Our recent journey to Vinitaly, (O.K. It was April, but I am clinging on) yielded more than just purple teeth. It was a rare opportunity to try the wines of this tiny and highly sought after producer. The Marion Valpolicella Superiore makes most others look insipid and is actually better than most ripassos I have tried. Only 7,500 bottles were made. We got 66 of them.

Marion Valpolicella Superiore Veneto 2005.

Marion is named for the former owners of this tiny estate. It is the Campedellis who brought its wines to prominence. Stefano Campedelli and his wife Nicoletta continue to create enviable wines of depth and character. Please be aware that Robert Parker and Antonio Galloni at the Wine Advocate have discovered these wines in a big way.

What a joy it is to taste these new releases from Marion, a relative newcomer to the scene. The estate's approach is rigorously rooted to an expression of terroir as well as search for the best clones possible, many of which come from the vineyards of other high-quality producers rather than nurseries. Readers need to make sure the wines of Marion are on their radar screens.

Antonio Galloni

See what I mean? Hopefully this won't affect future prices.

Marion Valpolicella
Superiore Veneto 2005
is $57.95 per bottle in cases of 6.

What does it taste like?

These are my Vinitaly notes.

Appearance: Very deep ruby.
Nose: candied cherries - super concentrated with layers of Big red fruit (I used capitals at the time.)
Palate: forward, rich, mouthfilling, full-bodied, intense (I know I was repeating myself, but you can tell it made an impression.)

As rich as some people's Amarone. Woodland fruits with cherries, herbs. It displays a soft, round palate and a complex, persistent taste. Don't serve it too warm. Cellar temperature is always safe.

Why?

The blend is 10% Corvina Gentile, 60% Corvina Grossa, 20% Rondinella, 10% Teroldego and other varieties.
This wine is made in a venerable and traditional way.
Some of the grapes are collected in boxes and then placed in small open wooden crates in well-ventilated rooms, where they are partially dried for approx. 40 days. A second part is left hanging on the vines until it reaches super-ripeness, to be harvested during the first ten days of October, and then pressed. After fermentation the wines obtained are aged separately in small oak barrels for about 30 months and lastly blended and bottled.

What else?

We have a few sixpacks of each of the following:

Marion Teroldego 2005 for $63.95 per bottle in cases of 6.

Marion Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 for $63.95 per bottle in cases of 6.

Call if you have any questions about these rare and wonderful wines.

I don't really have anything I want to sell you this week, but that doesn't mean there isn't something for me to recommend.
The reason for this is that the wine we are talking about this week is available at your local LCBO.
The estate is Shingleback in the McLaren Vale and the man who makes it (and co-owns it) is John Davey.

Tourism moment:
Here is one of life's great experiences. I was sitting outside at the Victoy Hotel on top of a hill overlooking Sellicks Beach, a few miles south of 'the Vale'. I had the hotel's two golden retrievers lying at my feet. As I enjoyed an uninterrupted view of the Gulf of St. Vincent, I poured a bottle of Shingleback Shiraz that had just been pulled from the hotel's old cellar. Was the sunset really that great or was I just 'happy'?

No matter the setting, the wines add to the experience.

The LCBO now has both of the Red Knot wines available on their general list and I think they give a great boost to that selection.

Both of the wines come not with a cork or screwcap, but a Zork! This is a closure invented in South Australia that creates a perfect seal without the possibility of taint that cork threatens or the chance of damage that is always a fear with screwcaps. It is plastic, it is weird, but it is good and you don't need a corkscrew and it makes a satisfying 'pop' when you pull it out.

Red Knot Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
$17.95 per bottle

Red Knot Shiraz 2007
$17.95 per bottle

These wines are designed to be enjoyed immediately (you can leave them for a couple of years, but there is no need). They offer the ripeness and elegance that defines McLaren Vale. The Shiraz is going to be richer and spicier and the Cabernet a little more structured and elegant (relative to the Shiraz, not to Beaujolais).

What's happening at Vintages?

This Saturday there will be a special Vintages release of the Shingleback Estate Shiraz.
We are only getting 400 cases for the whole province. (Sounds like a lot, but it is a big province.) The price is $4 better than normal and that makes it worth your attention.

Shingleback Shiraz 2006 $23.95 per bottle.

If you want 12 bottles, we are allowed to collect it, deliver it and do the invoicing. If you just want a couple, then you have to get down to your local store next week. This is a highly rated wine that tells the McLaren Vale story very well. Worth the trip!

Anything else?

Shingleback Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 $27.95 per bottle in cases of 12.

We do have 10 cases left of the 2006 estate Cabernet in our stocks. This vintage received 89 points from James Halliday and has done very well.

John was here a couple of weeks back. We did a quick interview on the estate and another on the wines. They came up really well and are interesting and entertaining (if I say so myself). They are five minutes each, so check them out when you have time.