Category Archives: JG Review

John Galea Wine Reviews

2015 Beringer Napa Valley Chard (mini review)

Pale in color with a nice apple/pear nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some lovely varietal, bold fruit, apple and pear to match the nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice smooth acidity, nice … Continue reading

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2015 Sumac Ridge Cab/Merlot

I had the pleasure of spending some time in Alberta recently and it’s proximity to BC means you get some of the Okanagan wines we rarely see in Ontario. I’ve had Sumac ridge wines before and been impressed so I … Continue reading

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Chateau Haut Sociondo 2014

Every now and then a reasonably priced Bordeaux comes along. This is one of them. Dark in color with a nice mild dark berry nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some nice rick black berries, some mocha/coffee notes. … Continue reading

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2013 Long Dog Top Dog Pinot noir

Garnet in color with a mild soft red berry nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with some nice vibrant soft red berries, strawberries and raspberries coming through along with some nice rustic notes. The fruit is … Continue reading

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Louis Jadot Chablis 2015

Pale in color with a mild apple/pear nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some nice vibrant fruit, apple and pear to match the nose. On the light finish … ah there just isn’t much. The LCBO describe it … Continue reading

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2017 Trius Cab Franc

I was wandering out of the grocery store and grabbed this one, solely for convenience. I hadn’t noticed it was a 2017, I guess it didn’t spend a lot time (if any) in Oak? Dark in color with a fruity … Continue reading

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2016 Sterling Vintner’s reserve chard

Slightly golden in color with a nice apple/pear nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with apple and pear coming through quite nicely. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice vanilla. This is a … Continue reading

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2014 Grange Cab Franc

Dark in color with a nice red berry nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some lovely, smooth, vibrant, varietal cab franc notes, red cherries and the like. I always have difficulty describing cab franc’s eloquently. They are a … Continue reading

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2017 CLOSSON CHASE KJ WATSON PINOT GRIS

Pale in color with nice crisp nose with some hints of stone fruit coming through. On the mid palate the wine displays some mild stone fruits along with some lovely crisp dry minerality. On the medium length finish the wine … Continue reading

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Ridgepoint 2011 Cabernet Merlot Ripasso

Slightly garnet in color, with a slightly dried berry nose. On the mid palate there’s some nice red berries along with some dried fruit notes. On the medium length finish the wine displays smooth tannins and acidity. It’s a simple … Continue reading

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Trius Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2016

Slightly golden in color with a mild apple/pear nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some nice apple and pear to match the nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some slightly creamy notes, and some vanilla. … Continue reading

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2015 Huff South Bay Vineyards Merlot

I haven’t been out to the county wineries since 2009 so as part of a road trip we stopped in for a couple of days. We stayed at the Waring house centrally located. It was shocking how the Warning house … Continue reading

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Frey 2017 Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) mini review

Grauburgunder is the German name for Pinot Gris. This one is pale in color with a mild peach nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with soft stone fruit and peach notes. On the medium length finish … Continue reading

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Meiser 2016 Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) mini review

At the most recent Wines of Germany event in Toronto I had the opportunity to taste, and expand my experience with German wines. Most people know German Rieslings and gewurztraminer, but more and more I’ve had the joy of tasting … Continue reading

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Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016

I like my Sauv Blancs, crisp, dry and sharp. But then some folks choose to oak a sauv black which tends to soften the wine and impart flavors more in keeping with a Chard. This particular wine on the back … Continue reading

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2015 Frey Assemblage

I had the pleasure of continuing to expand my tastings of German wines at the recent Riesling and Co Trade Tasting! Whites were definitely more the star, but I chose to start with and largely focus on the reds. This … Continue reading

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Odfjell Vineyards Orzada Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Inky dark in color with a smokey and mild black berry nose. On the mid palate the wine displays vibrant black cherries to match the nose, along with a hint of smokey notes, along with some herbal/eucalyptus undertones. On the … Continue reading

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2017 Big Bill Sauv Blanc

This is from the general list. Billy’s best bottles has made a career out of climbing through the extensive general list and finding those gems. This one came on my radar as part of Natalie Macleans wine of the week. … Continue reading

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The Winery of Good Hope Reserve Pinot Noir 2016

Darker in color than a normal pinot noir, with a mild nose of soft red berries. On the mid palate the wine displays some unusual smokey notes, some soft red berries, nothing close to strawberries along with some woody/earthy notes. … Continue reading

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2015 Ménage à Trois Gold Chardonnay

Let’s not waste any time discussing the silly name … I tried this wine IN SPITE of the name 🙂 Slightly golden in color with a nice varietal nose with pear and apple coming through. On the mid palate the … Continue reading

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2015 Henry of Pelham Family tree red

I’ve had this one over a number of years and it has been consistently very good. Dark in color with a nice dark cherry nose, along with some oak coming through. On the mid palate the wine displays lovely black … Continue reading

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Château La Brande 2015

Dark in color with a nice plum/black berry nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with nice soft black plums coming through backed almost immediately by firm, acidity tannins and even a metallic flavor. There’s some green … Continue reading

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Château Le Grand Verdus Réserve 2015

Every now and then an inexpensive Bordeaux shows up that is well worth the price. It encourages me to keep looking for that bargoon. This wine (spoiler alert) is one of those … Dark in color with a nice black … Continue reading

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2016 Rocca Delle Macie Chianti

Dark in color with a mild nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some nice cherry flavors, not cab like … On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice smooth tannins and acidity. I would give this … Continue reading

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Simonsig Chenin Blanc 2017

Every now and then a Chenin comes through the LCBO from South Africa that catches my eye. Wines from the Vouvray region of France are primarily Chenins. At there best, they are lovely, crisp dry, food friendly wines. This one … Continue reading

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