GANTON & LARSEN PROSPECT WINERY LARCH TREE HILL RIESLING 2007

Posted on April 8, 2009 by John Galea

Another one from the Global wine tour’s BC event. This wine is a reasonable Riesling, varietal in flavor and nose. It had a slight effervescent tingle on the tongue. It had a nice bit of tartness on the finish and it was a reasonably long wine. It would pair well with fatty foods. The instructor paired it with a with a white cheese. For the price it is not a bad wine. I would probably give it an 88-89. Not sure if I would say it is any better than say a Cave Springs Riesling, but for something different it would be worth a whirl.

From the LCBO Website:
GANTON and LARSEN PROSPECT WINERY LARCH TREE HILL RIESLING 2007
VINTAGES 70698 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 13.85
Wine, White Wine, 12.5% Alcohol/Vol. This is a VQA wine
Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Mission Hill Vineyards Inc.
Release Date: Aug 30, 2008

Description
Launched with the 2006 vintage, this winery is a new venture for iconic BC producer Mission Hill. Ganton and Larsen are the two growers who supplied Mission Hill with its grapes in the winery’s early years. These well-respected properties are now the source for terrific wines like this citrus- and peach-packed Riesling. Soft and juicy with delicate mineral notes, it’s the perfect wine to sip and savour during the waning weeks of summer.

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Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Merlot/Cabernet 2005

Posted on April 7, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely Bordeaux blend that includes Merlot, Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. The Cab Franc is noticeable but not overwhelming. The wine is well under control with reasonable tannins, and a nice finish. A good solid wine priced about right. I get currant/cassis flavors with some vanilla imparted from the oak. All in all quite a nice wine! Also tasted at the Global wine tour BC event.

From the LCBO web site:
SUMAC RIDGE PRIVATE RESERVE MERLOT/CABERNET 2005
VINTAGES 101626 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine, 14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Vincor International Inc. – B.C.
Release Date: Jan 10, 2009

Description
Rich extracted fruit-dark plums, chocolate, coffee beans and earthy aromas. On the palate it is smooth, full bodied and a bit meaty showing flavours of black cherry, leather, vanilla and spice with soft tannins on the finish. This is the type of wine you always want to grab two of! (www.winediva.ca, June 2, 2007)

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Fast Hello from Yakutsk, Russia

Posted on April 6, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

With John picking up all the slack with posts, there is a reason why. I have just spent the past 3 days travelling from Canada to get to Yakutsk. I would talk about the wine if I would dare drink it, so let’s say it is vodka for me, stick with what they know!

Chat soon, till then see entry #8 on this list!

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Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Merlot 2005

Posted on April 6, 2009 by John Galea

I’m on a BC roll. We attended a BC Wine event put on by Global wine tour. After tasting this one at the event I ran out grabbed 5 of them. This is a lovely Merlot. Some varietal nose and tastes although not the smoothest Merlot. It has a lovely medium to long finish with a good amount of dryness. The wine is deep purple in color. We paired this to a BBQd steak (chocolate brownies and truffles for dessert) and it went well. So well we polished off the whole bottle! Good Merlots are hard to find and this a good one. I would give it a 90-91. Yummy … We decanted this one for 1/2 hour and I would recommend it. The wine had a slight bit of bitterness out of the bottle that quickly passed. More than 1/2 hour and you could loose some of the distinctiveness of the wine.

There are not a lot of Okanagan wines that make it to Ontario so jump on them when you can. They are distinctive wines with lots of character.
Check LCBO Stock

From the LCBO web site:
JACKSON-TRIGGS OKANAGAN ESTATE PROPRIETORS’ GRAND RESERVE MERLOT 2005
VINTAGES 643445 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 24.95
Wine, Red Wine, 13.8% Alcohol/Vol.This is a VQA wine
Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Vincor International Inc. – B.C.
Release Date: Jan 31, 2009

Description
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate was named Winery of the Year at the Wine Access 2008 Canadian Wine Awards. This flavourful Merlot is a testament to their commitment to quality, showcasing ripe black fruit and spicy notes, with a lovely plush texture and a long, fine finish. A winner with prime rib.

