2006 Cockfighter Ghost Unoaked Chardonnay

Posted on February 13, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Alright here goes, a bit of background on this wine. Mrs CWG and I had this on our recent trip to Australia. We picked up at a local Sydney bottle shop and went to have a Vietnamese dinner. I did NOT enjoy this then, really it was a tad plonkish and really lacking anything special. “So why CWG are you about to review this” you ask? Well with an odd work day I asked the better half to grab something new from the small vintages section at the Market Street LCBO, all I said was get something interesting between $15 and $25, surprise me. Well either there was something in the name of the wine that intrigued her (cough) or she was in the mood for a Chardonnay. Lo and behold here we are talking about a wine we already failed on the diametric opposite side of the Earth, oh joy! Let’s give this the proper clean slate and move forward, shall we? Pooles Rock Wines (note their website appears to be down) is the producer of this Chardonnay that hails from the Hunter Valley region in New South Wales Australia. Unlike most of the Aussie wine regions that dot the southern portion of the country, the Hunter Valley is north of Sydney on the East Coast. Worth the drive up or down if you are in Brisbane. So with all that said how did it do on attempt number two? Read on for the tasting review!

So we poured our glasses and we came up with different aromas. Mrs CWG blurted out peach while I hovered on green apple and honeydew. So it could be fair to say it had fruit on the nose (as one would expect for an unoaked Chardonnay). As we got more into the wine the words “rough” “acidic” came up. But as we began to get into dinner (we had chicken fajitas) the wine complimented well enough and actually softened enough so that we got more out of it. Buttery and flowery with a hint of pineapple seemed to be prevalent. Overall the wine did do better on this side of the globe but not enough for me to change my mind on it. Overall I’d not recommend this to anyone unless you wanted a good comparison of unoaked Chardonnays. For the price I can recommend at least 3 to 4 Niagara based Chardonnays that are priced similar or cheaper that will outdo this one. Do not be fooled by the clever name and label. Here is the LCBO link for reference.

I think to be fair to my palate and others this gets an 81 out of 100.

Mrs CWG says

Sorry for the selection, I should have returned it!

2006 Cockfighter's Ghost Unoaked Chardonnay

2006 Cockfighter's Ghost Unoaked Chardonnay

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2003 Cave Spring Cabernet-Merlot

Posted on February 12, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

As I was making a fusilli pasta last night Mrs CWG was going over my recent wine reviews and noted I had not reviewed any Canadian wines recently. Such a travesty needed correction, and thus we pulled this 2003 from the cellar and popped the cork! Cave Spring is a nice little winery in Jordan, Ontario, which is part of the Beamsville Bench area of the Niagara wine region. Cave Springs really is a must stop if you are doing a trip down to Niagara for wine tastings, besides being a great little winery it is somehow affiliated or partnered with Inn on the Twenty one of Niagara’s better Inns that has a tremendous restaurant (think wine tasting and lunch, mmm food and wine, wine and food, mmm). If you are ever considering doing a series of Niagara wine tours, make this part of the St-Catherines to Grimbsy leg (add in Henry of Pelham, TAWSE, Fielding Estates, and Hidden Bench just to name four more). Maybe one day I will put together a small series on where to go in Niagara since there is a great deal to see, taste and eat in the region! This 2003 Cabernet Merlot was purchased on one of our wine tasting trips in 2005 I believe (may have been 2006) and as I pulled it out I got a twinge of excitement as I have been looking forward to seeing if a few years on it’s side would help what I remember as a decent wine. So without any more dribble, on to the tasting!

