December Wines of the Month: Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2012 & Quinta do Canto (Dores Simoes) Garrafeira 1995

With apologies for the grainy Blackberry pic – kind of atmospheric though….

Although I know in December, of all months, I’m supposed to write up suitably seasonable wines, ideal Christmas presents and all that, it’s not happening. Why? In my defence, last month I dished up a couple of fine Port recommendations and posted reports on Madeira and a rather special, pre-phylloxera Port (just in case you’ve got a couple of grand to spend…).

But mostly it’s because my two wines of the month are just that, the wines that most firmly etched themselves on my palate and made my taste buds sing. That said, I guess the Grosset is seasonal if you are Down Under and, as it happens, the Quinta do Canto would be brilliant with turkey or game. Here are my notes:

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2012 (Clare Valley)

Where Grosset’s other single vineyard Riesling, Springvale Watervale’s arc of flavour makes for a convex palate (click here for my tasting note), the concave Polish Hill draws you in. Tensile, pure but seemingly pithily textured and pitted with minerals (dry extract), it’s wondrously powerful, with palpable palate presence – real weight and pull. Though penetrating, the still ever so tightly focused finish reverberates with potential. Phenomenal. I can well understand why Grosset reckons it “may well rival the 2002 and 1982 as the greatest ever”.  RRP £27.99

Quinta do Canto (Dores Simoes) Garrafeira 1995 (Bairadda)

This so put me in mind of fine, mature Burgundy with its soaring incense, sweet, ripe red and plum fruits and cool tang of clay. There’s a hint of pine needles too – a regional signature note, as are the firm tannins. But they’re ripe and yielding too, making this wine a fine match for roast tuna belly with rosemary. And the best news? This mature Baga costs only €11.07 is available via Niepoort Projectos.

And if like me you’re a huge fan of Baga, don’t miss my report on Luis Pato’s all new very limited edition release from ungrafted Baga vines on chalky clay soils here.  Luis Pato Pé Franco Valadas Vineyard 2011 is stunning.