If I Could Buy Only One – December 17 VINTAGES Release

We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from this release, which one would it be and why?”

Muré Clos Saint Landelin Vorbourg Pinot Gris 2018

($49.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.)
John Szabo – Every Christmas eve, I prepare a lavish, multi-course seafood dinner for my family, paired, of course, with some great wines. The main course this year will be a lobster-saffron risotto with chanterelles, and my only one from the December 17th release to match it would be the Muré Clos Saint Landelin Vorbourg Pinot Gris 2018. It has all the weight, viscosity, richness and vibrancy to sing beautifully with this intensely-flavoured, sweet-floral-earthy dish. Demeter-certified biodynamic, from the south-facing, terraced Clos Saint Landelin monopole on limestone at the southern end of Alsace, it’s s a reminder of just how good pinot gris can be. After decanting, we’ll toast some things for which we’re grateful, like the recently-established COP15 international roadmap to preserve biodiversity across the planet and the Canada-wide ban on many single use plastics, and we’ll also spare a though for those less fortunate, like the citizens of Ukraine in this cold winter.

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($56.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits)
David Lawrason – If I were facing a Holiday weekend with the prospect of being shut indoors by a winter storm and ensuing cold snap, I would seriously consider this Calem 20 Year Old Tawny Port as the best possible only purchase – both for the gentle warmth and the richness so easily radiated by tawny port, and because the range of tertiary aromas and flavours would keep me occupied. So often in my career I have been jolted back to the utter quality and fascination of a 20 Year Old Tawny. And I understand why many Portuguese prize it ahead of vintage port. This delivers with outstanding quality at 95pts. Bring on the winter Holidays.

($12.95, Vinya Wine Agency)
Michael Godel—’Tis the last week of 2022 and everyone is readying their finest bottles for soirées from here to New Years. Go for it, knock yourself out. I for one will be pouring the you know what out of Morgado De Silgueiros Vinho Tinto 2019, because it is the finest $13 wine of not only the year but also the decade (thus far). Not to mention a case purchase gains you 1,000 Aeroplan points through December 24th. Four-part varietal get together for the most inexpensive bottle of red wine honesty you will find between now and the end of 2022. Dark red in the black cherry to plum fruit spectrum with no distractions or make-up anywhere on this cleanest wine of impossible clarity. Proper acids and only fine if short term tannin. For gatherings of one or more to as many as you need to satisfy with a quality red that could not possibly cost any less.

($56.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits)
Megha Jandhyala—Mature and especially concentrated and complex, with notes of dried fruit, roasted nuts, caramel, and spice, the Calem 20 Year Old Tawny Port is sweet, without being either cloying or saccharine. It seems like sweet wines are often eschewed for their drier counterparts these days, but I would argue that a rich, warm, and comforting port such as this is as good a pairing as any for the bitter cold weather we will be seeing over the next few days. It should also make a great addition to the bar at holiday parties. Enjoy it lightly chilled as an aperitif or nightcap, or serve it with aged cheeses and all manner of desserts, including chocolate cake, cheesecake, and crème brûlée. Priced at a little under $60, this delicious, 20-year-old tawny port represents good value, given that a bottle once opened can be stored in the fridge for at least a few weeks.

L'or De Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes 2015

($27.95, Hektars Agence Inc.)
Sara d’Amato – If ever there was a time to recommend a Sauternes, it’s over the holidays when friends and family are there to share alongside rich nibbles and sweets. When family comes to stay, there is always cheese and charcuterie on the table bridging the gap between meals ensuring that everyone is happy and satisfied and it becomes a focal point for involved conversations. You may be tempted to take out this well-priced bottle of L’or De Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes 2015 from the 1er Grand Cru estate of Laufaurie-Peyraguey to pair with desserts such as an almond tart, caramel flan, or cardamom poached pears but I think it best served at tête-a-têtes with meal bridging cheeses and patés.

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