The first thing we noticed upon decanting was a very candied nose, like preserves, rich in strawberry and raspberry. I do not remember my initial thoughts back from when we bought this but I was half expecting oak and earthiness (no idea why, just what I expected). As we got into the wine the raspberry jam stayed with us, but hints of oak, mint and cherry came out as well. Tannins were nice and even and overall the wine drank as if it was much more then the $16 or so we spent on it back in 2005. The LCBO has current the current vintage available for around that price, and I know there is a reserve offered as well so there is plenty of opportunity to get some of this wine in one vintage or another. Cellaring seems to have taken this from a decent wine to a very good, near great wine. I know that is shocking, but sometimes a wine can go down the right path with a few extra years to mature despite it’s bargain basement price. I think the good balance, excellent fruit and decent tannins make this a steal if you can find one.

Subjective rating of the Cab-Merlot is 89 out of 100.

Mrs CWG says

I wish we had bought a half dozen!

2003 Cave Springs Cabernet Merlot

2003 Cave Springs Cabernet Merlot

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2002 Joseph Drouhin Morey-Saint-Denis

Posted on February 11, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Sitting around last night, Mrs CWG and I decided that we needed to coif a Burgundy and looking through our wine database we settled on trying the 2002 Joseph Drouhin. For those that know me know that I am more of a Bordeaux man, in fact there was some thought put into naming this the canadianbordeauxguy blog (but darned if that isn’t a mouthful!). Burgundy’s to me have always been a secondary choice. Of late though I have started to dive into them with great attention and this Drouhin win is no exception. If you are shopping for Burgundy reds it is not hard to find a plethora in the $30 to $60 range, this will lead to a great deal of pondering, searching or simply reading labels and hoping you are buying there right one. A hint for purchasing a Burgundy red blind look for a Grand Cru or Premier Cru as you will probably be getting a top tier wine. They are pricier but if you are spending $30 what is an extra 8-15 to get a Premier Cru? This wine in question is neither a Grand or a Premier but when buying it I was pretty confident of the quality, Drouhin is a large producer and I have had some of his other Burgundies before. The Drouhin site is one of the better websites for understanding the producer and drilling down to the details of the wine, it is very much worth reading. Enough on that, let’s move on to the tasting!

Removing the cork and decanting created the first split view between Mrs CWG and me in a long time. She simply did not like the smell, referring it more to the “sewer” portion of the aroma wheel where I quite enjoyed it and got more of a deep raspberry with a bit of a smokiness. Once the first few slurps were done Mrs CWG’s viewpoint changed dramatically. Raspberry with blackberries, vanilla and oak are very predominant here. The wine is a tad soft to start but finishes with a bit of oomphf. It is a good representative for a Burgundy, well rounded enough to please with soft and subtle tannins. To say this was easy to drink is an understatement, the wine disappeared before we knew it. I think that $39 is a tad much for this though when it comes down to it, but overall we enjoyed it, and that is what drinking wine is all about.

The subjective rating of the day for this wine was 88 out of 100. Good, enjoyable, nothing to write home to ma and pa about.

Mrs CWG wants to know where all the wine went so fast!

late edit: This wine could continue being cellar for at least 3 to 8 years, I missed that this morning!

Morey-Saint-Denis 2002

Morey-Saint-Denis 2002

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2000 Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Posted on February 10, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

We brought one of our 2000 Joseph Phelps‘ Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons to friends the other night as I was thinking it was probably getting close to drinking time (we have/had two so why not try one?!). First off it was not close to end of life, and second this may be one of the top ten wines i have had in the past five years, and for sure top two in the past twelve months. So quickly, before you skip to the bottom to find out, I purchased this on one of my many trips to California and at last search I could not find these at the LCBO. Good news is the 2005 vintage can be found in fair quantities in the vintages section. Joseph Phelps Vineyards is one of my favorite Napa vineyards with almost all of it’s wine being produced from it’s own estate grown grapes. While not an inexpensive wine, this is for sure a bottle that will impress your wine snob friends no matter if they are Bordeaux or Piedmont leaning. Well on to the tasting (aka enough blabber):

Immediately upon decanting the nose bellows at you with licorice and vanilla, quite a nice surprise from the usual wood and cherry of Napa based Cabs. With a couple of swishes a bit of tobacco. The first couple of sips brought out the fruit, raspberry and cassis for sure. The balance and finish very much reminded Mrs CWG of our recent trip to the Brunello region and if you closed your eyes you may have thought you were drinking a wine from the region. After a while the wine finished opening up and without a doubt had become an excellent wine from start to finish, leading me to believe that at least two to five years of cellaring would allow this to change subtlety and for the better. It is my belief that if you can get a half dozen of these you would be pleasantly rewarded with a fine glass or three over the next few years. Definitely worth the price of admission!

