Brett happens

Barbaresco 2008, Pora, Riserva, Produttori del Barbaresco ($50.50, 11214469)
(For background information on the Produttori and their wines, see last December’s Tasting with Aldo Vacca report.) 100% Nebbiolo from the Pora vineyard. Fermented with cultivated “Barolo” yeasts in temperature-controlled (30ºC) concrete and stainless steel vats. Fermentation and maceration – with regular punch-downs and pump-overs – last 28 days. Matured 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (though reportedly smaller than those used in earlier vintages). Bottled unfiltered and with a small dose of sulphur dioxide. Matured another eight months in bottle before release. 14% ABV.
Primary nose: sour cherry, tarry slate and faint notes of rose and sandalwood. Perhaps a shade lighter weight than the 2007 Pora yet if anything more balanced and complete. With its silky ripe fruit, it retains Pora’s typical accessibility. But chew the wine and you’ll get a different picture, one etched – albeit finely – in tannins and minerals and hinting at hidden depths. The wine’s airframe structure, tense acidity, ideal proportions, focus and purity make it a sure bet for aging (at least a decade, probably two), not that anyone will complain if you open a bottle now. (Buy again? Absolutely.)

The wine’s already high bang for the buck is off the charts this weekend with the SAQ’s “10% off every purchase of $100 or more” promotion: two bottles will put you just over the $100 threshold and cost you $90.90, or $45.45 each. For a wine that could be the dictionary definition of a Riserva Barbaresco. For a wine that’s more classically proportioned and eminently drinkable than big name Barbarescos costing twice as much or more. That constitutes an unbeatable bargain. A QPR winner if ever there were one.