed on the bottles of the wines from the historic heart of the region.

Sangiovese is widely planted all over the Italian peninsula, but few would argue that Tuscany is where it reaches its peaks. Besides Chianti, the best of Brunello, made only with this grape, Vino Nobile and Morelino from the Coast are all excellent examples of regional expressions of Tuscan Sangiovese. While the grape does not travel well outside of the country, making the region virtually the exclusive source of top-shelf Sangiovese wines, we now know that a number of areas in Tuscany offer a welcome mat to a range of non-traditional grapes. However, it was a case to be proven, and it took some visionary people to prove it, the people behind the very first “Super Tuscans”.

COUPS DE COEUR

THIS CELLAR'S HIGHEST SCORING WINES BY OUR MASTERS OF WINE

EVERYDAY DRINKING

ROGGIANO, MORELLINO

DI SCANSANO

DOCG, VIGNAIOLI

MORELLINO

SCANSANO, 2022, LOT 4705, P36

VIN DEL FATTORE, GOVERNO ALL'USO

TOSCANO, SANGIOVESE

MAREMMA TOSCANA

DOC, VIGNAIOLI

MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2022, LOT 4707, P36

OPTENHORST SINGLE

VINEYARD

BUSHVINE

CHENIN

BLANC, W.O.

WELLINGTON, LOT 4668, 2022, P13

CELLARING POTENTIAL

CINCIANO

CHIANTI

CLASSICO

GRAN

SELEZIONE

CASE - 3

BOTTLES

EACH: 2017, 2019, LOT 4695, P29

Sassicaia, a personal project of Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta, was the first out of the gate. The wine was made at first for personal consumption since 1948 in the area that had no previous wine heritage and was not highly thought of since it was unsuitable for Sangiovese. The vineyards were actually planted to the French Cabernets, both Franc and Sauvignon. Its first commercial release was the 1968 vintage. Around that same time, from the Chianti area, Marchesi Antinori launched the inaugural 1971 vintage of Tignanello, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Neither wine fit the existing DOC regulations, and had to be offered for sale as Vino di Tavola, the lowest designation available. However, they commanded the prices well in excess of what the top DOC producers were able to expect, and became known as Super Tuscans – mavericks defying conventions and succeeding at it.

With the international attention these garnered over time – it was far from an overnight success – their ranks grew, at first slowly – Ornellaia and Solaia came along, and then faster and

faster. There is really no clear definition of Super Tuscans, and some may argue that it only should cover the original cadre. However, today the term is used to describe the slate of wines made with unusual grapes or blends, often with a more modern winemaking, or in unheralded parts of the region. It’s still widely used, even though the appellation system now has found a comfortable spot for the former breakaways in a recent Bolgheri DOC, with Sassicaia owning its one cru DOC designation, and in the IGT ranks for more recent experiments.

Thanks to the rooster and the mavericks, Tuscany is a home to some of the oldest as well as some of the newest reference wines in Italy. Chianti and the original Super Tuscans serve as bookends to a wide array of top Sangiovese as well as exceptional wines based on other grapes, including some interesting whites with Vernaccia and Vermentino grapes. These pages aim to offer you a representative cross-section of this spectrum, even specifically calling out the “Super Tuscan” efforts, so, without further ado – Buon divertimento, e Salute!

CANADIAN CORNER

FIND AN EVEN BIGGER CANADIAN SELECTION ONLINE! WWW.OPIMIAN.CA

4555

MELDVILLE BARREL SELECT CHARDONNAY, VQA LINCOLN LAKESHORE, 2021

Chardonnay

Fermented and rested on its lees for 17 months in third-fill French oak, keeping the oak influence well in check. Pale yellow robe with high intensity aromatics of custard, honey, yellow plum preserve, oatmeal and vanilla. The dry palate shows an adequate, low-tomedium acidity, a medium-plus extract and body with a medium texture and balanced alcohol. A little more subdued on palate than the nose, it has a medium length and fruit intensity with a spectrum of nutty, oatmeal, vanilla and custard elements with overtones of yellow fruit. A medium finish. 2024-2030– ir

4559 MELDVILLE CABERNET FRANC, VQA LINCOLN LAKESHORE, 2020

Cabernet Franc

From 22-year-old vines, this was vinified using gentle extraction techniques. It has a deep ruby robe and leads with a nice intensity of aromatics of tomato leaf, black soil, dark fruit, celery and a roasted beetroot overtone. Well proportioned, it lacks a little definition now – medium acidity, extract and body, dry, with medium finetextured tannins, a medium length and fruit intensity with black soil, leafy and minerally tones, and a medium finish. 2024-2028–ir

Shipping fees may apply.

Black soil, tomato leaf, minerally

Soy-chili grilled steak fajitas

1061 HARRIS BEACH RYE 51 CANADIAN WHISKY

Whisky

This rye-forward whisky is loaded with personality. The nose is packed with orange zest, vanilla, toasted coconut, mince pie and crème caramel aromas. The initial sip opens with layers of grilled orange, apricot, dates and caramel before it transitions into a long spicy finish. Refined and polished, Beach’s signature smooth mouthfeel makes it easy to enjoy Rye 51 straight; however, its versatile style makes it perfect for classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned.–lw

Whisky 45%

Orange zest, toasted coconut, mince pie

Grilled orange, apricot, date, caramel

Finish Allspice

JOIN THE HARRIS BEACH CASK CLUB! CHECK OUT LOT 3690 AT OPIMIAN.CA

3678

Ambient yeast, no new oak and extended lees contact make this quite unlike most Bordeaux blends you encountered, so it is best to approach it as advertised – a red blend. Stylistic choices aside, it is still clearly a quality wine. It has a deep opaque ruby appearance. The nose offers mediumintensity aromas with a balsamic element, notes of tomato leaf/tomatillo, sour black plum, chokeberry, wood spice/clove, a touch of game, bell pepper stew, and pickling spices appear with some air. On the dry palate it shows a medium-plus acidity and a medium-plus frame: extract, super-fine powdery tannins and body, a nice length and intensity, with replays and echoes of the aromas – dark fruit, balsamic notes, graphite, earth/beet juice, game and tomato, and a long finish. An introvert for sure, it has a poise, a breed and a persistence. 2024-2028 –ir

Balsamic, tomato leaf/tomatillo, sour black plum, chokeberry, clove, game, bell pepper stew and pickling spices

Dark fruit, balsamic notes, graphite, earth/beet juice, game and tomato

PEARL MORISSETTE NIAGARA VINEYARDS COUP DE CŒUR, VQA LINCOLN LAKESHORE, 2021

Chardonnay

The 2021 Pearl Morissette Coup de Cœur captures the essence of the Niagara region in a glass. It is a notably aromatic example of Chardonnay made from vines grown in the red clay soils of the 24-hectare Redfoot vineyard. The property, located in the Lincoln Lakeshore viticultural area, is heavily influenced by the moderating effect of Lake Ontario. Here the mild climate and the long growing season allow the grapes time to slowly ripen while they develop maximum flavour. Elegant from the first aromas through to the extended finish, this wine offers an expressive bouquet of honeydew melon, peach, apple and lemon scents that are reinforced on the palate. Elevage in 10% new oak demi-muid and 90% foudre, in addition to eight months spent on lees, adds depth and texture to the wine. Fresh acidity perfectly supports the fruit creating a seamless balance. This wine is immediately delightful but also has the capacity to evolve in cellar. The best part? Opimian Members now have exclusive access to this small-lot Canadian gem. It is not even available at the winery! 2024-2028–lw

4220

The 2019 Cloudsley Cellars’ Homestead Vineyard Pinot Noir is a single vineyard wine crafted from fruit grown in Niagara’s Twenty Mile Bench appellation. This is a Burgundian style Pinot with an evolving bouquet of cherry, leather, balsamic and cured meat. Upon the first sip the palate expresses notes of cherry, strawberry and raspberry framed with fine grained tannin. An excellent match for beef carpaccio. 2024-2025– lw

UP TO THE MINUTE

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON BY SHARING THE GIFT OF OPIMIAN!