Ratings are subjective (my common disclaimer), but I am putting this at a comfortable 90 out of 100.

Mrs CWG says

“bring back more CWG!!”

Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon

Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon

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2006 Wyndham Estate Bin 515

Posted on February 9, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Someone recently presented me with this wine to review and I thought I’d wait for an evening of relaxing to settle in to do a proper review, one where I had time to pull out the old notebook and give it the ‘top to bottom’. First off this is one of Wyndham’s new Bin series (to be released in Canada) that comes from the ‘birthplace’ of Australian Shiraz. George Wyndham planted Australia’s first commercial Shiraz way back in 1830 and I am sure we can use the phrase ‘the rest is History’. This, as well as the Bin 525, have been released here to compliment the successful Bin 555. Wyndham has done a nice job with the 500 Bin line, reasonably priced palatable Shiraz based wines, bringing the Australian wine-making strength to the common man. At $16.95 a bottle you will be treated to what Mrs. CWG refers to as “good bang for your buck.” On to the tasting!

Bin 515 is a blend of Shiraz and Viognier at a 92 to 8 % ratio. Viognier, as I think of it the grape of Languedoc, is mostly an ignored white variety to North Americans, but this very finicky grape is being used a great deal of late to work with Shiraz/Syrahs. Generally when blended with Shiraz it will soften the wine and add some lighter aromas to the nose. In this wine it is obvious. The first nose gives you sweet cherry and a hint of floral. The colour is a distant crimson and while this is only a 3 year old wine (remember the Aussies harvest 6 months earlier then the northern hemisphere) it already is seeing a bit of rust in it’s colour palate. On first taste the cherry disappears and a strawberry jam with plum comes out. One thing right away is noticed, even on first tastes, the wine is very evenly balanced, quite a treat for a sub $20 wine. As you get into the tasting the jam-plum disappears a bit and the wild berries with a hint of vanilla start to exhibit themselves. A nice side note to this wine is, unlike many mass produced Shirazs this wine is not killing your taste buds with oak, always appreciated here. Overall the wine surprised me, I was really nto expecting it to be so balanced from start to finish. While you could cellar this, I am not sure anything more then a year or two in bottle will help this wine, it is ready to drink now through 2011.

Rating this is of course subjective but I think it is solid enough to earn a mid 80s and will not disapoint you or your guests if you were to bring a bottle (or three), 86 out of 100.

Mrs. CWG is contemplating making this a regular table wine in the household.

LCBO Listing here.

Bin 515

Bin 515

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Monday Morning WHAT THE???

Posted on February 9, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

Shockingly (note SARCASM alert) the City of Toronto is going to bump property taxes AGAIN this year. So in 2008 and 2009 they will have instituted their own land transfer tax as well as raised property taxes by 3.75 % and 4%. Couple this with the 20% property assessment raise over the next four years (5% per year) and you have to wonder what the politicians are thinking.

Want to solve the Toronto budget crisis? Cut back on special interest social projects, levy user fees Monday to Friday for 905 commuters to the downtown core (toll the inbound roads) and cut back Toronto City payrolls.