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Mission Hill Chardonnay Reserve 2006

Posted on April 4, 2009 by John Galea

This is a very good Chard. It has a lovely bit of butteryness, not over the top though. Clearly secondary fermentation has been done. Some oak is present and it has a creamyness to it. The wine was left in contact with the lees for 8 months Autolysis

This wine has a nice medium to long finish. I picked up a very slight green flavor off the wine. This is a good wine as long as you like this style of Chard. This is more of a Californian style Chard. Yummy.

From the LCBO web site:
MISSION HILL RESERVE CHARDONNAY (V) VINTAGES 545004 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine, 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.Sugar Content : XD
This is a VQA wine Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Mission Hill Vineyards Inc. Release Date: Oct 11, 2008. From one of BC’s most beautiful wineries, comes this elegant, flavourful wine. Winemaker John Simes, working with the blessings of visionary owner Anthony von Mandl, has created a wine loaded with peach, tropical fruit (pineapple and banana), floral, butterscotch and toasty oak aromas. It’s medium full-bodied with a creamy texture leading to a long finish. An inspired match for pan-seared chicken breast with rosemary and garlic.
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Ridgepoint 2005 Chardonnay

Posted on April 4, 2009 by John Galea

We bought this wine at the winery and is not available at the LCBO. The wine has a nice honey yellowish color to it. This wine is a VERY mild Chardonnay. Maybe leaning more towards the Chablis style than the Californian style. No butteryness to it with a mild finish. I paired it with a piece of pan fried Cod and it went ok, but not stellar. The wine is good but not great, and for the $20 ticket you can get better wines. I would not be rushing out to get more. That said the winery has a lovely country style restaurant that serves home style Italian cooking for a very reasonable price. This is definitely not one of Niagara’s finest. These guys have even tried to plant Nebiolo grapes (the ones used in Barolos). Needless to say so far this has not gone well with production being low in good years and zero in bad. I have not tasted that one so can’t comment on the quality.

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FAMIGLIA BIANCHI MALBEC 2005

Posted on April 3, 2009 by John Galea

I’ve had this one in my collection for a while now and it has softened nicely. The 2006 is in the stores now and seems to have a similar rating. It is a lovely smooth Malbec, absolutely varietal. It has a medium finish. The wine itself is a lovely dark color with a nice bouquet. For the price this wine is a good deal! Run out and grab some of the 2006!

From the LCBO web site:

FAMIGLIA BIANCHI MALBEC 2005 San Rafael, Mendoza (Valentin Bianchi) TASTING NOTE: Has a nice creamy texture, with alluring raspberry, fig, mocha and spice flavors that pump through the rich, velvety finish. Drink now through 2008. Score – 89. (James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com, June 30, 2007) 677559 (XD) 750 mL $13.85
Featured 1/14/2008

Bottle

Bottle

Check LBCO stock (2006)

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PELLER ESTATES FRENCH CROSS CAB MERLOT

Posted on April 2, 2009 by John Galea

We were served this one free of charge on the flight back from Cuba. This wine was grape juice with alcohol thrown in. You can see why it was free. The vines must be a couple years old. There was nothing distinctive or noticeable about this wine. It wasn’t awful, just absolutely nothing to it. Looking for something to serve someone who doesn’t like wine? This might be just the right wine for you 🙂 Otherwise … stick with Welches
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2005 Lussac-Saint-Émilion La Combe Rouge

Posted on April 1, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

So we decided to continue to delve into the wines brought back from France a few years ago with this inexpensive red. Lussac-Saint-Émilion is part of the Bordeaux region and a sub appellation of the Saint-Émilion. Most of the producers in here still remain family operations and the price on the wines remains some of the real bargains from Bordeaux. This wine is primarily Merlot but is blended with some Cab (I believe Franc if my taste buds are worth anything) but in reality that is just a guess as trying to find any information on this vintage was impossible (oh google why do you let me down?). One interesting note before I get into the tasting was the fact that the cork was covered (see the picture below) with Tartrate crystals, something which is uncommon but happens in wines. These clear crystals do not alter the taste (at least that I have found) and do not represent a ‘corked’ wine either. Tartaric Acid is the culprit for this interesting formation which is better represented by this picture here. Anyways, on to the tasting!