We know that many of you are business managers and owners as well as Members of Service Clubs across the country. During the holiday season, why not share your enjoyment of Opimian with your colleagues and friends? For the first time ever, we are offering blocks of 10 - Annual, 1st Year Memberships for you to give away at 25% off. That's just $66.75 + tax each. In addition, for every block of 10 you purchase, you will receive a complimentary case of Seriously Old Dirt!

That brings your savings to over 60%.

To order, simply send an email to memberservice@opimian.ca with 'Holiday 10 Promo' in the subject line and let us know how many you would like. We'll look after the rest.

Offer ends December 15th, 2023 for fulfillment before Christmas.

GETTING TO KNOW THE STAFF

David Marcovitch Head of Marketing

David is a native Montrealer and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from McGill University. He has an extensive Marketing, Sales, and Operations background. He has been an Opimian member since 2017 and has a particular affection for grenachebased wines.

Drinking now: Gorgeous Grenache, Old Vine Small Batch Handmade No. 1, Riverland, Mclaren Vale from Thistledown Wine Company

REFER-AFRIEND

Talk about a win-win. Have a friend, family member, or co-worker join Opimian and you will each get a case of wine to celebrate. Not only is the wine worth far more than the cost of the Membership, but you'll also have more people to share in the joy of wine. Just direct them to Opimian. ca/jointheclub/, be sure they enter your Member Number when prompted and add the Promo Code Opimian24 when prompted for that too. We'll take take care of the rest.

MEMBER BENEFITS

We are always looking for ways to make your Opimian Membership more valuable than having exclusive access to world-class, magnificent wines. Here are just a few of the benefits of Membership.

Jagged Ridge Wine Racks

Save 10% on wine racks @ Amazon - use code Opimian10 tinyurl.com/JRRacks

Blue Grouse Cellars

5% off wine cabinets, cooling units, glassware & Accessories - use code Opim23 www.bluegrouseshop.com

Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) & Zoomer Magazine

Complimentary year of Membership - One year of Zoomer for $19.95 Go to shop.carp.ca/CCO22MWCQ

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

Opimian Wine Club members can enjoy 20% off the cost of a TIFF Membership. Take your love of film to the next level with free tickets to TIFF Cinematheque, Festival, and year-round Member pre-sales, discounts across TIFF Bell Lightbox, and so much more.

PROMO CODE: 23OPIMIAN

Le Maitre D Gourmet Food

Exclusive access & special pricing. Packages designed to compliment your Opimian wines. www.lemaitred.com

International Wine & Food Society

The IW&FS of Toronto arranges monthly events combining wine and food which include dinners and tastings; all designed to be innovative, educational, enjoyable and of high quality. Opimian members have special access to IWFS events

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa is one of the oldest “New World” sources of wine dating to the late 1600s and the Dutch East India Company supply station in today’s Cape Town area, pre-dating Champagne as we know it today and Medoc as the source of coveted reds. The modern era began post-apartheid with the newly found access to world markets, vine material and winemaking know-how. Of course, with the end of apartheid, changes have not happened overnight. There were – and still are – lots of wrongs to be righted, and the modern South African wine industry has been contributing its fair share to that reckoning. One of the world sustainability leaders, it has been among the first to expand up and down the supply chain aiming at establishing and promoting the fair-trade practices that directly and positively impact the people who work the land. And today’s key industry players do that while making a strong range of wines based on mostly French signature grapes, along with the native Pinotage with top examples competing for quality and value proposition with the best in the world.

BOSMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS

WELLINGTON

4668

OPTENHORST SINGLE VINEYARD BUSH VINE CHENIN BLANC, W.O. WELLINGTON, 2022

Chenin Blanc

Sourced from a bush vine vineyard planted in 1952. It was destined to be pulled out, but the Cellar Master decided to give it one last shot, the wine shone, and the rest is history. This Old Vine Project (OVP) vineyard is certified the third oldest vineyard in the country. A deep yellow hue. It opens with a medium intensity, expansive aromatics with waxy, oily, lemon/pear custard and yellow plum preserve notes. On the palate, it shows a medium acidity, is extra dry with a medium-plus extract, a soft texture, a medium-plus, balanced alcohol and a medium-plus body. It displays a lovely length and a good fruit intensity with a discrete richness and a coating presence, a lemon note, a fragrant lift and elements of quince/pear jelly and hazelnut oil, and a long finish. Quite rich, but subtly so. An impressive wine. 2024-2030 – ir

There is a heritage of eight generations of vine growers behind Bosman farm in Wellington, a few kilometres north of Paarl, led today by its current CEO Petrus Bosman. Even during the long pause in winemaking between 1957 and 2007, the farm was a vine nursery supplying the Cape winelands with planting material – and it continues to do so today. But in 2007, they added “Winemakers” back to their business cards; lucky for us, given some really prized mature vineyards that they own. In 2009, the family transferred a 26% stake in the Bosman Adama project that focuses on plant health to their 260 permanent staff members, making them, in effect, shareholders of the business. Bosman has been an accredited Fairtrade producer ever since. 13%

4669

GENERATION 8 CHENIN BLANC, COASTAL REGION, 2023

GENERATION 8 CABERNET SAUVIGNON, COASTAL REGION, 2023

A small portion of the grapes was sundried for up to a week, and a portion of the blend had skin contact for texture. Medium yellow in the glass, it has an attractive medium-intensity nose with quince, fresh Bosc pear, candied and doughy/oily hints. The dry palate shows a medium acidity, a medium extract, a soft texture and a medium body. It has a nice length and fruit intensity with pear, cantaloupe, quince, oily and doughy elements, and a medium-plus, hint bitter/ endive finish. 2024-2026 – ir

The Generation 8 line was made with a lighter touch in terms of extraction for softer tannins and easier going more supple style of reds. A deep opaque ruby robe in the glass. The nose shows medium-intensity lees and candied cassis notes, plus toffee. It is dry with a medium acidity on the palate, a medium extract, medium powdery-textured tannins and a medium body. A lovely length and fruit with straightforward, pleasant set of creamy black plum and pit, hints of cassis candy flavours and a medium finish. 2024-2026 – ir

4671 GENERATION 8 SHIRAZ, COASTAL REGION, 2023

Shiraz

A deep opaque ruby colour. Somewhat subdued intensity aromas of lees, coffee and notes of blackberry jam. A low but adequate acidity on the dry palate with a medium extract, light- to medium-soft loose tannins and a medium body. A proportionate length and fruit intensity with plum, toffee, coffee, a hint of blackberry preserve here and a medium finish. 2024-2026 – ir

Lees, coffee, blackberry jam

Plum, toffee, coffee, a hint blackberry preserve

4672 GENERATION 8 MERLOT, COASTAL REGION, 2023

A deep opaque ruby hue in the glass. It shows a medium-plus intensity on the nose with candied, poached plum aromas. The palate has a medium acidity, is extra dry with a medium extract, shy of medium, medium-textured tannin and a medium body with straightforward poached plum, spice and earth hints on a medium finish. 2024-2026 – ir

