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 I’m still recovering from New Year’s Eve, a revel marked by liquor drunk in quantity without any particular concern for quality. In fact, cracking a decent wine at my New Year’s party would’ve seemed downright rude, since it could have stolen too much thunder from the other attractions: the lightning rounds of tequila shots, the oyster-liquor martinis and the rum spiked with punch just to name three.
Now that the minor symptoms of my h.-over have cleared up (i.e. hysterical blindness and spinal cramps), I’ve been fondly perusing my wine journal for the most exciting entries of the past year. Without further ado, here’s the Short Cellar’s list of best and worst of 2009’s wines:
Favourite Wine of 2009: Souverain 1974 Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast, California
It’s rare but incredibly satisfying to drink a 35 year-old bottle that perfectly weaves together the mellow characteristics of age with the verve and vibrancy of youth. The Souverain is like George Clooney’s smile, or Tina Turner’s legs; it will not slow down for at least another decade or two. The exquisite complexity of this Cab proves why California turned the wine world on its head in the 1970s. Look for a nose of moist soil, saddle-leather and burnt brioche. The palate is gripping, full and mystically satisfying. 96/100
Biggest Disappointment of 2009: Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1979, Pauillac, Bordeaux
Along with the Souverain, I tried this bottle at the Winetaster’s annual Christmas Party. Mouton-Rothschild is one of the five Premier Cru wineries in Bordeaux, a grouping which arguably delineates the best and most long-lived wine in the world. Like the Souverain, Mouton is made primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon, but the Californian upstart blew this storied bottle out of the water. Age had worn the palate so threadbare that it was almost transparent. I observed the flavours one would expect from an old Bordeaux (sour cherries, dried flowers and old leather), but they were diluted and inert. Wine magazines like the Spectator have rated this bottle between 96 (fantastically high) and 72 (insultingly low). I agree with those who say this emperor is wearing no clothes. 84/100
Favourite Canadian Wine of 2009: 13th Street Winery 2007 Gamay Noir Sandstone Old Vines, Four Mile Creek, Ontario ($26.00 from winery)
This bottle is superb by any standard, but it gets extra plaudits for being such a dandy value: it’s impossible to find anything this enjoyable for $26 that’s not derived from opium. The fruity Gamay grape is rare in Ontario, but 13th Street Winery marches to its own drummer, and they have made it their specialty. This bottle has a stupendous nose of pepper and plumbs. The palate stands out because it has a gorgeous, almost stratified texture: there are layers of dark fruit accented by smoke and liquorice. A food lover’s wine. 93/100
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column also appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at
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