Decanting this wine showed off the interesting tartrates and a nice purple colour with heavy raspberry nose. Several swirls of the glass brought out more berry and a tad bit of oak with a hint of vanilla. The first couple of sips showed good fruit with solid tannins. Black cherry (a common aroma for this style) with heavy raspberry and blackberry came out in this fruit forward wine. The finish was long and smooth and as the wine opened up cinnamon and light spiciness came out. Overall the wine was very well balanced and for the price this wine tasted above and beyond expectations. With the firm tannins and solid fruit I would hazard to guess this could be cellared for 2 to 7 years longer and you will notice changes that should be positive, though it is ready to drink now if you are so fortunate to have one or two stashed away.

The CWG Subjective Rating for this wine is 89 out of 100.

Mrs CWG says

What a great bargain, I am glad we still have another bottle!

2005_lussac_saint_emilion_la_combe_rougetartrates

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Soroa red and white wine

Posted on March 31, 2009 by John Galea

Just back from a trip to Cuba. The all inclusive pricing included all the alcohol you could drink. We drank the Soroa band Red and White wines. We were told these were brought in from Spain and bottled in Cuba. The red was a simple easy drinking wine with a bit of depth and a medium finish. Paired well with most foods. Quite reasonable.

There were two different whites with the same (or similar) labels. One tasted a lot like a Riesling and the other tasted like a Sauv blanc. Yet again these were absolutely palatable food friendly wines. Would thrill no one, but not awful either.

The resort carried two different beers. Bucanero which was a 5.4% beer with a lovely hoppy flavor. Quite nice. Easy drinking.

The second was Cristal which was a 4.5% beer that had a slightly longer, slightly bitter finish to it.

I quite enjoyed many of all of these on my week stay in Cuba 🙂 Not one hang over either so these were by no mean harsh …

And no, you can’t get them in Canada, you will just have to plan your own trip to Cubalicious!

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2004 Château de Seguin (Bordeaux-Supérieur) Part 2

Posted on March 30, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Last night we had no idea what to drink, so we decided to open this wine we picked up in Paris a few years back. We bought this on a whim to fill up the bags coming home with some cheap Bordeaux and with the low price and medal on the label (marketing!) we grabbed two (as well as several others). We reviewed the first of the two a year or so back, this is the follow up. As I have been hard pressed for time the past few weeks I want to get you into the tasting notes right away, but safe to say this, the Bordeaux region has an unbelievable variety of small and unknown vintners, what we do not get here in Canada (Ontario particularly) is selection at good prices. I know recently it was fun to link the $4.97 Yellow Tail picture from the US and laugh at the fact we pay $11.95 for the same wine, but unfortunately this is a grim reality. We overpay for wine and spirits here, Château de Seguin produces nice inexpensive wines, there is no reason we should not have access to them for a reasonable mark-up. On to the tasting!

The decanting showed a wine that was vibrant in purple hues with no visible sediment. The nose had cherry and a slight bit of oak on it. A good swirl and more fruit came out. For a 2004 at first nose this was ready to drink now. Once we got into the structured tasting wild-berries came out with hints of vanilla. Tannins were obviously there but were even and appealing The fruit stayed on our palates throughout the bottle and the finish was longer then expected. The nose did not betray the wine, it is ready to drink now and I doubt it will benefit from additional time in the bottle. Overall we quite enjoyed this the second time around, though the rating did not change.