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D’ARENBERG THE STUMP JUMP WHITE 2007

Posted on February 8, 2009 by John Galea

My mother use to make something she called froja. She opened the fridge to see what odds and ends were left over and through them in a pan and added eggs to bind them altogether. In the end what you ended up was something that was uniqe every time. This wine reminds me of that concept. They have thrown Marsanne, Riesling, Sauv Blanc, Viognier and Chard into this one. What you have is a totally unrecognizable wine. Your incapable of picking out one flavor (or at least I was). What you have hear is a perfect wine to take to that dinner party where you don’t know the people at all. This wine will offend no one. And as usual, please no one either. If I had bought more than one of these I would take it back. For the price this wine is a major pass …

D’ARENBERG THE STUMP JUMP WHITE 2007
VINTAGES 922203 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 14.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D

Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: D’Arenberg Wines

Release Date: Jan 10, 2009

Description
This fresh and lively blend always boasts a bouquet that ‘jumps’ out of the glass. Look for floral, citrus, gooseberry and mineral notes. The 2007 vintage is comprised of 62% Riesling, 18% Sauvignon Blanc, 8% Marsanne, 6% Viognier and 6% Chardonnay thrown in for kicks. It’s perfect for sipping on its own or with seafood canapés.

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INNISKILLIN WINEMAKER’S SERIES THREE VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2007

Posted on February 8, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely totally middle of the road Chard. With a medium amount of butteryness as would be expected from a California style Chard but well in check. It also has a nice bit of Oak. There is a slight floral off the bouquet and taste. I quite enjoyed this one. We enjoyed it with a pork chop and it went very well.

VQA ON Tour
INNISKILLIN WINEMAKER’S SERIES THREE VINEYARDS CHARDONNAY 2007
VQA Niagara Peninsula

TASTING NOTE: This flavourful, full-blown Chardonnay is a tasty sign of things to come from Ontario’s spectacular 2007 vintage. Toasty, buttery sweet apple flavours are accented by vanilla and toffee, all artfully integrated. Creamy-textured, refined and balanced with bright fruit and a well-measured use of oak, this long-finishing wine should evolve well with 2-3 years bottle age, or savour it now with smoked fish. (VINTAGES panel, Nov. 2008) Vintages 750 mL $17.95

From winecurrent.com: Sure it’s a long name, but this wine has a lot to offer once you’re done reading the label. The nose is full of tangerine and orange blossom, without the mineral aromas common to Niagara Riesling. It just might make you think you’re tasting an Alsatian wine. There’s plenty of mouthwatering acidity on a very light-bodied frame, and the finish is long and full of citrus character. It’ll be hard to beat as an aperitif or with most canapés. (MT) Rating 4.5/5

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Vintages In-Store Bin End Sale

Posted on February 3, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

A quick note:

Vintages (LCBO, Ontario only) is doing a Bin End sale (see link here) and at first glance there are a few very good deals:

LCBO #207944 CHATEAU DES CHARMES MÉTHODE TRADITIONNELLE BRUT 750ml $22.95(was) $18.90 (now) savings: $4.05 (17.6%)
LCBO #324822 DOMAINE DE BEAURENARD CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2005 750ml $46.95(was) $34.95 (now) savings: $12.00 (25.6%)
LCBO #650812 POGGIO SAN POLO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2003 750ml $65.95(was) $49.95 (now) savings: $16.00 (24.3%)
LCBO #68791 MARGUET PÈRE & FILS CHAMPAGNE GRAND CRU 2000 750ml $52.95(was) $39.95(now) savings: $13.00 (24.6%)

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Quick Note

Posted on February 2, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

I have been travelling and then decided to come home with one nasty virus putting my non-sickness streak to an end. In the past few weeks we have had an excellent 2000 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon and a bunch of so-so mid/lower tier wines. Will try and get a review up of the JP Cab and a new recipe or two in the upcoming week. Till then, savour this picture of Super Bowl 2009 chicken stew with biscuits!!

Yumm Chicken Stew with Biscuits!

Yumm Chicken Stew with Biscuits!

