Canadian Wine Guy

Stopped on by the Keg and thought I would try something different. The price on this one is stupid $14.95 for a 6 ounce glass. But I thought I would give it a whirl. I made a mistake and did not ask to have it brought out in advance so it would breath. I should of known better. The wine is deep crimson in color. Mild on the nose. On the mid pallet are some cherry/red fruit, cassis flavors consistent with a cab, but not as big as I would expect from a wine in this price range. On the finish the Oaks are out of whack (the description below says spicey oak and I can get that) and there is a bitter flavor that I also found on their Merlot. The wine may still be too young. Overall I was quite disappointed in this wine. The tannins are pretty big and if you can get past the bitterness there are some nice fruit flavors, but quite subdued (or overwhelmed). I wouldn’t order this one again. I would give it an 87-88.

From the LCBO Web site:
ST. FRANCIS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005 VINTAGES 671164 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 29.95
Wine, Red Wine, 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Kobrand Corporation

Release Date: Dec 6, 2008

Description
Established in 1971, St. Francis Winery is located in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. This rich, full-bodied Cab offers a parade of flavours, including blackcurrant, plum, blueberry and spicy oak, owing to the 20-23 months it spends in new American and French oak barrels. Try pairing it with a steak medium rare or rich, meat-sauce pasta dishes.

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Stopped by Rodney’s Oyster Bar for the first time and chose this wine. I am new to Oysters and was overwhelmed by the number of different types of Oysters. Wow, who knew. I was really hoping for a nice Sauv Blanc because I thought it would go better with the Oysters but chose this one instead. The bartender described this well and knew the wine. Always helpful. This wine is lighter in color. No where near as dark as some chards. Bouquet is also a little on the milder side. On the mid pallet there are some buttery flavors but not overwhelming at all. The wine is on the lighter side of medium for finish with oaks/alcohol well under control. There’s a bit of sweetness and some lovely fruit. Overall a nice wine, easily an 88 or so. It went ok with the Oysters but I still think a Sauv Blanc or Riesling would have been better. Unfortunately not in the LCBO, and it is quite inexpensive. Unfortunately I did not take notice of the year.

Tin Roof Chardonnay

California and Napa specifically make some of my favorite Merlots. I have in the past copped to my bias to having a particular idea in my head going into any Merlot tasting of what it is I am looking for. I picked this one up on spec. It had plum listed on the back of the bottle, a tell tale sign that I look for in a varietal Merlot. The wine is quite dark in color. On the nose the wine has a very slight Merlot bouquet. On the mid pallet it has a slight bit of Merlot flavors. I got some blueberry and maybe some cherry. On the finish the wine especially right out of the bottle is slightly bitter and peppery. Not overly Merlotish. The finish is medium I would say. Not a fabulous Merlot but not bad either. I let it bottle breath for about 1/2 hour and that helped. I don’t really decant Merlot’s I find they will loose that subtle flavor quickly. The oak and alcohol are relatively under control and this is a reasonably well balanced wine. If I had to put a number on it I would give it an 88 or so.

From the LCBO web site:
TANGLEY OAKS MERLOT 2005 Napa Valley Lot #10 A Merlot from Napa that bountifully displays the virtues of this misunderstood grape. Filled with cherry espresso spice and toast aromas and flavours this wonderfully balanced wine will cellar 2-4 years or enjoy it now with grilled lamb or gourmet sausages. 68155 $21.95 Featured 4/11/2009

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I first tasted this wine at the Gourmet Food and wine show here in Toronto and was impressed. Last night I had it with my meal at Milestones . The wine is quite yellow in color. On the nose it is typical chard, very nice. On the mid pallet there are all the varietal flavors one expected from a California style chard with some nice butteryness but not too over the top, with just a hint of sweetness. Lovely fruit flavors! The finish is medium and rewarding with some oak present. This is a very good California style chard. I would give it 90-91. It seems to be consistent year over year too! Yummy. Spot on my tastes … I paired it with a piece of Seabass and frankly either the Seabass was bland or this overpowered it, not sure which.

