We are delighted to offer you the just released 2007 Brunello di Montalcino from Máté Wines.  It has already garnered 90+ point ratings from the wine press! The winery has also reserved its last bottles of some of our Members’ favourite wines (at their original prices): the over-achieving 2009 Rosso di Montalcino; the 90 point 2008 Albatro; the crowd-pleasing 2007 Mantus Merlot, and; perhaps my favourite, the 92 point 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.

We visited Candace Máté at the Máté’s verdant estate just outside of Montalcino in Tuscany last October right after Hélène’s marvellous week-long Tour de Provence. After taking us on a brisk hike through their forests and vineyards (60° slopes insists Hélène), she treated us to the latest vintages of their award-winning vinous treasures. Here you can see Candace pouring another sample as your humble taster dutifully contemplates its suitability for the discerning palates of our wine club Members (work, work, work!). Let me happily inform you that it and all the others passed muster with soaring colours.

See our original bulletin to learn more about Máté Wines and its most interesting owners, Candace and Ferenc Máté.

The Very Special Máté Wines – Montalcino, Tuscany

The Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grow contentedly in their own separate plots, crammed together 3,000 vines per acre in the finest part of the Montalcino appellation. Yields are kept extremely low by three annual green prunings to concentrate the flavours.  Then the grapes are hand picked at fullest maturity and fermented in small temperature-controlled stainless steel vats or new wooden barrels. The grapes are punched down by hand to extract colour and tannins while the must is kept cool to maintain the rich aromas of fruits and spices. The wines are aged for up to thirty months in Allier oak barriques and tonneaux. Whether in the vineyards or the winery, Ferenc and Candace are fanatical about every aspect of the creation of their wines. In metaphysical terms, doing it the best way possible is an absolute presupposition for the Mátés. As a result, their wines exhibit great refinement, depth and an abundance of unforgettable flavours.

Recent Tuscan vintages have been very successful. Here is how the ‘Wine Spectator’ rates them (out of 100): 2006 – 95; 2007 – 92-95; 2008 – 89-92.

The Tasty Tuscans on Offer from Máté Wines

In addition to the five splendid wines noted above, we are also offering a new Máté Tuscan Sampler for those of you who would like to try them all. We will be taking your orders for these stunning wines to the LCBO on Monday, February 27th.. Please note that the following prices include a $1 handling fee.

2009 Rosso di Montalcino – 14.5% Alc./Vol.                      $25/$150 six-bottle case Made from 100% Sangiovese (Brunello) and aged in oak (20% new Allier) for thirteen months, this splendid wine is a brilliantly clear ruby colour. It has lovely, vibrant floral, fresh fruit, new leather and aniseed aromas. In the mouth - its fresh acidity with cherry and licorice flavours unfolding to dark chocolate and raspberry make it a pleasure to match with food. What foods? Medium weight dishes including pasta with meat sauce (natch!), poultry, mushrooms or truffles, risottos and pork or veal in sauce. In fact, darn near everything! This is a wine that drinks marvellously well in its youth but will also age quite happily for five to eight years. Members who ordered it last time have given it rave reviews (me too!). This is a truly terrific wine value. Order your mini-Brunello now!

2008 Albatro – 15.0% Alc./Vol.                                           $30/$180 six-bottle case This vibrant powerhouse is made from equal parts Merlot and Sangiovese that was aged nineteen months in one, two and three year old Allier oak. It is a strong, clear ruby red. At first there is a slight musk on the nose that is followed by pronounced aromas of red fruit, licorice, cedar and prunes with a hint of dark chocolate. In the mouth the prunes and red fruit persist with well integrated tannins, good acidity and pleasing length. There is wonderful depth of flavour and complexity here. Like all Máté wines, it should be decanted a couple of hours before serving a little below room temperature. It will go well with a wide range of foods, from roasted vegetables and grilled meats to medium cheeses. Here’s what Bruce Sanderson of the ‘Wine Spectator’ (September 2011) has to say about it, “Though elegant, with floral, raspberry and wild berry aromas and flavors, this red has a firm, iron-clad structure. Perfume and fruit elements linger on the finish. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2012 through 2020. 350 cases made. 90/100 The Mátés have given us a special price on the 2008 Albatro which makes it less expensive than the first time we offered it. Order your terrific, tasty Tuscan now.

2007 Mantus Merlot – 15.0% Alc./Vol                    $34/$206 six-bottle case This brooding little flavour bomb is made from 100% Merlot and was aged in one, three and four year old Allier oak for twenty months. It is a deep, crystal clear garnet colour. It offers up generous aromas of cherries, prunes, licorice, dark chocolate, strawberry, leather and red currants. It is rich and corpulent in the mouth where licorice, cedar and prunes dominate. Rated 90 points by the ‘Wine Enthusiast’, it is very well structured and balanced with silky tannins and a long finish. This is an elegant wine with considerable depth and complexity. Drink happily now or hold for at least five years. Decant, cool slightly and enjoy with just about anything you like pairing with an expressive red wine. Order your marvellous Máté Manus Merlot now.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon – 15.0% Alc./Vol                      $46/$276 six-bottle case Made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, this big expressive wine spent twenty two months in one, two and three year old Allier oak. I love this wine. Like the 2007, it reminds me of a very good, top notch Napa Cab. A bright ruby colour, it offers up complex aromas of jammy red fruit, old saddle leather, cedar, macaroons and vanilla. Big, brawny and full of zesty fruit when first opened, it settles down and mellows out after a couple of hours in the decanter. But it remains complex, balanced, long and very, very pleasing. Candace Máté says that she prefers the 2008 to the 2007.   Wine Enthusiast magazine: A lovely Cab from Montalcino, with bright berry aromas of blackberry and wild cherry backed by exotic spice, clove, sweet cinnamon and a touch of espresso bean. The wine is firm but smooth on the finish with loads of fruit intensity at the very end. 92/100 Order some of the nicest Cab around.

2007 Brunello di Montalcino – 14.5% Alc./Vol                  $59/$354 six-bottle case This outstanding Brunello di Montalcino is made from 100% Sangiovese that rested 30 months in two, three and four year old Allier oak. It then remained eighteen months in the bottle before release. It is a deep garnet-ruby colour with a nose that is packed with aromas of cherries, blackberries, spices, flowers and licorice. In the mouth it offers up a complexity of flavours including plums, cherries, wild berries, dark chocolate and tobacco that keep evolving in the glass. This full-bodied beauty is wonderfully balanced with bright acidity and silky tannins. And, the medley of flavours seems to linger forever. James Suckling on jamessuckling.com, January 15, 2012 pronounced: Aromas of leather, dried citrus rind and berries, follow through to a full body, with chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Lively acidity. Lots of dried citrus character, savory. Drink now or hold 93/100. Wine Enthusiast magazine: A ripe fruit element that is perfectly contained and just short of seeming overdone or overtly jammy. It’s soft and round with loads of oak-driven spice, like cinnamon and ground clove, and plump tones of red cherry, blackberry and plum. What’s really nice here is the fresh density and overall supple texture. 94/100 Order your titanic Tuscan treat now.

The Máté Tuscan Sampler – 13.9%-15.0% Alc./Vol         $37/$222 six-bottle case You get two bottles of the 2009 Rosso and one bottle each of the 2008 Albatro, 2007 Manus Merlot, 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Brunello di Montalcino. A sensational six-pack of tasty Tuscan treasures if ever there was one. Order your Tuscan treasure trove now.

Cheers!

Jim and Hélène
jaswalker@arthursellers.com
www.arthursellers.com
hbuisson@ofrance.ca
www.ofrance.ca