LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: Feb. 5

Pirramimma Stock’s Hill 2012 GSM (McLaren Vale, Australia)

Sale $15.45, Regular $17.45
Discount (until March 1): $2.00
LCBO # 352252 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Heaven and earth… fresh fruit and funky dirt.
Pairs with: BBQ, steak, pork with char, peppery dishes, wild rice and grilled vegetables.
Good for: Confession(s).
Drink this: Now to 2018.
Alcohol: 14.9%

Why we're drinking this
We’ve been drinking Pirramimma wines for years, reliant on the fact that the Australian wine label’s Ontario agent, B&W Wines, has never steered us wrong. This is a good reason to get to know the people who import the wines you buy at the LCBO. Just ask a friendly staffer to tell you the name of the importer. Or check the back label, though it’s not always mentioned. Anyway, Pirramimma is a family owned winery going back more than 100 years. The name is an aboriginal phrase that means “the moon and the stars.” Romance aside, they make damn good wines, most of them big.

Tasting note
From old vines come intense wines, and this blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mataro (better known as Mourvedre) is a whopping big, black-ink bruiser brimming with black and red fruit (blackberry, blackcurrant, cherry, raspberry), florals (rose petals) and savoury (dried herbs, black olives, vine leaves) elements. It’s got a touch of leather, coffee and earth too. With warming but not overbearing alcohol—a full 14.9%, but you could easily round it up to 15+%—this is a nice winter wine. It’s not cloying or sweet, but it is rich, ripe and concentrated. Tannins are medium and a bit gritty, and if they were bigger, you might age this 10 years or more. But it’s drinking well now, and should improve to 2018 or so. For 15 bucks and change, it’s a very good wine. Fully and completely quaffable.

Find it at your LCBO
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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud  Dick Snyder