The Subjective CWG rating is 86 out of 100.

chateau_de_seguin_2004

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LCBO – Vintages Burgundy Release 25 March 2009

Posted on March 25, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

If you get regular emails from Vintages this one may interest you. There are some very good wines featured and if you are looking at buying this may be a good time to look at these:

(Overall List Here)

2006 Bouchard Pere & Fils Volnay Taillepieds 1er Cru for $65 a bottle
2006 Champy Volnay Taillepieds 1er Cru for $65 a bottle
2006 Joseph Drouhin Savigny-les-Beaun Les Talmettes 1er Cru for $45 a bottle
2006 Louis Latour Montagny la Grande Roche 1er Cru for $28 a bottle (White)

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CWG’s Sabbatical OVER!

Posted on March 24, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Well sort of! I am back from a longer then usual business trip and with a few pictures and comments to fill the blank space until a new review. Here we go:

3_wines

Had these three wines the night before I left. Quickly: The Trius was below average, not what I expected from them, Thirty Bench disapointed all of us with a rather average Chardonnay, Arrowood impressed us to the point that Mrs CWG is demanding I bring back some on the next trip to California. In fact, the 2005 Sonoma County Chardonnay was outstanding and rates a 90+ from this wino.

cheap_oak_leaf

Where the heck can you find wine in Canada for less then two 2L bottles of Coke? I did not venture to try any of the Oak Lead offerings, but worst case I guess you could distill it …

just_like_home

Let’s see 11.95 or 4.97? Quite a price difference for us Canucks, not that I recommend buying Yellow Tail Shiraz.

2007_ique_malbec

Had this nice inexpensive Malbec out with friends in Yuma, Az. Good tannins and structure, I think if you had the patience the Ique Malbec would reward you.

chimay_on_draft

This interlude brought to you by Chimay on tap at Sogno DiVino in San Diego. Not wine but extremely yummy none the less!

and Lastly, this is the best present to come home to:

nice_present

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Calamus White 2007

Posted on March 19, 2009 by John Galea

This wine is, you guessed it, not available at the LCBO 🙂 I’m on a roll. We picked this one up on the latest trip down to Niagara. The wine is a simple slightly complex white. It would go well with a lot of dishes. It has a very slight effervescent tingle on the tongue, but it’s not overwhelming. Slightly sweet, slightly tart wine. Not overly complex. For the price this wine is a good deal. Great for the up and coming trips to your deck!

Niagara trip 2009

From the website:
Calamus white

2007 Calamus White VQA – $12.00
A refreshing blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer
“…a palette of tropical fruit salad…a hint of sweetness balanced by refreshing acidity…Great for chilin’ on the patio this summer”
– Mike Lowe

2007-calamuswhite_sm

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Sandbanks Riesling 2007

Posted on March 16, 2009 by John Galea

I really hate to do this again, but this is another wine not available in the LCBO. We picked this one up at the winery back in the fall. We took a trip out to Prince Edward county for the 2 days and had a great time. The people, wineries and food were excellent.

Our trip to Prince Edward County

Ok, back to the wine review. This is a lovely varietal Riesling. I would put it smack in the middle of a Kabinett and a Spatlese. This has a slight bit of sweetness intermingled with that granny smith green apple flavor and it works well together. The wine has a bit of the honey/syrup texture. Very impressive wine for the price. You could close your eyes and believe this to be a German Riesling. I wish I had bought more, but I guess I will just have to go back …

From the winery’s web site:
Riesling VQA (0) $15.95 750ml bottle
Refreshing dry white wine with fresh cut lime and mineral flavours. Lovely balance of ripe fruit and acidity. An excellent aperitif, great with seafood.

