From your cash-strapped friend and rich Uncle Bob
 2014 Clos de Vougeot |
Paulette Scott, Pacific Wines
| From my cash-strapped friend: Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz 2013 (Clare Valley, Australia) $24 Juicy with purple fruits (blueberry, blackcurrant) fine tannins with a smooth finish. Like a good friend, it’s always consistent and balanced. |
From rich uncle Bob Joseph Drouhin 2014 Clos de Vougeot (Burgundy, France) $330 The 2014 Burgundy harvest was exceptional, so if my rich uncle gave me the Drouhin Clos de Vougeot I would be one happy girl. Expect intense aromas evoking wild raspberry with undertones of truffle and candied fruit. The refined tannins create great structure. I may have to wait to drink this gorgeous wine as complexity will grow with age. |
 Ca Dei Zago Col Fondo Prosecco 2015 |
Jordan Lee, Crush
| From my cash-strapped friend: Ca Dei Zago Col Fondo Prosecco 2015 (Valdobiaddene, Italy) $25 This wine is beyond cool. Only about 10 producers in all of Italy are making Prosecco in the col fondo method. Basically, this sparkler never sees a dosage or disgorgement. The winemaker believes that leaving the lees in the bottle is the best way to truly show the wine’s terroir. Feel free to decant this Prosecco or enjoy the cloudy wine right out of the bottle. |
From rich uncle Bob Gramercy Cellars Lagniappe Syrah 2013 (Washington State, USA) $85 Gramercy is about as cult as it gets—hard to find, top quality, and very limited production. The Lagniappe represents everything Gramercy strives to achieve— perfect harmony between new world and old world wine making styles. Think Hermitage on steroids! |
 Bric Cenciurio 2012 |
Valerie Albrecht, Enotri
| From my cash-strapped friend: Andreas Bender 2015 Paulessen Riesling (Mosel, Germany) $21 A crisp and modern dry Riesling that expresses the allure and wonder of the Mosel region. Expect compelling lemon and stone fruit notes with a minerally backbone. |
From rich uncle Bob Bric Cenciurio 2012 Barolo Monrobiolo di Bussia DOCG Piedmont, Italy) $65 This Barolo is from a very small plot (11 rows) within the Bussia cru, planted in 1960s. This has the magic of the Nebbiolo grape in spades, the enticing nose of violets and fruit, a hint of leather and persistent, mouth-filling flavour. The Barolo is approachable now, and I would highly recommend decanting for one hour before serving. It will continue to evolve and with proper cellaring can be enjoyed over the next 10-15 years. |
 Hine Antique XO Premier Cru |
Deb Pirker, Andrew Peller Import
| From my cash-strapped friend: Codorniu Cuvée Barcelona 1872 (Spain) $20 Rich aromatic nuances, creaminess and intense expression. Cuvée Barcelona 1872 pays tribute to Codornui’s origins when Josep Raventos crafted the first bottle of cava. Now, a cava to be enjoyed any time of day with breakfast, brunch, aperitifs or dinner. |
From rich uncle Bob Hine Antique XO Premier Cru – Grande Champagne Cognac (Cognac, France) $165 Warm up around the fire with this amazing cognac, a blend of over 40 cognacs with a minimum age of 10 years, exclusively from grapes grown in Grande Champagne, the finest cru of the Cognac region. Enjoy the provocative perfume of spices, vanilla and liquorice with hints of chocolate and baked apple. |
Dianna Funnel, Sherbrooke Liquor
| From my cash-strapped friend: Chateau Chappelle Maillard 2014 (AOC Bordeaux, France) $20 The estate is on the very tip of St. Emilion and entirely organic since the early 1980s, the vineyards surround an ancient umbrella pine tree, shown on the label. Stephen Spurrier calls this vintage one to watch; this wine is both graceful and easy to drink. |
From rich uncle Bob Clos des Papes Châteauneuf du Pape 2012 (Rhone Valley, France) $127 Long time advocates of biodynamic farming, Clos des Papes vineyards enjoy a wide range of different types of soils contributing to the depth and elegance of the wine. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to compare the 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintages? Sherbrooke Liquor has all three. |
 DeAngelis Rosso Piceno DOC 2014 |
 Col d’Orcia Brunello Riserva |
Barb and Susan Giacomin, Winequest
| From my cash-strapped friend: DeAngelis Rosso Piceno DOC 2014 (LeMarche, Italy) $204 This year’s version is delicious! What was a troubling vintage for most of Italy seem to have blessed DeAngelis. So heavenly on the palate in both taste and texture, it softly caresses the tongue with divine flavours of ripe dark cherries blanketed in velvet. The palate and price makes it a perfect every day, on-hand, go-to wine buy. |
From rich uncle Bob Col d’Orcia Brunello Riserva DOCG Poggio al Vento 2007 (Tuscany, Italy) $140 So elegant and layered, silky and sensually feminine— when we drink this, we feel like Italian royalty. We are experiencing something so noticeably above and beyond we feel as noble and special as this wine. Of course, when reviews use the words like “best, “essential,” “top” and with scores over 95, you don’t have to rely just on our words. Only 54 bottles available in Western Canada. |
 Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Port 1966 |
Doug Hicks and Marcia J. Hamm, Hicks Fine Wines
| From my cash-strapped friend: Il Palagio When We Dance Chianti DOCG 2013 (Tuscany, Italy) $24 A traditional Chianti (Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino) that is juicy and incredibly quaffable. It also doesn’t hurt that the owners of Palagio are Sting and Trudie Styler, adding some celebrity glam. This friend may be cash-strapped but this friend also has great taste. |
From rich uncle Bob Taylor Fladgate Single Harvest Port 1966 (Douro Valley, Portugal) $265 Who doesn’t want to receive a Christmas gift that is 50 years old? Smooth and rich with all the characteristics that make a Colheita great and its value ensures no re-gifting would occur! |
 Celler de Capçanes 2015 |
Eberhard Tamm, Enotri
| From my cash-strapped friend: Mas Donis Red Celler de Capçanes 2015 (Catalonia, Spain) $23 This well-crafted blend of 75 per cent Grenache with 20 per cent Syrah and five per cent Merlot is a year-round fun wine which also holds its own against anything you want to pair it with during the holiday season. |
From rich uncle Bob Château Vieux Barrail Puisseguin de St. Emilion 2012 (Bordeaux, France) $35 The 2014 Burgundy harvest was exceptional, so if my rich uncle gave me the Drouhin Clos de Vougeot I would be one happy girl. Expect intense aromas evoking wild raspberry with undertones of truffle and candied fruit. The refined tannins create great structure. I may have to wait to drink this gorgeous wine as complexity will grow with age. |
 Viranel Rendez-Vous 2013 |
 Chateau Montifaud 150th Anniversary Cognac |
Juanita Roos, Color de Vino
| From my cash-strapped friend: Viranel Rendez-Vous, IGP Pays D’Doc 2013 (Languedoc, France) $22 Bright and juicy Cabernet Franc marries the dark berries and depth of Cabernet Sauvignon to produce an easy-drinking wine with loads of lively fruit, fresh violets and plums. Drink as an aperitif or pair with meats and cheeses. |
From rich uncle Bob Chateau Montifaud 150th Anniversary Cognac (Cognac, France) $598 The blend consists of cognac from 1850 and eaux-de-vie from 1968, 1990 and 2005, each representing a generation of the Vallet family proprietors. A cognac for collectors and connoisseurs presented in a replica of the 1866 bottle with a hand-crafted wax seal and a numbered certificate. Who wouldn’t want it? |