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CAVE DE SAUMUR RÉSERVE DES VIGNERONS SAUMUR 2005

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

This is a smooth elegant wine with absolutely nothing distinctive going on. If your looking for a non-descriptive wine that will definitely offend no one (although it won’t please anyone either) this is the wine for you. The finish is very short. There’s some fruit flavors, with little to no oak. This wine given how bland it is would go with just about anything. I was underwhelmed as you likely have already gathered Won’t be running out to get more of this one.

CAVE DE SAUMUR RÉSERVE DES VIGNERONS SAUMUR  2005 AC  
TASTING NOTE: Very pure and elegant, showing purple flower and blue and black fruit notes, with a long, finely tuned, mineral finish. Deceptively concentrated. Drink now through 2008. Score – 90. (James Molesworth,www.winespectator.com, May 15, 2007) 
LCBO 750 mL    $15.95

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ANTINORI PÈPPOLI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2006

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely Chianti Classico. Lots of depth, nice finish, and nice fruit. Decant for about an hour to allow some of the acidic bitterness to fade. Nice tannins and oak on the wine as well. I enjoyed this one and would recommend it … Bang on varietal!

ANTINORI PÈPPOLI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2006 DOCG

TASTING NOTE: Delivers ripe blackberry and raspberry, with pronounced floral and mineral notes. Almost meaty in character. Medium- to full-bodied, with a silky texture and lots of flavor. Finishes long, with an almost exotic twist in the end. Lots to enjoy. Drink now. Score – 90. (James Suckling,www.winespectator.com, Sep. 30, 2008)

LCBO 375 mL $12.95
LCBO 750 mL $21.95

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CASTELLO DI NEIVE BARBARESCO 2005

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

When you are looking for a bigger wine but not quite up to a Barolo or not up to the price you can reach for a Babaresco. These wines are made from the same Nebbiolo grape as a Barolo but are cheaper and approachable earlier. A bit of breathing say 1 hour or so will help this wine immensely. I enjoyed the long finish, strong oak and complexity of this wine.

CASTELLO DI NEIVE BARBARESCO 2005 DOCG

TASTING NOTE: The 2005 Barbaresco offers up an attractive array of rose petals, cherries and raspberries in a delicate, feminine expression of Nebbiolo. The tannins tend to slightly dominate the wine’s balance, but that is to be expected at this level. This is a lovely and very pure, elegant Barbaresco. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017. Score – 89. (Antonio Galloni,www.erobertparker.com, Oct. 2008)

LCBO 750 mL $23.95

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ANGIÒ ARCHEO PRIMITIVO 2006

Posted on February 1, 2009 by John Galea

The Primitovo grape has been genetically linked to the Zinfandel. So the principle difference between the Italian Primitivo and the Californian Zinfandel is one of style. In California the Zinfandels are field blended with a number of other grapes giving deep rich, widely varying flavor and finish. In this Primitivo for the price you have a lovely wine. The finish is not particularly long and the oak is very well in check. You get the lovely Zinfandel fruit, but no jamminess and no Oak. I enjoyed the wine enough to go back and grab a few more. But don’t be expecting complexity as this is very much a simple wine. Also don’t expect this one to age well (I would guess, as there are little tannins to be found).

ANGIÒ ARCHEO PRIMITIVO 2006
IGT Salento

Primitivo’s renaissance is largely due to the discovery that it is identical to California’s popular Zinfandel. Primitivo, which means ‘first to ripen’, acquired its name when an observant 18th-century Puglian monk discovered that the grapes matured before other varieties. Primitivo and Zinfandel may share the same genes but they certainly have distinct personalities. This one has all the charisma of a southern Italian red: it’s mildly spicy, full-bodied, dry, balanced, and full of fruit. Delicious with steak frites or aged cheddar.