Sandbanks Winery

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TOMÀS CUISINÉ VILOSELL 2005

Posted on March 14, 2009 by John Galea

I really enjoyed this wine tonight. I paired it with a striploin steak with rice and cauliflower with cheese. Dessert was a chocolate brownie! It went well. The subtleties of this wine are best appreciated without food but it is food friendly. It could use a bit of breathing say 1/2 hour before serving. The wine is deep rich with some lovely complexities. It has a nice strong oak taste but not overwhelming. There is some fruit to taste but it is definitely not dominant. I bought this back in June but unfortunately there are none left around the province. You snooze you loose! I’d give this easily a 90-91

 

From the LCBO web site

TOMÀS CUISINÉ VILOSELL 2005 DO Costers del Segre The wine is a blend of 58% Tempranillo, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Carignan, 4% Syrah and 3% Merlot, aged for 9 months in a new French oak. The aromas are complex, featuring blackberry, black currant, black pepper, cedar and spices. Dry with good fruit surrounded by softening tannins and a good acid streak. This superb wine is an ideal choice for grilled steak, plus it will also reward 3-5 years in a cellar. 066928 (XD) 750 mL $20.95
Featured 6/7/2008

 

Check LCBO web site

 

Here is what Winecurrent.com had to say:
From a little-known northern wine region in Catalonia NW of Barcelona this producer will help change that. Look for involved and complex aromas and flavours that include bright red cherry black plum compote leather spice and cassis. It’s fully flavoured and medium weight with a lengthy and luxurious finish that delivers well balanced and delicious juice. Gorgeous on its own it also pairs well with a slab of smoked and grilled pork back ribs. (VH) (066928) $20.95 Rating 4/5

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J. Lohr Painter’s Bridge Zinfandel

Posted on March 13, 2009 by John Galea

This wine is one of the wines by the glass at Keg restaurants. Unfortunately it is not available at the LCBO. You can pay an importer to bring it in, but you can only bring in a case at a time. It’s tempting to just bring in a whole case. I really enjoy this Zinf. This is a smack dab in the middle Zinf. It is slightly jammy, slightly oakey, nice fruit with a medium finish. All in all this is a very food friendly wine. The Keg is well known for their steaks and I often pair this wine with a Keg steak. Makes for a yummy evening. The wine has been very consistent over the years. Splurge and get the 9 oz glass and you will be even more of a happy camper!

As is common with most California Zinf’s this is a field blend of many different grapes. In case you don’t know, field blend means that grape types are intermingled in the fields. When they pick they get a mix of all the different grapes.

Did you know that that Zinfandel and the Italian Primitivo are the same grape? The major difference is one of style. In California they field blend while in Italy they make it only with Primitivo grapes.

From the J. Lohr website: Painter Bridge Zinfandel 2007

The 2007 Painter Bridge Zinfandel comes from a mix of seven Zinfandel vineyards in Paso Robles and Lodi blended with a spicy lot of Paso Robles Syrah, and a smattering of potent fruit from Grenache Noir, Petite Sirah and Valdiguié. Each vineyard lot of Zinfandel is fermented separately, extracting the nuances of each individual growers fruit with an eye towards suppleness of texture.

The stylistic goal of Painter Bridge Zinfandel is to emphasize the tremendous red fruit characters of the Zinfandel grape without overpowering the delicacy of the fruit with oak. The Syrah blended into the Zinfandel contributes a spice component that accentuates and broadens the resultant wine.

Technical Data Vintage: 2007 Origin: Paso Robles and Lodi
Alcohol: 12.94% alcohol by volume Residual Sugar: 0.43 g/100ml
Maturation: Tank and barrel for 9 months

Winemaker’s Comments:
The 2007 Painter Bridge Zinfandel shows great color density with youthful garnet red hues. The aromas are ripe red fruits of raspberry, black currant and strawberry preserves with black tea, white and black pepper spice. The palate delivers a fruity, plump, yet supple wine with some spicy Zinfandel pepperiness. Enjoy with pasta puttanesca, pizza or grilled meats.