ADAMA

4673

4674

BOSMAN ERFENIS, W.O. WELLINGTON, 2017

This mostly southern Rhône-style blend has deep opaque ruby colour with medium-plus intensity aromas on the nose, a range of smoky/peaty, rye bread crust, coffee/ chocolate and lifted, floral elements. Somewhat of a throw-back to older style South African reds. The palate is dry and mediumframed acidity, medium fine-textured tannin, medium alcohol and a medium-plus extract. It has a nice length on the palate with a well-pronounced fruit that follows the nose: smoke, burnt/caramelized milk, plum with lifted/floral notes and a medium finish. A bit gamey, but it keeps it well in check. 2024-2026 – ir

This is Bosman’s flagship wine, an unusual blend of equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault with 20% Nero d’Avola, with 30% first- and second-fill oak barrel regime. Still a youthful, deep opaque ruby appearance. It has nicely poised medium-intensity aromas of smoke, wool, cassis and blackberry preserves, black soil and a floral note. It is dry on the palate with a medium acidity. A mediumplus extract and softtextured tannin amount to a medium-plus body. It displays a lovely length and fruit with creamy, char, prune spread and floral components and a long finish. Shows a nice pedigree. 2024-2028 – ir

4675

2020

A 100% Nero d’Avola, it shows a deep ruby colour in the glass. It is followed by a medium-intensity nose of creamy, smoky, red plum and nasturtiums notes with a hint of chicory root. Dry with a medium acidity on the palate, it shows a medium-plus extract, medium fine loose-textured tannin and a medium-plus body. It has a nice length and fruit with creamy, coating mouthfeel and sugared red plum, floral, tar and spice/ nutmeg notes with a medium-plus finish. 2024-2026 – ir

Smoky/peaty, rye bread crust, coffee/ chocolate and lifted, floral

Smoke, burnt/caramelized milk, plum, lifted/floral notes

Boerewors pizza

Smoky Turkish-style roasted eggplant salad

Timeless Orange Wines

In the Bosman family’s historic 260-year-old cellar, their approach is nothing short of progressive and innovative. They embrace new, clean plant material and varietals, ensuring a continuous supply of healthy rootstock and vines. Among their many traditions steeped in winemaking heritage, one stands out – that of orange wines.

Although a rarity today, orange wines have been made for 6000 years, originating in Georgie and Northern Italy. Yet the process is still the same: white grapes are fermented on their skins giving the wine a golden/orange colour and a complex texture, tannin and flavour. Cellar master Corlea Fourie describes these wines as showing “the next level in fruit maturation”.

Being an adventurous winemaker with an enquiring mind, Fourie was eager to try out this technique. So every harvest, she would set aside some Chenin Blanc grapes and ferment them naturally and on the skins. But sadly, it never worked. One year, she decided to give it one last go, but this time used Grenache Blanc grapes instead. The result was a delicious amber wine with complex aromatics including ginger biscuit, tangerine peel, bruised fruit, and complex savory notes.

The Bosman orange wine, Fides, derives its name from the Bosman family motto: 'Fides, Spes et Amor,' which translates to 'Faith, Hope, and Love.' Fides serves as a reminder of the trust that exists between people and nature, collaborating to craft something truly remarkable.

A single vineyard bottling of a white Grenache – vinified as red – with three-week maceration, daily punch-downs, and an eight-month aging in 25% new Russian oak. It has a medium onion-skin colour. The medium intensity aromas on the nose consist of poached/ bruised apple, a brandy note, a hint of cinnamon and faint notes of blood orange and fennel. It is extra dry on the palate with a medium acidity, a medium extract and texture with a light tannic grip and a medium body. It has a nice length and fruit with apple peel, bruised apple, brandy and cinnamon making an appearance and a medium-plus finish. 2024-2025

SOUTH AFRICA

Groote Post Vineyards

DARLING HILLS

The historic 1808 Groote Post homestead, 60-some kilometres north of Cape Town, was bought by Pentz family in 1972 and has been expanded to a 2800-hectare holding today and is run by Peter and Nick, representing third and fourth generations of the family. The Pentz family was a dynasty of leaders of Cape’s dairy business; until the turn of this century, Groote Post was a dairy farm with a grapegrowing business on the side. But soon after their inaugural Sauvignon Blanc effort – from a very tough 1999 vintage – ended up among the top four regional wines in a respected trade publication, things took a sharp turn: as recently as 2001, the family was no longer in the dairy business shifting their entire attention to making top-quality wines sourced today from 120 hectares of vineyards. The rest, as they say, is history; in cases like that, they also say, it’s our gain.

4677

Sauvignon Blanc

A pretty deep, medium yellow hue here. It has medium-intensity aromas of rubbed tomato leaf, lemon drop candy and lemon oil. Extra dry on the palate with shy-of-medium but adequate acidity, it is soft-plus textured with a medium-plus extract and medium to full body. A lovely length and fruit intensity with a coating, oily mouthfeel and notes of lemon zest and light peel bitterness, tomato leaf, citrus oil, and minerally elements along with a medium finish. A riper, fuller style than one finds in New Zealand. 2024-2025 –ir

4678

Weisser Riesling

This Riesling was grafted on Cabernet rootstock in 2007. Only free-run juice is used. A deeper than usual medium-yellow hue in the glass. It shows medium-intensity candied lemon/lime, a hint of tangerine and waxy/oily touches. The palate has a medium acidity, is dry with a medium-plus extract, a soft-plus texture and a medium-plus body with a nice length and a moderate fruit intensity of lime and tangerine citrus, peach and pit, wax, oil and a mineral aspect. It closes with medium finish with a touch of citrus-peel bitterness. 2024-2026 – ir

4679

SEASALTER SAUVIGNON BLANC/ SEMILLON, DARLING HILLS, CRAFTED BY GROOTE POST, 2023

Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon

A medium yellow hue. Quite intense aromas of rye bread, a sharp citric note, tomato leaf and green gooseberry elements. On the palate, it shows a softer than medium acidity, is dry with a medium-plus extract, soft texture and a medium-plus body. It has a coating presence on the palate with a solid length and depth of fruit, which is not very well articulated yet –this should get sorted out post-bottling – and notes of rye bread, citrus oil, green overtones of leaf and gooseberry and a medium finish. 2024-2026 –ir

4680 GROOTE POST BRUT, MÉTHODE CAP CLASSIQUE, DARLING HILLS, NV

4681 GROOTE POST PINOT NOIR ROSÉ, LIMITED RELEASE, DARLING HILLS, 2023

36 $ 216 $ 31 $ 186

A blend of 61% Pinot Noir and 39% Chardonnay, it spends 14-20 months on its lees after bottle fermentation. A medium golden in appearance, it opens with a medium-intensity lifted and attractive aromas of pickled lemon, golden apple, nuts, dough and oil. It is dry on the palate with a medium acidity and a nice lazy supple mousse. Medium-framed – extract, alcohol and body – and soft textured, it possesses a nice length and fruit with nuts, citrus, golden apple and buttered fresh bread making up the palate with a long finish. 2024-2026–ir

A medium blush tone. The medium-intensity nose leads with doughy, oily notes, followed by cranberry and beetroot. Extra dry and with a medium acidity on a fulsome body, it has a soft coating texture and lovely length and fruit with elements of strawberry, cranberry and mushrooms/earth/beetroot and a medium-plus finish. 2024-2025 – ir