LCBO 750 mL $12.95

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SILENI CELLAR SELECTION PINOT GRIS 2008

Posted on January 21, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely wine with a good bit of acidity, some green apple flavors, and some oak. The wine for my tastes is more like a Sauvigon Blanc than a Pinot Gris. No real peach in the taste with a hint of an orange peal tangy/bitterness to it. I enjoyed the wine. Not bad at all! I wouldn’t run out and buy a case but I wouldn’t be rushing to take back any more of it I had either. This is the kind of wine you could easily serve to non wine lovers and would go well with a lot of different foods … 

SILENI CELLAR SELECTION PINOT GRIS  2008
Hawke’s Bay, North Island  

This Pinot Gris from the warm Hawkes Bay region is another notable bargain. The nose features lovely peach, pear and apple aromas. It’s just off-dry with a round texture and juicy fruit flavours beautifully balanced by a bright seam of acidity. Try it with Asian noodle dishes.

LCBO 750 mL    $15.95

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DOMAINE DES ASPES MERLOT 2005

Posted on January 21, 2009 by John Galea

If your expecting a California style Merlot with lots of plum on the tastes, then this wine is not for you. It is good, with a medium finish but terroir in this case is dominant and this for my pallette has more Cab Sauv than Merlot flavors. Not a bad wine, but I won’t be breaking into a jog to get more … 

DOMAINE DES ASPES MERLOT  2005
Vins de Pays d’Oc  

This Merlot from the south of France is popular the world over for its quality, elegance and value. The 2005 vintage was indeed good to all of France’s regions and shines through in this fresh and juicy wine. Look for layers of dark plum, black cherry, and earthy forest floor notes in this suave, medium-bodied Merlot. Serve with veal chops or a hearty helping of ratatouille.


http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/ProductResultsController?&ITEM_NUMBER=951665     (XD)            750 mL    $14.95

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WATERSHED SHIRAZ 2004

Posted on January 21, 2009 by John Galea

As most of you know a Shiraz and a Syrah are the same grape, so what’s the difference? It’s all about style. For me Syrah tends to be a more elegant refined, smooth wine. A Shiraz tends to be a more edgey wine with lots of pepper on the finish. Each style has it’s place depending on your mood and what you are serving. Last night I cracked this one and served it with lamb chops marinated in red wine, herbs de provence, salt and pepper and a little franks hot sauce to kick it up a notch. The wine is much more of a Syrah than a Shiraz. This was a lovely smooth wine with lots going on in the mouth. Almost no pepper what so ever on this one. The finish quite mild but all in all I would say this was delicious. Definitely grab some. But it’s going fast, so act now, operators are standing by … James Halliday actually got one close. I’d give it a 90-91. Well worth the money!

WATERSHED SHIRAZ  2004
Margaret River, Western Australia  

In 2007, this Shiraz was awarded Gold by the prestigious Mundus Vini International Wine Academy.

TASTING NOTE: Spicy, savoury black fruit aromas; medium-bodied, complex texture from fine tannins throughout interwoven with fruit and oak. Drink [until] 2014. Score – 92. (James Halliday, winecompanion.com.au, March 2006) 

http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/ProductResultsController?&ITEM_NUMBER=73767     (D)            750 mL    $19.9

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DONATIEN BAHUAUD MAISON DES PRINCES VOUVRAY DEMI-SEC 2007

Posted on January 12, 2009 by John Galea

This is a lovely smack on varietal Chenin. This one is a mild flavored one with a bit of sweetness and a bit of crispness.  I get a bit of that “Sauterne” like flavor. I had it with a nice peice of pan fried Cod and went well. Kanu  is still my fav Chenin but you can’t get that one anymore. I had been looking forward to a Loire Valley Chenin and I was not disappointed. I would recommend this one. Delicious. I will be grabbing a few more of this one for sure.

