For 20 years, Peacebuilders’ Fine Wine Auction has been a widely respected and anticipated fundraiser. Proceeds have supported the development of key programs with some of Toronto’s most vulnerable young people dealing with poverty, trauma and violence. Your support of our fine wine allows us to continue to offer restorative justice programs to young people in Toronto in three priority areas: Restorative Justice in the court system, Restorative Schools, and Advocacy and Public Legal Education.
This year we will continue the Fine Wine Auction online, as this format has proven popular with bidders. The digital catalogue will be released on April 12th and bidding will begin online via Givergy.com on April 19th, with the auction ending May 5th at 10 p.m. ET.
Wines offered are from private collections, not otherwise available through other channels. Many wines offered will appreciate in value, especially rare and acclaimed vintages.
We’ve highlighted some wines below that will be available at the Spring for Peace Online Auction to give you a taste of what you can expect!
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2012 SassicaiaThe 2012 Sassicaia is dark and immediate, with gorgeous up-front richness, density and power. Black cherry jam, cloves and new leather are some of the many signatures that take shape in the glass. The 2012 is an unusually deep, concentrated Sassicaia that is going to need time in bottle to develop the full breadth of its aromas and flavors. Today, it is a bit monolithic, so readers need to be patient. – Vinous, 94+/100 |
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2009 DominusThe 2009 Dominus is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet colored, it rolls easily, sensuously out of the glass with evolving fruit notes of baked blackcurrants, plum preserves, mulberries and fruitcake plus underlying suggestions of charcuterie, camphor, chocolate-covered cherries and candied violets with just a touch of cast iron pan. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in balance, with loads of emerging black fruit and earthy layers and a solid line of finely grained tannins, finishing very long with a perfumed lift. – Robert Parker, 99/100 |
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1997 Insignia US Jos PhelpsAn inky/plum/purple color is accompanied by a stunning bouquet of violets, charcoal, creme de cassis and a hint of toast. Prodigious when it hits the palate with a full-bodied expansiveness, there is not a hard edge to be found in the 1997, only velvety tannins, compelling depth and fruit intensity, and stunning purity. It is a perfect expression of Napa viticulture and wine that should continue to age effortlessly for two decades or more. An ideal warm, dry spring, June and July was followed by a surprisingly cool August that slowed down what looked to be rapid sugar accumulation in the grapes. September’s temperatures were average to above average, without any potentially damaging heat spikes. This allowed the harvest to unfurl slowly, with no stress or imminent danger. For many Napa Cabernet Sauvignons, this resulted in one of the top vintages of the nineties. Consumers, observers and wine critics will undoubtedly argue for decades over which vintage of the nineties turned out to be the finest – 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995 or 1997. The 1997 Insignia is a 20,000-case blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, with 60% coming from estate vineyards and 40% from growers. The alcohol came in at 13.8%. – Robert Parker, 100/100 |
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1990 Dunn – Howell Mountain Cabernet SauvignonThe massive 1990 Howell Mountain exhibits huge tannin, but immense concentration. The richest Dunn Cabernet since the 1984s? Anticipated maturity: 1999-2020. At this early stage, it does not appear to be as super-concentrated as Dunn’s wines from the early and mid-eighties. It is slightly more tannic. It does possess a tell-tale mineral, cassis, flowery nose, and a rich, full-bodied, dense, highly extracted, tannic personality. – Robert Parker, 96/100 |
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1995 Proprietary Red USA Napa PahlmeyerPahlmeyer’s proprietary red table wine tends to be Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated (usually 80-85%) with small portions of Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. The 1995 Proprietary Red Wine may be even better than the 96 point score I bestowed it. It is unquestionably among the top dozen 1995s. The wine boasts an explosive blackberry/blueberry/cassis-scented nose that has completely soaked up all the new oak in which it has been aged for the last 22 months. Purple/black in color, it exhibits fabulously extracted, layered black fruit flavors that coat the palate, offering a seamless texture and voluptuous impression. This is another winery where getting on the mailing list is essential to securing a few bottles of these liquid gems. With each new vintage I am blown away by Pahlmeyer’s wines. Lest anyone forget, the genius of consulting winemaker Helen Turley is behind these wines. I kept retasting them, thinking I was being too generous, but they justly deserve their lofty numerical ratings. They are as exciting as anything a wine lover could taste. – Robert Parker, 96/100 |
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1992 Dom PerignonVery fine aromas of quinine, lemon, lime, minerals and gingery; lightly musky suggestion of yeast autolysis. Very intensely flavored and solidly structured but already quite accessible and open to inspection. Slightly aggressive finish shows excellent persistence. Doesn’t offer the complexity or grip of the best D.P. vintages, but this is ripe and delicious wine. – Vinous, 91/100 |
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1996 Vega Sicilia Unico1996 was a great vintage in Ribera del Duero, following 1994 and 1995, which were not shabby either. The 1996 Único from magnum shows a classical year, still with 13.5% alcohol, with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that gives it the characteristic balsamic undertone. The wine has great freshness and balance, and it has a lively and agile palate. Thinking back to younger vintages, it feels like there was a change after 1996. It drinks very well today and works wonders with food, but it also has a good future ahead of it, especially in magnum. This was one of my favorite modern vintages, along with 2014 and 2004. 2,235 magnums produced. Artwork by Benjamín Palencia. – Robert Parker, 98/100 |
Thank You to our Wine Donors
Spring for Peace’s Fine Wine Auction is only possible through the generosity of our fine wine donors. Thank you for sharing your love of wine and donating from your treasured collections.
Barry Cooper Karyn Goldstein Jin Kim Andrew Pringle Justin de Vries Michael Whelan
Still Accepting Donations
All donations are appraised by Robert Jull of Vinifera Wine Services and a tax receipt will be issued for the full appraised value. All donated wines will be picked up, at no charge to you, by our Fine Wine Auction Committee and will be stored at our temperature-controlled wine storage facility at the Fine Wine Reserve. As a donor, if you wish, you will be recognized in the Fine Wine Auction Guide. To make a donation, please use this form or contact Ann Tang at atang@peacebuilders.ca