Anthony Gismondi: The best selection of wines for the collector

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As global wine prices continue to balloon, you might expect that all wines produced today are made for collectors; of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Most wines in the market are not age-worthy and, regardless of their elevated prices, should be drunk sooner rather than later.

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We recommend a series of wines we know you can age based on our tasting experience. They are all fine bottles, and you can drink them when you want, but if you are a collector or someone looking for a gift for a collector, they are all capable of aging effortlessly for a decade from the year they were created. All the wines are listed in B.C. liquor stores, and many will be in private wine shops and on restaurant wine lists. B.C. liquor prices are confirmed through Dec. 28.

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• Tenuta di Arceno 2021 Chianti Classico, Tuscany, $42.99 (select private wine shops), is a wine that collectors will love. First, it is 2021. Second, it is 2021. Third, it is 2021. If you only remember one important vintage to buy whenever you see it, remember Tuscan reds in 2021.

• Premier Cru Chablis rarely disappoints, as shown by this Jean-Marc Brocard 2021 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru, France, $59.99 (41 stores). Surprisingly, these fabulous food wines age well and only get better in the bottle through five to seven years and beyond.

• Gran Selezione is at the top of the heap of the Chianti Classico classification. In the highly regarded 2018 year, you can’t go wrong with the Castello di Ama 2018 San Lorenzo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, $59.99 (53 stores). There is no rush to drink this before 2028.

• Barolo is having a moment, and wines like this Giovanni Rosso Del Commune di Serralunga d’Alba 2018 Barolo, $69.99 (25 stores), are responsible. Serralunga reds have an incredible mineral styling that elevates the wine to another level — from an eminently age-worthy year.

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• Champagne has become a super luxury, so if you have the budget, take advantage of it anytime you can find one on sale. Champagne Louis Roederer M/V Collection 243, $86.99 (77 stores), is a multi-vintage wine based on the generous 2018 vintage. It has 31 per cent from the ongoing reserve (2012 through 2017) and 10 per cent cask-aged reserve wines from 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

• Gerard Bertrand is a Languedoc crusader, and his signature red Gérard Bertrand 2019 L’Hospitalitas, $87.99, Languedoc, France (5 stores), is an impressive blend of Syrah and Mourvedre grown on the edge of the coast overhanging the Mediterranean Sea: violets, blackberries, and cherry jam laced with garrigue rule a wine that will live beyond 2030.

• B.C. Pinot Noir is on a roll, and one of the best is Martin’s Lane Naramata Ranch Vineyard 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $100 (14 stores). This pure, complex, elegant, silky, organic Pinot is one to drink through 2028.

• Ridge Estate 2021 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, $109.99 (5 stores) is the understudy to the renowned Ridge Montebello Chardonnay. A picture of complexity, it has a rich toasted hazelnut flavour poking through its fine leesy textures and tropical fruit flavours; a gastronomic wine.

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• Fashion can be fickle regarding wine styles, but one type of wine, Vintage Port, will be around, especially given how much collectors love to cellar it. You can start or continue your journey with Fonseca 2016 Vintage Port, Douro Valley, Portugal $149.99 (24 stores). Fonseca seldom, if ever, disappoints. Look for black cherries, blackberries, menthol, violets, and a jammy, hedonistic fruit flavour that persists in the mouth for minutes. It is a brilliant wine that will live well into the second half of this century.

The time to buy is now.

Weekend wine picks

Alois Lageder Porer Pinot Grigio 2021, Trentino- Alto-Adige, Italy

$49.99 I 91/100

UPC: 609286401756

At Alois Lageder, Pinot Grigio is a religion. The Porer is a good example of their wine-growing philosophy; they are farmed according to biodynamic methods and are Demeter-certified. Throughout the vinification, the winery plays with a mix of techniques: classic vinification, short skin contact, extended time on the lees, and partly whole-cluster ferments. The result is a sophisticated white with plenty of texture and style, packed full of citrus, melons, and minerals that finish earthy and dry. Drink or hold or serve with turkey.

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Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico Sangiovese – Merlot 2021, Tuscany, Italy

$42.99 I 92/100

UPC: 799987002809

Arceno has always been a rich red, mixing Sangiovese with 15 per cent Merlot. In 2021, with the help of one of the driest vintages in Tuscany in the last century, this wine has an injection of vivacity and freshness that is front and centre. It is Chianti Classico with incredible aromas of tart cherries, strawberries, and violets that pepper a palate with blueberries, cedar and red oranges. The palate is streaked with white pepper and licorice with some tannin to disperse, but this wine is always better at five to seven years of bottle age. Private wine shops only.

Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Montmains 1er Cru 2021, Chablis, Burgundy, France

$59.99 I 92/100

UPC: 03436801109111

Montmains sits on the Serein River’s left bank, on chalky soils. Its mineral-rich terroir significantly impacts the wine, contributing to its stony character and floral undertones. The coolish 2021 is a saline mineral affair pitching citrus and licorice, all contained in its subtle, taut, leesy textures. It is a beautiful food wine that is only beginning its life. Oysters, anyone? Delicious.

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Martin’s Lane Naramata Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley

$100 I 96/100

UPC: 776545994035

The first Naramata Ranch pPnot vines were planted in the early 2000s, followed by several more blocks added at different elevations and expositions over the next decade. It is a fantastic mix of sites and mesoclimates, depending on their exposition and proximity to Okanagan Lake. The nose is highly perfumed, and the flavours of a complex blend of black cherries and savoury, spicy licorice come together in a storm of umami. This is pure, complex, elegant, silky Pinot to drink through 2028. The certified organic vines are created at a welcomed 12.7 per cent alcohol.

Ridge Estate Chardonnay 2021, Santa Cruz Mountains, San Francisco Bay, California

$109.99 I 93/100

UPC: 744442479009

There is something magnetic about the Ridge Santa Cruz Chardonnay. A picture of complexity, it has a rich hazelnut current running through its fine leesy textures, with bits of toasted caramelized apples and a long, persistent finish. In the finest years, when the differences warrant a separate bottling, a limited amount of juice is directed into the Monte Bello Chardonnay. Collectors highly covet white wines that age with ease.

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Calendar items

Tickets are on sale for the fourth annual Vancouver Cocktail Week (VCW) presented by The Alchemist magazine. VCW 2025 kicks off with its traditional Signature Sunday Cocktail Brunch (this year at ARC Restaurant, Fairmont Waterfront Hotel), followed by a full lineup of events, including dozens of seminars, tastings, master classes, dinners, parties, and drag shows. There’s also the (unticketed) Cinq à Sept series of elevated happy hours. Until Dec. 31, VCW offers $20 off early-bird gala tickets — and $25 off a VIP ticket. A portion of ticket sales will go to Mind The Bar, a Vancouver-based organization that supports mental health wellness in the hospitality industry across Canada. For tickets or to browse the program guide, visit thealchemistmagazine.ca/vcw.

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The oldest wine in Europe was discovered recently in northern Greece by the department of history and archeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Research indicates that the production and drinking of wine in Europe originates from prehistoric Greece, where thousands of ancient grape seeds and pomace were found in an ancient Philippi house, preserved since a fire in 4,300 BC. The university has been conducting archeo-botanical research using archeological flotation for the last 20 years. It is a technique where ancient deposits are placed in a flotation tank with water that dissolves the deposit until fragments of plants and other materials float to the top. The result has yielded a wealth of information on the social and economic organization of the inhabitants, including their daily activities, farming and agricultural practices, and specific symbolic activities from the 7th to the 1st millennium BC.

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B.C. wine of the week

Concha y Toro Marqués de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Puente Alto, Valle del Maipo, Chile

$18.99 I 90/100

UPC: 07804320333175

The label winemaker Marcelo Papa made famous continues to impress as the vines quietly age. The fruit comes from two Maipo sites near the foothills of the Andes: Puente Alto El Mariscal at 650 metres and Pirque at 570 metres. Both sites sit on poor alluvial soils loaded with gravel. The result is a delicious, savoury bay leaf, lightly smoky cassis and cherry-flavoured palate with a smoky graphite underside — a classic steak wine. Less new oak and larger barrels are the secret to the styling of this wine, which has gone from chocolate, cherries, and vanilla to a more authentic wine of place.

Value wine of the week

Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2020, Valle de Uco, Tunuyán, Central Region, Mendoza, Argentina

$15.99 I 89/100

UPC: 7791728000566

If you are looking for a “party red, this is it. We loved it when it sold for $20, but you can buy it until Dec. 28 for $15.99. The Santa Julia Reserve Malbec draws upon the considerable resources and skills of the Zuccardi family, and it delivers it all at a fantastic price. It is made with all hand-picked Uco Valley fruit grown at 1,400 metres. The nose is fresh and bright with red-black fruit evoking cherries, plums, blueberries, and black plums with just a trace of sticky tannins for gravitas. Back up the truck, again and again. It is a perfect turkey wine, too.

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