In this column, I am giving some recommendations for wines over $100 that you may want to give to a very special person or for yourself to drink during the holiday season.
Consumers should take advantage of the GST holiday that applies to most wines between Dec. 14 to Feb. 15., which will save you an additional five per cent on your wine purchases. If you are purchasing wines over $100, the savings are substantial. BC Liquor Stores has conveniently identified which wines/alcoholic beverages are GST-exempt during this period on their website.
So here are my recommendations for that special bottle for gifting or for that holiday occasion where you want to splurge on some wine.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild 2017 ($1200 reduced to $860)
Mouton Rothschild is one of the five first-growth wines of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification System and remains one of the top wineries in Bordeaux to this day. Each year Mouton picks an artist to decorate their label. Past artists include Picasso, Chagall, Jeff Koons and even the King of England (when he was the Prince of Wales).
The 2017 label was decorated by Annette Messager and is a blend of 90-per-cent Cabernet Sauvignon, nine-per-cent Merlot and one-per-cent Petit Verdot. It can be enjoyed right away with three to four hours of decanting or it can be kept as an heirloom for the next 30 or more years.
With the GST exemption and sale price, you are saving $434 per bottle from the original price.
Chateau Nenin 2020 ($150 reduced to $130)
Many 2020 Bordeaux wines are on sale this month. Chateau Nenin is a winery situated on the Right Bank of Bordeaux in the Pomerol region. The wine is a blend of 68-per-cent Merlot and 32-per-cent Cabernet Franc and is a rising star of the region.
The owners of the winery also own a superstar second-growth wine on the Left Bank of Bordeaux (Leoville Las Cases). You will get black chocolate and orange peel flavours. This wine will drink well for the next 15 or more years.
With the GST exemption and sale price, you are saving $29.50 per bottle from the original price.
Caymus Special Selection 2019 ($239.99)
If you enjoy Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Caymus Special Selection is a great option if you are looking for a top-shelf wine.
This represents the best grapes of the winery and the wine has an intense concentration of dark fruits. Special Selection is the only wine in the world that has twice been chosen as Wine Spectator magazine’s “Wine of the Year.”
Chateau Gloria 2019-2021 Gift set ($300)
BC Liquor stores often sell several vintages of the same wine so consumers can purchase an instant vertical. These verticals allow a consumer to get to know a wine and see how the tastes differently with different climatic conditions.
The Richmond Brighouse store is offering a three-year vertical of Chateau Gloria, a quality wine from the St. Julien region in Bordeaux. Chateau Gloria is mostly made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with some Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. You will get cassis, blue fruits and tobacco flavours.
Joseph Drouhin 2022 Meursault ($139.99)
Meursault is one of the top white wine-producing regions in Burgundy. This 100-per-cent Chardonnay wine will have pear, toasted nuts, white flowers and peach aromas and flavours. The year 2022 is a very good vintage for Burgundy white wines and this wine will drink well right away but will continue to age gracefully for the next 10 or more years.
I hope all my viewers and subscribers have a wonderful holiday season and I will be back before New Year’s with my champagne and sparkling wine recommendations for New Year’s Eve!
Tony Kwan is a Richmond News columnist. Lawyer by day, and a food and wine lover by night. Kwan is an epicurean who writes about wine, food and enjoying all that life has to offer.
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