J. Lohr

painter-bridge_11

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LUIGI BOSCA RESERVA MALBEC 2005

Posted on March 12, 2009 by John Galea

I’ve had this wine in my cellar since August and I can’t get over how much this wine has softened in the 7 months since I bought it. I brought it up from the basement and it was slightly chilled which also helped to soften the wine. This is a lovely varietal Malbec. The finish is medium with no hints of bitterness, or pepper. Well worth the money! Looks like there are still a few around … Jump on them!
Check LCBO Stock

From the LCBO web site:
LUIGI BOSCA RESERVA MALBEC 2005 VINTAGES 79293 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine, 14.0% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content : D
Made in: Argentina, Argentina By: Leoncio Arizu S.A.
Release Date: Aug 30, 2008

Description
This wine earned an Editors’ Choice nod with a score of 91 points in the February 2008 issue of Wine Enthusiast.

Tasting Note
A big, broad-shouldered wine, with muscular layers of black fig, coffee, bittersweet cocoa and dark licorice piled on top of hefty cedar-tinged tannins. A bit of a brute in style, but cellaring should soften its edges enough. Drink now through 2010. Smart Buy. Score – 91. (James Molesworth, www.winespectator.com, Feb.29, 2008)

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Trius Cabernet Sauvignon 2007?

Posted on March 11, 2009 by John Galea

I had this wine at Casey’s before a leaf game. I paired it with dark meat rotisserie chicken and rice. I quite enjoyed the wine. Terroir is big in Niagara and this wine bears little resemblance to Napa Cab but was good none the less. Trius do a great job of managing the tannins into a smooth approachable now wine with some good fruit, reasonable oak, and a medium finish. I put a question mark on the year because I am not sure what year it was. I am guessing …

Trius make some lovely wines for reasonable prices and this one is no exception.

The winemaker described it as:
“This medium-bodied fruit forward wine has soft tannins and food friendly acidity. Juicy red and black fruits fill the mouth, and juicy red currants and a touch of spice linger on the drying finish.” I found the description pretty accurate.

Hillebrand website

Check LCBO Stock

Bottle

From the LCBO web site:
TRIUS CABERNET SAUVIGNON VQA
LCBO 587956 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 14.95
Wine, Red Wine, 12.5% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content : 1
This is a VQA wine

Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Andres Wines Ltd

Tasting Note:
Medium garnet colour; developing aromas of cherry, cassis, vanilla and red berry, with undertones of green pepper and cedar; dry, with dark red fruit, dried fruit flavours and some spicy oaky complexity; fine tannins welll integrated; lingering finish.

Serving Suggestion: Steak, roast beef, lamb or aged cheddar.

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TWIN FIN PINOT GRIGIO

Posted on March 9, 2009 by John Galea

I had this wine at a restaurant called Symposium in Mississauga.  As usual the glass cost about the same amount as the bottle. This is a reasonably priced quite good pinot grigio. It has a reasonably long finish with a touch of bitterness. It is smack on varietal. All in all quite a reasonable wine for the price. Pinot Grigios are never the most lively wines and this one isn’t about to knock your palette. If your looking for a good wine to serve on the patio while you warm up for the real wine, this is not a bad choice at all. I would probably give it an 88 or so. 

From the LCBO Web site:

TWIN FIN PINOT GRIGIO
LCBO 38323 | 750 mL bottle
PRODUCT DISCONTINUED*

Price: $ 12.95
Wine, White Wine,
12.9% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : 1

Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Pacific Wine Partners

Tasting Note
Medium yellow to pale gold showing aromas of honeyed lemon and nutmeg. Medium-bodied, smokey with nice ripe fruit and spicy undertones.

Serving Suggestion
Herb roasted chicken.