Doughy, oily, cranberry and beetroot

Strawberry, cranberry, mushrooms/ earthiness/beetroot, [1.20]

Pan-fried salmon cakes with lemon-chive aioli

4682 GROOTE POST SHIRAZ, DARLING HILLS, 2022

$ 32 $ 192

Matured in oak barrels for 14 months with 25% new. A deep opaque ruby colour. The nose offers lifted, medium-intensity aromas of blackberry preserve, plum jam leather and chocolate. Dry with a medium acidity, a medium extract and medium-plus yet soft textured tannins and a medium-plus body, it has a nice length and intensity of plum, berry preserve and leather with a hint of chocolate and nuts and a medium finish. 2024-2026 –ir

Stew of slow-roasted

Merlot

Shiraz, Cinsault

A deep opaque ruby in the glass, it shows a medium-plus intensity on the nose with floral, black plum, cedar, black soil and pickling spice notes. Extra dry with a medium acidity and a medium frame with fine tannins, it shows a lovely length and persistence of black plum, black soil, rubbed leaf and spice towards a medium finish. 2024-2026 – ir

A deep opaque ruby appearance for this 6040 blend, co-fermented together and then aged for 15 months in 500-litre barrels with 50% new. There are mediumintensity aromas of cedar, cassis and chicory with a nutmeg and floral note on the nose. Dry with a medium acidity and frame palate: medium extract, alcohol and tannins, it has a nice length and fruit with chocolate, plum, cedar and chicory notes and a medium finish. 2024-2026 – ir

4685

GROOTE POST THE INHERITANCE MERLOT, DARLING HILLS, 2021

Merlot

Pure Merlot picked from selected blocks and aged for 15 months in small new French oak. It shows a deep opaque ruby colour in the glass and has a nice, deep aromatic introduction of medium-intensity notes of smoke, wool, peat and prune preserve along with a lifted floral note and a hint of cassis and tomato leaf. It is followed by a dry, medium acidity palate with a mediumplus extract, medium-plus fine-textured tannins and medium-plus body, a lovely length and intensity with black plum, nuts, a woolly tone, cedar and a lifted note. It ends with a medium-plus finish. A very nicely constructed wine. 2024-2026 – ir

14%

TUSCANY

There is so much that Tuscany has to offer - art, architecture, history, culture. When you visit, be sure to immerse yourself in as much as possible, for it is truly a feast for the senses. Of most interest to us is the country where Sangiovese, the most widely planted red grape, has earned an impeccably well-deserved reputation for producing the best Sangiovese-based wines in Italy. That means in the world, too, and not just one version of it. There are a handful of top-tier expressions coming from different corners of the region, and this offer has most of them represented: Chianti and Chianti Classico, Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, as well as Morellino di Scansano.

The success of the “Super Tuscans” starting in the middle of 20th century, which by now are happily a part of the DOC/G system, has opened the door to wider experimentation and further successes with French grapes in the region, and a few of those efforts can also be found here.

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO

Cinciano is a village, or a rather tiny hamlet in the heart of Chianti Classico, that dates to before the 1100s. Today, it is an “agriturismo” attraction with accommodations, a a Michelin accredited restaurant and its own olive oil, as well as wine production coming from 24 hectares of vineyards, planted mostly to Sangiovese, as well as a little Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. A particular attention to detail is paid both in vineyards and winery –manual harvest in small containers, separate-plot fermentations – to allow Sangiovese from the historic centre of Chianti to best express itself.

4690 CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO, DOCG, 2022

Sangiovese

This is a 100% Sangiovese, which was allowed by DOCG rules only since 1996 –before it had to be a blend. As the property’s flagship wine, it is sourced from a variety of soils, altitudes and vine ages from all over the estate. The wine has a deep opaque ruby colour in the glass. On the nose it shows medium-intensity aromas of red plum, chokeberry, herb/licorice and bitter chocolate. With a dry, medium-framed palate and a medium acidity, it has a solid length and fruit with black plum, creamy notes and chocolate, and a medium finish. 2024-2027– ir

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz

Made as an approachable red – and the “Old Man” in question is Peter Pentz. It has a deep opaque ruby colour. The nose offers a nicely-poised medium-intensity aromatic attack with cassis, tomato leaf, black soil, hint of wood charcoal and creamy notes. It has a medium acidity on the palate, is dry with a medium-plus extract, medium ripe tannins and a medium body. It is quite fragrant with a nice length and persistence of cassis, smoky, creamy notes and tomato leaf onto the medium finish. A really good value. 2026-2030– ir

4688

THE OLD MAN'S BLEND SAUVIGNON BLANC·CHENIN BLANC, WESTERN CAPE, 2023

Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc

$ 23 $ 276

Made with the same approachability-focus in mind. A pale yellow hue. The nose of wellenunciated, lifted and appealing aromatics of fresh quince and feijoa (a fruit found in South America and New Zealand) with a hint of green peapods. With a medium-minus but balanced acidity, the palate is dry, showing a medium extract, a soft-plus texture and a medium-plus body. It has a coating presence and a lovely length and fruit, with the straightforward notes of quince and green pear, and slight candied element with a medium-plus finish. 2024-2025– ir

WINES TO SAVOUR ANY DAY OF THE WEEK

4697 SOGATIA RISERVA, CHIANTI DOCG, 2020

Sangiovese

A selection of best grapes, this Riserva spent 12 months in large Slavonian casks post-fermentation. An opaque, deep ruby colour in the glass. It has a mediumintensity attack showing sealing wax, char, prune, earthy and raw bitter chocolate notes. It has a medium acidity, is dry with a medium-plus extract, medium softtextured loose tannins and a medium body. It displays the length and persistence that fit its frame with inky, char, prune, bitter chocolate and endive elements and a medium finish. 2024-2025– ir

Sealing wax, char, prune, earthy, raw bitter chocolate

Inky, char, prune, bitter chocolate, endive

Tuscan wild boar cinghiale with white beans and juniper berries

The Magic of Cinciano

By Kim Tien Huynh, Opimian's Project Manager, Marketing

Does wine taste better at the producer’s winery? I often ask myself this question when I hear people from a producer’s visit raving about how great the wine was. Is it because when travelling, your mind is on vacation mode, or the environment stimulates your senses?

I decided to test this statement during my last trip to Tuscany, Italy, in July 2023. We headed to the little town of Poggibonsi to visit Cinciano, a producer that holds a notable place in the heart of Opimian Members. As we drove along the rustic country roads toward this beautiful hilltop estate, the vineyard vistas took our breath away. Cinciano spans 150 hectares, encompassing 40 hectares of olive groves and 24 hectares of vineyards of varying ages. No images can capture the splendor of Tuscany's vast countryside.

From winemaking to research and innovation, Giovanna and Andrea shared their rich history, passionate stories, and winemaking philosophy.

Andrea talked about how he always tries to innovate while keeping tradition. For example, Cinciano developed the Preziano Toscana Bianco, a white wine made from red grapes through soft pressing and must fermentation at a controlled temperature. Andrea and his team enhanced the Sangiovese grape variety, the iconic grape of the Chianti Classico region while respecting the terroir.

On this beautiful, hot summer day, Giovanna Beraldo, Cinciano's Managing Director, warmly welcomed us. She is always happy to welcome Opimian Staff and Members, many of whom had previously visited, including those from Opimian's October 2023 travel groups. Giovanna guided us to the tank room, where Andrea Biagini, the winemaker and production manager, provided a comprehensive tour of the cellars. The tour concluded in the older cellar, which was once a tasting room.