DONATIEN BAHUAUD MAISON DES PRINCES VOUVRAY DEMI-SEC 2007 AC TASTING NOTE: This Chenin Blanc has an impressive array of aromas including candied apple Asian pear melon and a chalky minerality characteristic of Vouvray. Off-dry with a medium full-body lovely aroma replays on the palate impressive length and a crisp balancing acidity on the finish. Off-dry Vouvrays are highly versatile food wines from cold cuts to white meat dishes to bloomy soft rind cheeses like Brie and Camembert. (VINTAGES panel Oct. 2008) 80499 $16.95
Featured 1/9/2009 Check LCBO Stock show image of bottle

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2007 Stratus Wildass Reisling

Posted on January 9, 2009 by John Galea

Jason and I were out at Ki last night (my favorite sushi restaraunt by the way) and imbibed this 2007 Stratus Wildass Reisling. Looks like its unfortunately not at the LCBO. This was yummy. Lots of complexity, bang on Niagara Reisling , a touch of minerality and quite refreshing. It went perfectly with the sushi! I would grab a few of these if I could … Enjoy …

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Restaurant Wine Rant

Posted on January 8, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

I try extremely hard not to use this blog or anything else I contribute to as a forum for negativity or ‘ranting’. Too many blogs are simply verbal diarrhea for whatever the blogger feels is peeving him/her off at that fleeting moment. This will unfortunately be one of those. Apologies in advance.

Last night Mrs CWG went to dinner with a friend and ordered a glass of TAWSE Chardonnay (a 2006 I believe). The wine was delivered with a good teaspoon of sediment (chunks not small particles), which by itself can happen, what ensued should never have. Despite the missus’ best intention she could not flag down her server to correct the issue, but eventually the manager came over to her. What the manager said leads into this rant “it is normal for that wine to have sediment, some wines are suppose to have it.” Now obviously he had no idea that Mrs CWG was knowledgable on wine, he simply tried to cover a serving mistake (and for a glass of wine priced at $14 a glass it is a mistake) with a level “bovine dung” (thanks Heath for the synonym…). When Mrs CWG corrected him that she was aware certain wines do get sediment and that it is normal (though I doubt a 2006 Chardonnay should have that much…), what was not normal was serving the wine with it the issue was corrected.

So to the manager of “Four” at 187 Bay Street, please do not assume your customers are ignorant and teach your servers how to correctly pour wine, especially when you are charging outrageous prices by the glass.

Wow I feel much better 😉

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2004 Andrew Peller Signature Series Riesling Icewine

Posted on January 6, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

With Mrs. Cwg and I running out of room in the Wine Fridge/Cellar we decided it would be a great time to have one of our dessert wines to ‘make room’. After perusing the collection I decided to grab our 2004 Riesling Icewine that seemed to be darkening by the day over the past few months. Despite being in correct cellaring conditions this wine had darkened quite a bit leaving me with a twinge of worry. Mrs CWG did the honours and we sat down with this caramel coloured icewine. The colour aside, it was an impress wine. As with all icewines the sweetness is not for everyone, this wine had reached a velvety texture that with the sugar made it feel more port like (feel not taste). The citrus that this wine must have had in it’s younger days had diminshed with apple, pear and honey coming out now.

After having enjoyed this wine I hold to the belief that you can lay down a good quality icewine for several years and you will be amply rewarded with a much different wine then what originally was bottled.

Andrew Peller Signature Series 2004 Riesling Icewine

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Tuscany Road Trip

Posted on January 6, 2009 by CanadianWineGuy

We have returned from our Italian jaunt and Mrs CWG and I are recovering nicely (minus the whole ‘work’ thing). We spent most of our stay in Rome drinking and eating well beyond our expectations. We generally had “vino di casa” (house wine) whenever we ordered lunch, with a half-liter being between 4 and 6 euros and without fail it was a Sangiovese of good quality. Hard to imagine ordering a house wine anywhere in North America, for 6 to 12 dollars that would be palatable. In the evenings we ordered Tuscan wines, with the emphasis on Brunello’s, Rosso di Montalcino and Chiantis. We figured that if we were on the edge of Tuscany why not drink wines from the region?