Check LCBO stock

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CLOS LA CHANCE RUBY-THROATED CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005

Posted on March 8, 2009 by John Galea

I first tasted this wine at the Society for American Wine annual cab tasting event. They used it as the reception wine. This wine is a bargain $17.95. What you have here is a solid Californian cab. Absolutely varietal in flavor. This wine has lovely fruit a medium finish and just the right amount of oak. Out of the bottle it has a beautiful bouquet of cassis just as one would expect. There was a slight bit of bitterness when first opened that eased nicely after a 1 hour decant. Still just a touch of it on the finish but by no means nasty. I would say even as little as 1 year of aging would help but it can easily be enjoyed now. I would give this an 89-90 rating. It’s a solid wine that you can’t go wrong with. I served it with a strip loin steak with rice and shitake mushrooms … For dessert, Mrs. Fields double chocolate fudge brownies. Yumm …

From the LCBO Web site:

CLOS LA CHANCE RUBY-THROATED CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005
VINTAGES 966069 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 17.95
Wine, Red Wine, 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: California/Californie, United States
By: Clos La Chance

Release Date: Oct 11, 2008

Description
This wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot. The fruit for this wine was sourced from an 80 acre (32 ha) estate vineyard planted to over 20 varieties. This plethora of varieties has given winemaker Stephen Tebb a ‘spice box’ of wines to choose from when making his blends. This one features aromas and flavours of sweet blackberry, blueberry and rose petals. It has a rich, full mouthfeel with a long, balanced finish. Try it tonight with grilled lamb chops.

LCBO Web site

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Three for One!!

Posted on March 7, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

I am traveling on Monday and have been crazy busy of late at work (think auditors, think pain) so I have not been able to bring forward a few reviews I have wanted. This is a brief one to talk about the following three wines:

wines_yumm

The other night we had a friend/coworker over who lives and works out of Moscow and Yakutsk, Russia. I made my chorizo paella (had no shrimp sadly and had a time constaint) that someday I should post the recipe to. We actually drank the above wines in the following order and as such I will talk briefly on each:

First wine was the 2005 Château des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon (St David’s Bench) which we have a few of in our cellar. At $26 dollars you are getting into a bit pricier (just a tad) red out of Niagara then most are willing to spend, sadly. This 2005 is excellent, in fact it may rival it’s older brother the 2002 that I reviewed earlier. A well bodied Cab that has good fruit, good tannins and a good finish. 2005 was a great growing yield that sadly produced low yields, so well crafted 2005 reds from Niagara should reward you, this did jsut that.

The next wine we went to was the 2007 Henry of Pelham Non-Oaked Chardonnay. For some reason the LCBO pages are not showing the listing, but trust me I bought it here! It is roughly $13 for the 750ml bottle. I primarily wanted a white to use in the paella, but in reality we got a fresh fruit forward wine. Good body and even mouthed this wine will not win everyone over. No oak in Chards sometimes disturbs people, but I find that this grape can produce good oak free wine if the winemaker is careful enough. While this will be overwhelmed by heavily spiced foods, it will stand up to most meals and will drink well on it’s own. For the price it is worth having a go at if you are looking for a summer white.

The last bottle we had was designed to be the highlight of the wine drinking experience. The 2005 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Châteauneuf-du-Pape is $45 here and has gotten some good reviews so with some pressure to choose I decided that this should be given the good ol’ college try. With some well known reviewers giving it high 80s you would expect it to at least be worth the price, but I did not find it to be the case. It was a good wine, with solid fruit and some good spice, but in respect to the earlier Cabernet of the evening it did not out perform or dwarf it. In fact, for the the price, I’d rather get two of the Château des Charmes for the same money. That is not to say you will not enjoy this or compare it to an $8 plonk, but for a ‘Pape failed to live up to expectations.

That is all for today, enjoy your Saturday, and as always sip well!