Even though we didn’t stay overnight at the winery, if you wish to wake up to the sound of cicadas with a beautiful view of the Tuscany countryside and experience an authentic place that represents the spirits of Tuscany locals, it’s possible to do it at Cinciano! Several rooms are open from the end of March to the end of October and during the Christmas holidays.

At the end of the visit, we lunched at Osteria 1126, the on-site restaurant, where we enjoyed a delicious homemade pasta. We savoured the Cinciano olive oil with freshly baked bread, and oh, tastebuds were in heaven! Giovanna offered the Preziano Toscana wine for us to pair with our food, and for the white wine lover that

I am, it’s worth discovering! Guess what I’m ordering this Cellar?

When I open a bottle of Cinciano in the comfort of my home, I can answer with certainty that it doesn’t matter where you taste the wine, whether it’s at the winery or home. The wine tastes better because I know that behind the wine, there is a connection between the people, the wine and me. There is a sense of place, but mostly, each sip brings back a memory of that beautiful meeting with Giovanna and Andre.

KIM TIEN’S PICKS FOR THIS CELLAR:

LOT 4691: CINCIANO PREZIANO, IGT TOSCANA –SERVE THIS ON A HOT SUMMER DAY TO START YOUR WEEKEND OR WITH FOOD. IT’S AN ALLYEAR-LONG WHITE WINE.

Sangiovese

This is an interesting 100% Sangiovese made in blanc de noir fashion. It has a pale-yellow robe, subtler-than-medium intensity aromas with flinty/ smoky, bone marrow, aloe notes and yellow plum in the background. It shows a medium acidity and is extra dry on the palate with a medium-plus extract, a soft-plus texture and a medium-plus body. It displays a nice length and fruit persistence with minerally/flinty, smoky, yellow plum, citrus/lemon peel and aloe tones and a medium finish. Quite a savoury fruit character but interesting nonetheless. 2024-2025 –ir

4692

4693

Sangiovese, Malvasia Nera, Canaiolo, Cileigiolo

This comes from 50-year-old vines of Camponi vineyard. A deep ruby garnet in the glass. The textbook medium-intensity aromas of chestnut, red plum preserve, chicory, toffee, floral elements and blood orange define the nose. The palate is dry with a medium acidity and medium-plus dimensions: extract, loose-textured tannins, body, length, as well as fruit intensity, featuring plum, floral note, toffee and chicory with a medium-plus finish. 2024-2028 –ir

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese

A Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend, all three vinified separately and blended after ageing for 12 months in barriques and large vats. A deep purple, opaque robe in the glass. On the nose, it shows medium-intensity aromas of typical Tuscan elements: chestnut and sealing wax along with shoe polish, tar/ smoke/cold ashes and prune spread. It is dry on the palate with a medium acidity, mediumplus components like the extract, the finetextured tannins, the body, the length and the persistence of the poached plum, char, nuts/chestnut, and chicory root, as well as a medium-plus finish. 2024-2030 –ir

Plum, floral note, toffee and chicory

Bolognese

sealing wax, shoe polish, tar/smoke/cold ashes, prune spread

Poached plum, char, nuts/chestnut, and chicory root

Roast guineafowl

4694

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA - 3 BOTTLES EACH: 2019, 2021

$ 58 $ 348

TWO CLASSICS FROM CINCIANO

This is an opportunity to compare two strong recent vintages from Chianti Classico. These Riserva bottlings are 100% Sangiovese, sourced from the best plots of the estate and aged for 14-18 months in large Slavonian oak. The 2019 and 2021 vintages rank among the finest following 2016.

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA, DOCG, 2019

Sangiovese

A bit more advanced, deep ruby garnet hue suggesting a slightly more mature wine. It has the nose of medium-intensity savoury and sealing wax notes with nasturtiums, chicory, tar and leather. On the palate, it shows a medium acidity; it is dry and has the already familiar medium-plus frame of extract, ripe tannins and body. There are a lovely length and a fruit intensity here once again with flavors of sealing wax, chicory, tar, black plum and pit and a touch of endive bitterness on the medium-plus finish. 2024-2028– ir

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA, DOCG, 2021

Sangiovese

It has a deep opaque, still ruby appearance and the lifted medium intensity aromas of chocolate, cream, toffee and red plum preserve. The extra dry palate shows a medium acidity, and the house-style medium-plus extract, fine-textured tannins, body and length. It is all wrapped nicely with lovely fruit persistence with black and red plum, bitter chocolate, hint of tar and chicory notes onto the medium-plus finish. 2024-2030– ir

Savory, sealing wax, nasturtiums, chicory, tar and leather

Sealing wax, chicory, tar, black plum and pit, endive

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Chocolate, cream, toffee and red plum preserve

Black and red plum, bitter chocolate, tar and chicory

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO GRAN SELEZIONE3 BOTTLES EACH: 2017, 2019

$ 73 $ 438

This is a chance to compare two very good but different vintages of a recent, barely 10-years-old, addition to the Chianti Classico quality pyramid: Gran Selezione. The estate fruit, at least 80% Sangiovese and 30 months of ageing with at least three months in the bottle starting from January after the harvest, is what is required. Here we have 100% Sangiovese from the very best plots, aged up to 24 months in large Slavonian vats, and at least six months in bottle.

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO GRAN SELEZIONE, DOCG, 2017

Sangiovese 4695

A deep ruby garnet robe in the glass. On the nose is medium-intensity tar, toffee, prune spread, chicory and marigold. It has a dry palate with a medium acidity, a mediumplus extract, medium-plus ripe supple tannins and a medium-plus body. Mediumplus long, it shows a supple and subtle fruit character of black plum, floral notes, chicory and sealing wax and a long finish. 2024-2028– ir

15%

Tar, toffee, prune spread, chicory and marigold

Black plum, floral notes, chicory, sealing wax

Carmela Soprano’s ziti al forno

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO GRAN SELEZIONE, DOCG, 2019

Sangiovese

A deep ruby garnet, showing some development. The nose of a medium intensity with chestnut, pebbles, celery powder, marzipan, chicory, marigold and a rustic, earthy note. On the palate is has a medium acidity, is dry with a medium extract, medium soft-textured tannins and a medium body. It shows a nice length and persistence with celery, chestnut, chicory and a floral lift towards the medium-plus finish. 2024-2030– ir

Chestnut, pebbles, celery powder, marzipan, chicory, marigold and earthy note

Celery, chestnut, chicory, with a floral lift

Bruschetta of fresh-grated San Marzanos and chiffonade of basil on garlic-scraped toast with Cervia salt and pepper

TUSCANY

Fattoria Sorbaiano

Fattoria Sorbaiano is a large farm in the northern Maremma area, situated between the coast and the walled medieval town of Volterra. It covers the total of 270 hectares with a majority of the land dedicated to cereal crops and olive groves but with nearly a third left as woodlands. From the 27 hectares of most suitable for vineyards plots with soils dominated by gray and red sandstone and gray marl, the property makes a range of wines with more ambition than this historic but somewhat obscure area is currently known for, including their top wine, Merlot-based Febo.