From the LCBO web site:
BERINGER FOUNDERS ESTATE CHARD
LCBO 534230 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 18.90 Wine, White Wine, 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : 1

Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Beringer Vineyards

Tasting Note
Bright gold colour; spicy, toasty vanilla and tropical notes on the nose; full-bodied on the palate with forward apple citrus fruit and vanilla notes; well-balanced with a long finish.

Serving Suggestion
Roast pork loin, grilled salmon, roasted poultry, or cornish hen stuffed with wild rice.

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We are gatherers (or at least I am). I remember a star trek episode where the enterprise ran into a race of gatherers (yes I am a trekkie). We get pleasure from gathering stuff. We get pleasure from acquiring that hard to find item that others were unable to get and proudly display it (and hopefully share it 🙂 ). To some extent the LCBO feed this in the way wines are available. (I bet you thought this was going to be a wine review didn’t you).

So … this wine was on the last Zin write up. But I was slow out of the gate to grab it. Searched the web, nothing close to me, so I went out of my way to an LCBO store that said they had 4. Got there, they spent 45 min looking for it and came back empty handed. Found another store that said they had 3 and this time had them find them and put them aside for me, strangely they only had 2. Oh well better than none. So I eagerly took it home and cracked it with anticipation. Of course with the hype this is going to be hard to live up to. On the nose are those typical Zin smells. The wine is a dark inky almost black color. On the mouth this wine is totally dominated by alcohol. On day two it’s tasting more like a vermooth. The winecurrent write up (see below) accurately describes it as “alcohol Focused”. On the finish the wine is medium. The fruit is all but overwhelmed. For me the 93 rating is unfathomable. Not sure what wine the rater tasted but I have a hard time imagining it being this one. Some aging may help hard to say. Breathing has not helped. I would say 87-88. If you do run out and grab one, be sure and not get confused there is another one in the LCBO that is $46 with a similar name. Check the price … I wonder if the rater tasted that one?

From the LCBO web site:
SEGHESIO SONOMA ZINFANDEL 2007 VINTAGES 942151 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 28.95
Wine, Red Wine, 15.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D

Made in: California/Californie, United States By: Seghesio Wineries

Release Date: Aug 29, 2009

Description
#10 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list of 2008.
Tasting Note
A seductive and vigorous Zinfandel offers smoky black cherry and blueberry aromas that lead to youthful wild berry, sage and cracked pepper flavors, with a lingering finish and zesty tannins. Drink now through 2012. Smart Buy. Score – 93. (Tim Fish, www.winespectator.com, Dec. 15, 2008)

Here is what Winecurrent.com had to say:
Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel 2007 Sonoma County
15.5% alcohol Focused and flavourful look for aromas of juicy cherry and campfire smoke. The flavours are pristine and pure with ripe red cherry kirsch liqueur and black plum compote along with excellent moderating acidity and a ripe tannin structure. Its well balanced and medium weight sporting a long mouth-watering finish and a noticeable touch of class. Pick up a few for drinking over the next four or five years. (Vic Harradine) The Main Release Champagne (942151) $28.95 Rating 4.5/5 from

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Insert my usual Merlot bias here … This one is deep in color with a mild nose. On the pallet the wine has none of the traditional deep plum flavors I look for in a Merlot. The fruits are very subdued in this wine. It finishes with a milder side of medium balance of some tannins. Overall this is an Ok wine, but expensive for what it is. I would give it an 87 or so. We paired it with grilled Salmon on the BBQ and it went well. Red fish, red wine …

From the LCBO web site:
ROSEMOUNT DIAMOND MERLOT LCBO 542431 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 15.95
Wine, Still Table Wine, Red Still Table Wine 13.6% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : 1

Made in: Australia, Australia By: Rosemount Estate Pty

Tasting Note
Medium to deep ruby red colour; plum, sweet oak, black cherry and cocoa aromas with plum and berry fruit flavours; dry and medium to full-bodied with medium tannins; long finish.

Serving Suggestion
Roasted or grilled red meats; lamb; strong cheeses.

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