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2001 Taja Reserva

Posted on March 5, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Opened this Spanish wine up a few nights ago thinking it was probably ready to go. We have had this in the cellar for at least 2 years and I was hoping to take an inexpensive red with potential for complexity and allow it some time to sort itself out. I am not the biggest fan of Spanish reds as I find that despite the low price (for the most part) I am often left with a rough chewy experience. This wine is a blend that often gets good reviews and is called one of the better “bang for the buck” out of Spain. Bordeaux producer Mähler-Besse is behind this wine and they produce three different tiers of wine from this Spanish operation: Taja, Taja Reserva and Taja Gran Reserva. The grapes behind the Reserva are Monastrell (Mourvedre), Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Merlot in a 50/20/20/10 split. The 2003 Reserva is currently retailing at $16.95 so I am sure this vintage tasted was in the similar price range. Of note though is the Gran for 2001 is only $22.95 and currently in stock, so something to think about (top end from this Vineyard for under $25). On to the tasting!

As we decanted this we got a light rusty colour coming out of the deep red and the nose was very soft. In fact there was little nose at all. Even with good swirling only hints of fruit and oak came out of this. Once we got into tasting it the subtle flavours came out. This wine spent 12 months in oak but it does not overwhelm this wine. Good spice, some berries and cherry are evident with an untone of earthiness showing up. Medium tannins with an even finish made this a very drinkable wine. Would I buy more? No, but I would go out and get the Gran of the same vintage and give it a go since this little brother was quite decent. This is a good blend that does not blow you away or disappoint. Try the 2001 Taja Gran Reserva and send me some feedback.

The CWG Subjective rating is 87 out of 100

Mrs CWG says

“I was expecting a bit more out of this, but it was drinkable!”

taja_reserva_2001-1

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Wine tasting trips in Ontario

Posted on March 5, 2009 by John Galea

We have done a couple of trips to the wine tasting areas of both Niagara as well as Prince Edward County. For these we chose to spend just one night down in the area which works out well. Go down have a nice lunch (or just after), tour a winery or 3, then have dinner, checkout some night life, wake up have a leisurely morning and a light breakfast, lunch at a winery a few more tastings and then home. It works out quite well. We live in Toronto so both the Niagara and Prince Edward County are doable in this format. Here are some misc ramblings on the trips we have done to date:

Niagara 2009
Niagara 2008
Prince Edward County 2008

My web site which has other wine and food links can be found Here …

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D’ARENBERG THE HIGH TRELLIS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006

Posted on March 4, 2009 by John Galea

The last time I had this wine I was thoroughly disappointed. The wine had a nasty bitter after taste. So much so that I returned all unopened bottles. I got given this one so I thought I would try it again. It is MUCH better. The wine is a lot more balanced with some firm tannins, a medium finish and reasonably round flavors. I have to admit it, I love cabs. 16% of my cellar is filled by cabs. They age well and I love the flavors and complexities. This one however is by no means a great cab. Not horrible, but not great. If I were rating this I would give it a 87-88, far cry from the 90+ Jay Miller gave it.

From the LCBO Web site:
D’ARENBERG THE HIGH TRELLIS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006 McLaren Vale South Australia TASTING NOTE: The 2006 The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon includes 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Merlot in the blend. The nose offers up cassis and violets along with pepper and earth notes. On the palate black fruits dominate the nicely concentrated flavors. There is enough structure for 2-3 years of additional bottle age. It will be at its best from 2010 to 2017. Score – 90+. (Jay Miller www.erobertparker.com Aug. 2008) 943456 $19.95 Featured 2/14/2009
Check stock at the LCBO Web site

Here’s what Wine current had to say:
DArenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 McLaren Vale South Australia
This particular vineyard has been in production since the late 19th century. It got its name from the fact that these were the first vines to be trained vertically above knee-height. With touches (5% each) of Petit Verdot and Merlot in the blend there are complex notes of tar tobacco mint pepper floral and a healthy helping of black fruit. Dry and medium to full bodied theres great acidity alongside velvety tannins and 14.5% alcohol. (LG) (0943456) $19.95 Rating 4/5.

Bottle

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