4698 SORBAIANO BIANCO, MONTESCUDAIO DOC, 2022

Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Traminer

Half Trebbiano, 40% Chardonnay with the balance Traminer. A light to medium appearance. It comes across a little sharp at first but settles into a medium intensity aloe, yellow plum reduction, dried yellow pear and drying fig notes. It shows a medium acidity, is dry with a medium-plus extract, soft texture and medium-plus body. It has a nice length and fruit that follows the nose: yellow plum, dried pear, fig, hint of pasty/doughy and a medium-plus finish. 2024-2025 –ir

4699 SORBAIANO ROSSO, MONTESCUDAIO DOC, 2022

Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon

Trebbiano

For this wine, Trebbiano grapes were dried on special racks for up to five months then fermented and aged in barrels for at least four years. A medium-plus amber in appearance, it shows a medium-plus intensity of dried fig, golden raisins, toffee, dried lemon peels, hay and dried florals. With a medium-plus acidity providing the lift, it is clearly sweet but comes across medium-sweet thanks to its acidity, and has a soft texture, full body, a good length and fruit intensity with fig, nuts, dried citrus and florals and a long finish. 2024-2030 – ir

50% Sangiovese, 35% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, unoaked. Opaque, deep purple ruby in the glass. The nose has medium intensity red fruit, celery, floral and is a bit tight. The palate is dry with a medium acidity, a medium extract, medium-plus tannins and a medium-plus body. It shows a solid core of fruit with plum, chocolate, celery and medium finish with dusty tannic grip. 2024-2025–ir

VERTICAL VIBES, BECAUSE YOU LOVE VERTICAL CASES!

4701

FEBO VERTICAL TASTING CASE - 1 BOTTLE EACH: 2017, 2018, 2019

Febo IGT is Merlot with 10% Syrah. The grapes are vinified separately and then barrique-aged for 12-15 months. Once blended, the wine spends 24 months in bottle before the release. A unique retrospective of the three consecutive vintages of this Tuscan interpretation of Bordeaux’s right bank signature grape, with a nudge from the northern Rhône stalwart.

Opaque, deep youthful ruby robe still. It has a medium-intensity cedar, mint, chestnut, cassis, leather, and celery aromatic spectrum. The palate is dry with a medium acidity, medium extract, medium ripe tannins and medium body. A lovely length and depth but still a little tricky to discern what's there with brick, sealing wax, red fruit and charcoal mingling towards the medium finish. 2024-2026– ir

Cedar, mint, chestnut, cassis, leather, and celery

Brick, sealing wax, red fruit, charcoal

Pâtés, terrines, salumi

Still opaque, deep ruby appearance in the glass. On the nose, it is a shade shy of medium intensity with aromas of drying cassis, char, cedar, dried florals and brick. Dry and a touch lower than medium acidity on the palate with a medium extract, it displays medium soft tannins and medium body, a solid length and persistence with flavours of cassis, cream, celery, cedar, a floral note and a medium finish. 2024-2026– ir

Opaque and deep ruby in appearance. It opens with a medium-intensity creamy, coffee/chocolate, sealing wax and prune aromas. Dry, the palate has a medium acidity, a medium extract, medium fine tannins and a medium body. It has depth and polish, a nice length and persistence if not yet outspoken with creamy, chocolate, chicory and dark fruit overtones waiting to uncoil and a medium finish. 2024-2026– ir

Drying cassis, char, cedar, dried florals and brick

Cassis, cream, celery, cedar and floral note

Roast fennel sausage, peppers and Vidalia onions

Creamy, coffee/chocolate, sealing wax and prune

Creamy, chocolate, chicory and dark fruit

Steak and spinach salad with arugula and Gorgonzola

TUSCANY

Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano

SCANSANO

Formed in 1972, Vignaioli del Morellino di Scansano is a cooperative in the heart of Maremma. Today, its 170 members are tending to 700 hectares in the hills around Scansano. The three product lines represent the varietal expressions with Santianum, the focus on regional expression under Classics as with Morellino di Scansano, which must be at least 85% Sangiovese, and with the Vineyards line – the expressions of the single sites.

4702 TREBBIANO SCANTIANUM IGT TOSCANA, 2022

Trebbiano, Ansonica

30 $ 180

toast, nuts and yellow plum

Fleshy yellow plum, fresh dough and quince, [2.00]

Pesto pasta

It has 15% Ansonica. A light medium-yellow hue in the glass, it shows medium-intensity aromas of quince, toast, nuts and yellow plum. The palate is dry with a medium acidity, a medium extract, a soft texture, medium body, a nice length and fruit intensity of fleshy yellow plum, fresh dough and quince and a medium finish. A nice refreshing and uncomplicated unoaked white without any edges. 2024-2025 –ir

4703

VERMENTINO SCANTIANUM, TOSCANA IGT, VIGNAIOLI

MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2022

Vermentino

4704

SANGIOVESE SCANTIANUM, TOSCANA IGT, VIGNAIOLI

MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2022

Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Alicante, Merlot

29 $ 174 $ 31 $ 186

A pale-yellow hue. It has medium-intensity notes of aloe, lees, flowers – fresh camomile or mimosa – and yellow plum fruit on the nose. On the palate, it shows a medium acidity, is dry with a medium-plus extract, a soft texture and a medium-plus body, a lovely length and persistence of plum, quince, floral elements, pastry and nutty tones and a medium-plus finish. Another nice summer sipper with a bit more heft to it. 2024-2025 – ir

This was made in a fresh, fruit-forward style with a light touch on extraction. A deep ruby colour in the glass. It leads with medium intensity and quite inviting aromas of red plum/cornelian cherry preserve with a floral lift, and kirsch eau-de-vie on the nose. The dry palate has a medium acidity, a medium extract and loose easy tannins and a medium body with nicely matching length and fruit: plum, cherry, floral and gingerbread notes and a medium finish. 2024-2025 –ir

or

quince, floral, pasty and nutty tones,

plum/cornelian cherry preserve, floral

Plum, cherry, floral note, gingerbread

Spaghetti alla chitarra with ragù

Sangiovese, Alicante

“Mostly Sangiovese,” the winery states. “Morellino” is a name for Sangiovese in this part of Tuscany. Made in a fruit-forward, unoaked style, it has a deep ruby colour medium-intensity, very pretty floral/ carnation, new leather, cornelian cherry/red plum and wild strawberry preserve aromas on the nose. The palate is dry with a medium acidity, medium-plus extract, medium-loose tannins and a medium-plus body. It shows a nice length and fruit of plum, cherry, wild strawberry and leather and a medium-plus finish. It will last until 2024-2026 but very enjoyable now.– ir

4706

Sangiovese

A single-vineyard Sangiovese with longer skin contact and a six month-stint in secondand third-fill French barriques. Deep ruby in the glass, it shows a subtle, shy-of-medium intensity on the nose with chestnut and red berry compote – cherry, strawberry – elements still coming into focus. The palate delivers a medium acidity, is dry, with a medium extract, medium fine tannins, and medium body with plum and gingerbread flavours and a medium finish. 2024-2025 – ir

4707

VIN DEL FATTORE, GOVERNO ALL'USO TOSCANO, SANGIOVESE MAREMMA TOSCANA DOC, VIGNAIOLI MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2022

Sangiovese

36 $ 216

"Governo” is a process of adding slightly dried berries, or in this case a blending fraction from raisinated grapes, to the regular grape ferment and then allowing it to run its course, with the aim of richer mouthfeel and added complexity. A deep ruby robe is the glass. It opens with medium-intensity aromas of sour cherry preserve, ink, peonies and bitter chocolate brownie. It has a dry, medium-acidity palate, with a medium extract, medium fine tannins and a medium body, a nice poise, a lovely length and fruit intensity with cherry, floral, raw bitter chocolate flavours and a medium-plus finish. 2024-2026–ir

