The 2009 CV is a wine that can seem remarkable and impressive at times, often as good (or notably better) as anything the winery has produced. I still found it a bit underwhelming the first time around, mostly due to the bursts of alcohol (15.5%) that I kept getting. This time around there was also a certain lanolin overlay early on, although that disappeared on Day Two. Despite coming from a big vintage, it does not seem as rich as the 2007 (and in fact often seems relatively elegant in the mid-palate), but it may have more pure power. It still is a baby in a formative stage, showing astringent tannins. As I said the first time around, I had the feeling that the winery fought back against the vintage here, but there can’t be any doubt about the power on the finish, unresolved tannins, alcoholic punch and considerable grip. After awhile, the alcoholic bursts I was concerned about the first time around popped up again. If that’s troubling in a 10-year-old wine, it is, perhaps, even more troubling in young ones. While it didn’t destroy the wine – and it may well show a lot better with food – it was there often enough to create some concern about heat as the wine develops. I was initially happier on Day Two, but just as I saw the first time around, as the wine aired out on Day Two it seemed more and more obviously alcoholic. Given how this continues to weave in and out, I am going to continue to be conservative in evaluating it. Drink now-2023.
As its first vintage hits age 10, it is nice to present a CV vertical, comprised of seven vintages of the winery’s small production, old vines (80+ years) field blend. According to then winemaker Sandra Tavares da Silva (of Chocapalha and Wine & Soul), speaking to me when I saw the 2003 debut vintage, it was named “CV” because it was the type of wine a winemaker would want on a Curriculum Vitae. The 2010, the current release, is not included here because it was just recently reviewed in Issue 204, December, 2012: http://bit.ly/XVDTG6. To be sure, it is a bit compact and not as big as some of the others. It does not have quite as much “wow” factor. It is wonderfully refined, however, far more graceful and simply a pleasure to drink. It is a sleeper in a modest vintage. In that regard, one theme here is that CV is often an excellent and reliable performer in modest vintages, something of an overachiever, while it can sometimes seem a bit unwieldy and subject to alcohol spikes in more monumental ones. Perhaps its tendency to be big and deep – it is typically the biggest wine in the van Zeller stable – helps it in small years, while creating risks in bigger ones. Finally, these library wines here may not be available or if available may be subject to price increases. The price noted merely indicates the price of current releases.
(WA 25th Apr 2013)
