By Gaby Israel
Australia
Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2011 – $15.95
You cannot go Wrong with Yalumba, even with this entry level Viognier. I like serving it chilled and have it with any type of dish – from grilled fish, to seafood pasta.
Chile
Errazuriz Single Vineyard Carmenere 2009 2009 – $18.95
Errazuriz Don Maximiano Single Vineyard Cabernet – $19.95
Two great QPR wines from Errazuriz. As I said before, never had less than a great experience from this winery. You get so much value for your money with these ones. Expect lots of fruit and concentrated flavors. A great ‘house wine’/day-to-day wine. Buy 2-12 bottles of each.
Concha Y Toro Terrunyo Block 27 Carmenere 2008 – $29.95
I gave the 2007 version of this wine 90. 2008 was slightly better vintage than the 2007. Since this wine can age for 8-12+ years, its GPCi makes it a good buy. I’d recommend buying 2-6 bottles.
Argentina
El Transito Pietro Marini Malbec 2008 – $13.95
Great review by RP. When you see that a similar supportive review was given to the Vina Cobos Bramar and it costs $43, you don’t think twice and you go for the Marini Malbec for $14.
France
Chateau Roquetaillade La Grange Vieilles Vignes 2009 – $21.95
Since 2009 vintage was highly rated in Bordeaux and especially in Grave (RP gave the vintage 98), for $22 you cannot go wrong with this wine. The reviews indicated high levels of alcohol, yet balanced structure, which can help this wine to be cellared for mid term 3-5 years.
Domaine Tour Saint Michel Cuve Du Lion Chateauneuf-Du0Pape 2009 – $48.95
It’s a typical blend with the majority being Grenache (75%) with a bit of Syrah (20%) and the rest, similarly to most CdP, Mourvedre and Cinsault. Another great example of the 2009 vintage in this amazing region (if you have the chance to visit there go! It’s relatively small and the wines are.. Well… CdP). This wine can usually be cellared for 8-15 years, which makes it GPCi worthy.
Perrin & Fils Les Christins Vacqueyras 2009 – $23.95
I had the previous vintages of this wine and it’s truly one of the better QPR wines out there. Especially, if you, like me, appreciate the wines from this region. From the Vacqueyras region (neighbor to CdP) and from the respectful and consistently good producer Perrin & Fils you get a ‘baby CdP’ (very similar blend) for half the price and with similar quality level. The main difference with the TOUR SaintT Michel CdP is the cellaring potential. This Vacqueyras will be good for 5-10 years, which gives it a better GPCi ! I’d buy 2-6 bottles of this great wine.
La Chablisienne Montmains Chablis 1er Cru 2009 – $24.95
A great Chardonnay for $25 and one that can be cellared for 2-5 years (if not more) – No brainer!
Italy
Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 – $59.95
Marchesi De’ Frescobaldi Vigneto Montesodi Chianti Rufina Riserva – $49.95
Here is a dilemma. Two great wines from very good vintages from Tuscany (the Brunello is brought to us from a bit more south in Tuscany than the Nipozzano). So which one to buy? I started to enjoy both wines from the late 90s. I still remember very well the 1998 Nipozzano – it was absolutely outstanding. If I need to choose between this wine and the 2006 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino for $60, I would go with the Nipozzano. But if you have enough budget this month, go for both, because the 2006 Banfi Brunello is a great wine too. Both wines can usually be cellared for 5-15 years.
By Gaby Israel
Gaby has been providing wine tasting notes and buying recommendations for several years now.
The name WineGPCi (pronounced Wine Gypsy) was given by his friends. GPCi stands for Gaby’s Potential Cellaring Index. While searching for “treasures for the cellar” without going to the bank, the GPCi was initially used to calculate the ratio between the price of the wine and the number of years it can potentially be cellared for; trying to find the wines that had the smallest index/ratio possible.
Any good wine that had a GPCi of 3.5 and under, was worth buying (mainly if you were planning to develop a cellar). Many years and “750 bottles in the cellar” after, his knowledge, experience and passion continued to grow. He continues to focus on helping the consumer finding “logical” ways of buying wines and planning the budget for it.
His great passion for wine revolves around old-world wines such as Spain, France and Italy while experimenting the new world exciting regions of Chile, Argentina, Australia, Canada, the US and others.
Posted with permission of the LCBO.