TUSCANY

Giovanna Ciacci

MONTALCINO

The Ciacci family has been in the Montalcino area since the 1850s. The wine was already made in the area at the time from the local Brunello, or Brunellino grape, a clone of Sangiovese. But the creation of Brunello di Montalcino as we know it today is attributed to Clemente Santi, whose 1865 vintage of Brunello was awarded a silver medal in a wine competition in Montepulciano. The Ciacci family’s first vintage was 1966 made by Giovanna’s grandfather. Brunello, probably the most robust expression of the grape, is a bit of an exception among its Tuscan ranks since it must be a 100% Sangiovese. It also has a more specific ageing regime requiring two

years in oak (with at least four months in bottle) and can only be bottled where it is made and released no sooner than five years after January 1 of the year following the harvest. Rosso, while also a 100% Sangiovese, can be released the following September and has no other ageing requirements – and for that reason is often referred to as “Baby Brunello.” Its production often varies as it is usually sourced from younger vineyards, or lots that do not make the cut for Brunello. The Ciacci family tend to every plot in the vineyards individually, based on a multitude of variables including, at harvest, hand-picking just the plots that have reached the perfect physiological maturity. They are equally as attentive to the grapes in the winery, sorting and fully destemming them, and adhering to very traditional winemaking. With this level of care and well over five decades of vintages, the results speak for themselves.

4712

GIOVANNA CIACCI ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC, 2021

Sangiovese

This Sangiovese is sourced from dedicated vineyards and vinified with very traditional techniques: ambient yeast only and large, used vats for maturation. It has an opaque, deep ruby appearance. The nose is of subtler, medium-minus intensity aromas of red fruit/plum, earth and dark chocolate brownie. The palate is dry with a medium acidity and mediumplus dimensions: extract, fine tannin and body, with a nice length and fruit presence with notes of plum, cream and tar notes. While it certainly has the depth — and a medium finish — the fruit has not fanned out yet and needs a few more months in bottle. 2024-2028 – ir

4713

GIOVANNA CIACCI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG, 2017

Sangiovese

A very deep ruby core with a garnet rim in the glass, showing some development. The nose delivers medium-plus creamy, tar/smoke, prune, floral, chestnut and chicory root aromas. The palate has a medium acidity, is dry with a medium-plus extract, coating medium-plus fine tannins and medium to full body, with a fine length and persistence of plum/prune, creamy, tar, sealing wax, chestnut and dried flowers flavours towards the long finish. 2024-2028 – ir

Creamy, tar/smoke, prune, floral, chestnut and chicory root

Plum/prune, creamy, tar, sealing wax, chestnut and dried flowers

Parmigiano Reggiano

The Art of Vertical Wine Tasting

By Seema Pal, DipWSET, Opimian's Marketing Assistant

Anyone who has experienced a vertical tasting knows how illuminating it is. For those who have yet to discover the delights of a vertical tasting, it is a comparison of the same wine over several vintages from the same estate, producer, or vineyard. This provides the taster some context as to how the particular wine evolves.

FEBO VERTICAL TASTING CASE - 1 BOTTLE EACH: 2017, 2018, 2019, P32

One of the purposes of vertical tastings is to detect clues that help determine the reasons for a wine's evolution, whether it be due to factors such as soil composition, elevation, topography, skin contact, sunlight exposure, and more. Aged wines can be considered as 'history in a bottle,' and vertical tastings offer a way to transform vintage variation into an event worth celebrating!

To maximize the tasting experience, several elements should be considered when conducting a vertical tasting. One practice, especially important for older vintages, is to allow the wine to aerate in a decanter for at least 60 minutes, as some wines may take hours to fully open up. When ready, they can be tasted with water or bread in between wines to carefully assess each one with a clean palate.

The order in which a person chooses to taste the wines is up to the individual. A common approach is to taste from the youngest to the most mature to gauge the level of development. Another method is to begin with the older vintage, allowing for the detection of fine nuances in an older wine with a fresh palate, then progressing to younger vintages that display more primary and secondary characteristics.

There are several ways to compare wines in a vertical tasting. First, the nature of the fruit has a gradient. On one end, there are the fresh characteristics, which slowly metamorphose into a blend of both dried and fresh fruit, culminating in completely dried fruit notes. The most ageable wines will develop these pronounced levels of dried fruit. Additionally, as wine ages, it will gain tertiary notes of leather, sous bois, tar, mushrooms, etc.

If the wines are red, you will likely detect that the tannin levels become more polished and smooth as it ages. Not only this, but there may also be significant vintage variations that can be detected. For example, very hot years in Bordeaux, such as 2003 and 2005, will exhibit more baked fruit character, lower acidity, and higher alcohol levels compared to wines from different vintages.

Trying a vertical tasting case will enable you to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the producer, region/appellation, or vineyard. Additionally, it will help you further explore your own personal palate in terms of how long you prefer to age your wines and which tasting notes you prefer the most!

If this intrigues you, consider trying one or both of Opimian’s vertical tasting cases offered in C311. One option is the Sorbaiano Febo Vertical Tasting Case, which includes one bottle each from 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Enjoy!

4696

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO, DOCG, 2022

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO, CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA AND PIETRA FORTE ROSSO TOSCANA MAGNUMS - SIGNED BY THE WINEMAKER (WOOD CASE)

Sangiovese

This 100% Sangiovese has a deep opaque ruby colour. On the nose it shows mediumintensity aromas of red plum, chokeberry, herb/licorice and bitter chocolate. With a dry, medium-framed palate and a medium acidity, it has a solid length and fruit with black plum, creamy notes, chocolate and a medium finish. 2024-2027– ir

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA, DOCG, 2021

Sangiovese

It has a deep opaque, still-ruby appearance and the lifted medium intensity aromas of chocolate, cream, toffee and red plum preserve. The extra dry palate shows a medium acidity, and the house-style medium-plus extract, fine-textured tannins, body and length. It is all wrapped nicely with lovely fruit persistence with black and red plum, bitter chocolate, a hint of tar and chicory notes onto the medium-plus finish. 2024-2030– ir

Chocolate, cream, toffee and red plum preserve

Black and red plum, bitter chocolate, tar and chicory

Lamb and rosemary ragù with Pecorino pangrattato

SUPER TUSCAN $

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese

A Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend, all three vinified separately, and blended after ageing for 12 months in barriques and large vats. A deep purple, opaque robe in the glass. On the nose, it shows medium-intensity aromas of typical Tuscan elements: chestnut and sealing wax, along with shoe polish, tar/ smoke/cold ashes and prune spread. It is dry on the palate with a medium acidity and medium-plus components like the extract, the fine-textured tannins, the body, the length and the persistence of the poached plum, char, nuts/chestnut, and chicory root, as well as a medium-plus finish. 2024-2030– ir

MAGNUMS ARE ESSENTIAL TO EVERY CELLAR!

Here is a great kit for a larger party, especially if your guest are wine-inclined; three large (usually much rarer than 750ml) formats of three vintages and denominations: Chianti Classico, a Chianti Classico Riserva and a IGT Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend to compare and contrast.

COLLECTOR’S CORNER

RARE WINES TO ENHANCE YOUR CELLAR

4666

VILAFONTÉ SERIES M AND SERIES C CASE (WOOD CASE)

$ 225 $ 675 3

M is for Merlot and C is for Cabernet. You need both in your cellar because I just can’t decide which I prefer more. M for now (ish) and C for the long-haul.