After a few days in Rome we rented a car (Fiat Punto) and braved the crazy Italians drivers to head for Tuscany with our end destination being Florence. Our mission was to head for Montalcino and then try and get a few wine tastings in there, then simply meander up to Florence. The drive was as expected relying heavily on my Montrealer driving skills… Tuscany was mostly snow covered as a fresh snow had fallen overnight, but none the less the drive was stunning. We drove into the hilltop village of Montalcino and had a great lunch with an amazing view (see below). From there we stopped in at a local wine shop to grab a map and suggestions (we already had the basics from the Rome Cavalieri Concierge but wanted some local insight) only to find out that all but two vineyards in the whole region were closed for holidays. Sadly we decided that instead of trying to get to both of them (on opposite ends of the region and possibly 4 hours of driving…) that we would go to the one already on our list and buy some good Brunellos as well from the merchant. Between the wine shop tastings and purchases and our trip to Poggio Antico we made out well. With Brunellos from Poggio Antico, La Fiorita, Conti Costanti and Tornesi we brought back some brilliant Brunellos and accomplished more then we expected. All in all a good trip through Tuscany, next trip we will concentrate on Chianti’s.

On top of the wine we were able to get Olive Oil from Poggio and some truffle infused oil from a specialty shop in Rome, so we made out like preverbial bandits!

Lunch View

Lunch View

Montalcino 'Street'

Montalcino 'Street'

Wines Bought in Tuscany

Wines Bought in Tuscany

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De Loach Vineyards Merlot 2005 California

Posted on January 4, 2009 by John Galea

Sometimes terroir can be so dominant in the flavors of the wine. This is definitely the case here. The wine tastes more like their Zinfandel and little like a Merlot. It’s not a bad wine, don’t get me wrong, just don’t expect it to have varietal tastes …

Description from Winecurrent.com

This is quite flavourful round and ready to drink. The aromas are expressive with spiced dark berry predominant along with nuances of lilac. The palate is treated to layers of sweet ripe fruit, black cherry mulberry and black currant. The tannins are plush and the tang from ripe pomegranate is evident and welcomed on the persistent finish. It’s one smooth number offering good value. (VH)  (89235) $15.95

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OYSTER BAY 2007 CHARDONNAY

Posted on January 1, 2009 by John Galea

A lovely middle of the road chard with some butteryness, some oak and some green apple minerality as you would expect from New Zealand. Quite a good wine with nice complexity. The winecurrent descrption below I found pretty accurate. I would buy it again. Right now, for the money, my favorite Chard is Kendall Jackson Vintner’s reserve. Yumm Kendall Jackson  

Description from Winecurrent.com:

OYSTER BAY CHARDONNAY (V)   Marlborough  South Island  This elegant Chardonnay shows varietal intensity and the distinct qualities of the Marlborough region with aromas and flavours of melon  apple  pear  citrus and subtle buttery oak for balance. It has a lingering  crisp and refreshing finish  326728 $17.95 Check LCBO Stock

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Montalto Nero d’Avola / Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Posted on December 30, 2008 by John Galea

I found this wine using my bargain hunting page http://jgalea.com/wine.htm This wine displays a nice cassis flavor. Not a lot of depth or complexity but then for the price one would not expect it. All in all this is quite good, but don’t expect a varietal Cab Sauv. 

Description from Winecurrent.com

Montalto Nero d’Avola / Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 IGT Sicilia Italy
A recent Gold Medal winner in the $9 to $15 red wine category at the Ottawa Wine and Food Show this out-scored wines costing half again as much,  great value. Nero d’Avola is a grape indigenous to Sicily and makes up 80% of this red blend. There are rich and robust aromas of black briary berry black licorice and earthy nuances that segue richly concentrated fruit flavours that wash over the palate in delicious wave, black raspberry Bing cherry and red pie cherry along with subtle notes of espresso roast and mocha. It’s medium bodied generously textured well balanced and sports a lingering finish. What’s not to like? (VH) (621151) $10.00 Rating 4.5/5 from Winecurrent
Featured 12/6/2008 Check LCBO Stock

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