VILAFONTÉ SERIES M, PAARL, 2017

Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

Twenty-two months in new French oak barriques has imbued the Series M 2020 with a beautiful range of black fruit aromas including blackberry, cassis, cherry and plum allied to barrel-maturation notes of cedar, pencil shavings and clove. The blend is Merlot (43%), Malbec (37%), Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) and Cabernet Franc (6%) and they work together like a proverbial team of cart horses, raising the roof on a mesmeric palate with masses of fruit supported by oak, lively acidity and grippy tannins. This is many years off its peak but it's already delivering much to enjoy. My God, this is good! 2026 – 2030– mp

AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER, VILAFONTÉ'S SERIES M AND C ARE A PAIR OF JEWELS IN OPIMIAN'S CROWNS

Beef empanadas

The product of a difficult (Covid-ridden) vintage that was long and cool, the vines clearly never received the instructions to WFH. 22 months in 2/3 new French oak barrique has lent a patina of whimsical vanilla and spice to a nose oozing blackberry, cassis, cherry and plum. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend (58%) with Merlot (24%), Malbec (10%) and CF (8%) rounding things out. It’s all deftly handled and the exceptional hang time has resulted in a long, taut palate with the first whiff of tertiary notes including forest floor and tobacco alongside vanilla, cedar, and cooked fruit. The 2020 Series C has impeccable balance with ripe and refined tannins, integrated acidity, and layers of finely sculpted black fruit. This is miles off its peak. 2028 – 2032– mp

RARE WINES TO ENHANCE YOUR CELLAR VILAFONTÉ

Vilafonté is brimming with expertise. It is like The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly on steroids, except without the rotten apples. The project aims to take on the world’s best Bordeaux blends. Founded in Stellenbosch in the 1990s, the team comprises Zelda Long, Chief Oenologist for Robert Mondavi during much of the 1970s. When she left, Bob said he considered her departure one of his greatest losses. Her multiple achievements include the James Beard Award for Wine Professional of the Year (1997), and the Outstanding Alumni Award from University of California, Davis (2009). The Robert Mondavi connection is shared by her husband, Dr. Phil Freese, who grew grapes for the late, Napa maverick in the 1980s. Dr. Freese previously worked in biochemistry, where Friday afternoons would involve radioactive experiments alongside glasses of white Burgundy, which has surely rubbed off on his sense of adventure. Mike Ratcliffe completes the squad, formerly managing director at Warwick, and something of a Stellenbosch business powerhouse. Put them together and stir gently: one gets the 1st and 2nd highest scoring wine in the Wine Advocate South Africa report. Vilafonte makes seriously good wine.

CELLAR UP!

WINES TO SHAPE YOUR CELLAR

You'll have noticed a slight change in the Cellar Up! feature this season. The most obvious, and probably the most important, is that you can now order all of the Cellar Up! wines with one Lot #. Simply put, there is no easier way to build a world-class cellar of your own than taking advantage of this. We're going to use the overused word - iconic! Each of these wines represent an iconic style from the regions of C311. A cellar buiders dream!

FLAGSHIP SOUTH

AFRICAN SAUVIGNON BLANC/SEMILLON

If you read the MW's tasting notes on this one, you'll understand why its special. So much going on. So much flavour! For white wine lovers and red wine drinkers that you're trying to convince.

FIDES GRENACHE BLANC, W.O. WELLINGTON, 2020, LOT 4676, P17

ORANGE WINE

Fade or fashion? Try this and decide. It's not that an orange wine can't decide to be red or white or rosé. It's a winemaker taking special care to take the very best that the pumice has to offer and leaving the rest behind. Intrigued?

CINCIANO CHIANTI CLASSICO, DOCG, 2022, LOT 4690, P23

CHIANTI CLASSICO

It ain't called Classico for nuthin'! By the time you read this, 30 lucky Opimian Members will have visited Cinciano in Tuscany and experienced why this is a classic. Take our word for it. You can't go wrong.

SERIOUSLY OLD DIRT BY VILAFONTÉ, W.O. WESTERN CAPE, 2021, LOT 4665, P2

FEATURED WINE

If the rest of the world had their way, this wine would never make it to Canada. It's too good. The winemaking geniuses at Vilafonté (and that's not just our opinion), created this affordable alternative to their 'best in the world' reds to stop the grumbling. Grumble no more! Order this!

CINCIANO PIETRA FORTE ROSSO TOSCANA IGT, 2020, WOOD CASE, LOT 4693, P27

SUPER TUSCAN

What's all the fuss about Super Tuscans you may ask? Punching above its weight is the answer. Italian winemakers wanted to make exceptional wines without adhering to the strict rules of the region. The result is nothing less than wonderful wines that don't meet the varietal requirements of Chianti. You won't be disappointed.

VIN SANTO DI SORBAIANO, MONTESCUDAIO DOC, 2019, LOT 4700, P31

DESSERT WINE

Said often in the feature ... if you haven't tried a dessert wine, why not? They are a remarkable way to end a meal ... or with a rich appetizer like foie gras, or sipping while binge-watching your new favourite Netflix show. So many uses, often overlooked.

Web

Exclusives

Please visit Opimian.ca for your province's pricing on these wines.

4709

CAPOCCIA CILIEGIOLO, MAREMMA

TOSCANA DOC, VIGNAIOLI

MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2022

Ciliegiolo

$ 0 $ 0

4708

ROGGIANO RISERVA, MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG RISERVA, VIGNAIOLI

MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2020

Sangiovese

$ 0 $ 0

This comes from 25+ year-old vines, has a longer skin contact than their “normale” effort, and is aged in French barriques for 12 months with 20% new. It is deep ruby in appearance. The nose has mediumintensity aromas of red cherry reduction, chicory, chocolate brownie with a woolly/earthy tones. On the palate it is dry with shy-of-medium but balanced acidity, a medium-plus extract, mediumplus fine tannins and a medium-plus body. It has a lovely length and fruit persistence featuring chocolate brownie, cherry reduction and, again, a chicory/earthy note on the medium-plus finish. 2024-2026 –ir

An interesting bottling of “mostly” Ciliegiolo, the grape that is usually a minor blending component to Sangiovese. A deep ruby in appearance, it shows the nose of medium-intensity kirsch/sour cherry preserve, ink, gingerbread and mineral overtones. The palate is dry with a medium acidity, a medium extract, lighter-thanmedium fine tannins and a medium body. A nice length and fruit follow, with inky, sour cherry and floral elements and a medium finish. 2024-2025 – ir

Inky, sour cherry, floral

4710

SICOMORO, MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOCG, RISERVA, VIGNAIOLI MORELLINO SCANSANO, 2020

30-year-old vines; it is aged for 18 months partly in small new French barriques and partly in large vats. This is a very deep ruby in the glass. The nose has mediumintensity rich aromas of tar, chestnut, oil, sealing wax and chicory root. With a softer balanced acidity, the palate is dry and has a medium-size frame: extract, mediumtextured tannins and medium body, and a lovely length with well-defined fruit of chestnut, earth, sealing wax and chicory root that finishes medium. 2024-2028 – ir

Popup! WEB

Meet Markus Molitor, “Mr. 300 Points”

Germany’s most awarded winemaker

In 2015, three of his wines from the 2013 vintage received a rating of 100 points from The Wine Advocate; thus his nickname, “Mr. 300 points” (Herr 300 Punkte in German). We are pleased to announce that Opimian has secured a small allocation of these outstanding wines from this brilliant winemaker. Don’t miss this opportunity to get your hands on these top-scoring wines, as they usually sell out in record time!

Only at Opimian.ca beginning February 27.

LIMITED TIME – LIMITED QUANTITIES – WEB ONLY