Sunday, September 30, 2007

ROSSO PICENO SUPERIORE - VELENOSI BRECCIAROLO 2003

This delicious Italian red is a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. I tasted cherry and Julia tasted vanilla. It seemed dry although the sweetness code is 01. Tannins are not too strong. We both really liked this wine.

Score: 88
SKU #98319 / UPC #00666056000090

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

MULLER BISHOP OF RIESLING 2006

RIESLING QBA BERNKASTEL - MULLER BISHOP OF RIESLING
A sweet wine with hints of honey and pear. Very flavourful with sour notes at the end. Julia appreciated the lack of oak. I noticed that the wine had some bubbles, possibly an indication of the presence of carbon dioxide left over from fermentation, according to Rodney Strong Vineyards. Would go well with Asian food.

Score: 84

BCL SKU #36111 / UPC #04006542053654

Monday, September 24, 2007

SANTA RITA FLORESTA PETITE SIRAH SYRAH 2003


I bought this as a birthday present for myself. Julia and I enjoyed it immensely as we sat on our hotel patio in Whistler gazing up at the mountains.

If you have ever heard someone say that only cheap red wine leaves your mouth red, don't believe them. This wine was expensive and delicious, and it left our mouths a deep purple. It may have been a result of the high juice concentration - this wine had legs! As I swirled my glass, I could see it slowly drip down the sides.

The Floresta had flavours of plum and leather, with spicy notes. It was very dry, so much so that Julia said her mouth was like a desert. She also called it a man's wine, and was able to pick out the oak (I didn't until I read the label). It was definitely an indulgence and worth the price.

Score: 93

BCLS: SKU #24513 / UPC #00686586000445

P.S. Gismondi on Wine reviewed this wine recently and gave it the same score. Maybe I have a new career in reviewing wine! (Oct 8 '07)

Monday, September 17, 2007

KETTLE VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2004




We had this wine in Whistler at a very fancy restaurant called Araxi. Of course when you go to a restaurant like that there is always an uncomfortable awkwardness when the Sommelier (or wine specialist) pops open the cork. He hands you the cork and expects you to take a sniff. Then he pours a small portion of wine to taste to make sure the bottle has not gone sour. Now, imagine if they did this with your food.

So after the big production, we went on to actually drink the wine. We had both ordered seafood and it complemented the food very well. I believe I tasted apples and peach notes in the wine. It truly screamed "I am from the Okanagan"

This wine is not in BCLS

http://www.kettlevalleywinery.com/

MARCUS JAMES CHARDONNAY 2006






Not my favorite wine!

This is what the website says about there wine:

This 2005 Chardonnay from Mendoza is light yellow with hues of green. The tropical aromas are of pineapple and banana with notes of citrus. These evolve into forward and round white peach flavors. The finish is clean and lasting.

I found this wine to be watery and lack complex flavours. We bought it because it was cheap.


BCLS SKU #372672 / UPC #00082100109449

Thursday, September 13, 2007

MARTINI & ROSSI PROSECCO FRIZZANTE




For a special occasion we had a sparkling wine called prosecco. This wine is produced from Prosecco grapes grown in the hills of the Veneto Region. It is described as having a fresh fruity aroma with a crisp taste. This wine was acutually the original ingredient in a Bellini. I personally prefer this sparkling wine to champange because it is slightly sweeter and has a lighter taste. The wine has notes of apple and melon. Another benefit is that it is cheaper which means you can drink it more often. Produced in the Veneto region of Italy, Martini & Rossi Prosecco comes in a deep green bottle with a glossy finish and a hand-tied string over the cork, 10.5%

Score: 86

BCL SKU #639310 $14.99

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

GATO NEGRO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2006


The inaugural red of this blog is Gato Negro. I was served this wine at a Greek restaurant, and they must have kept the bottle near the kitchen because the wine was warm! I think this was a blessing in disguise because it forced me to wait and let the wine breath. Right out of the bottle it tasted watery and acidic, but after ten minutes it mellowed out.

The Gato Negro Cab Sav has a nice spicinesses with cherry and plum flavours. The tannins are still quite prominent so I expect that aging it a couple of years would be beneficial. I liked this wine, but didn't love it.

Score: 84
BCL
SKU #188193 / UPC #07804300010638

Sunday, September 9, 2007

SANTA RITA 120 SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007

Today's selection is an excellent value wine that came recommended from a few wine reviews I have recently read. It is another Chilean white, this time from Santa Rita, "one of Chile's most admired and innovative whine estates" (according to the label).

Julia thought the bouquet smelled of peaches and apples. I found hints of these flavours, as well as celery and lemon. Goes well with fish, fresh fruit or a light dessert. Overall we agreed that it was a very complex and delicious Sauvignon Blanc. At $9.99, Santa Rita 120 is an excellent value.

Score: 89
BCL
SKU #275586 / UPC #00089419007091

Friday, September 7, 2007

CONO SUR GEWURZTRAMINER 2006

Hello and welcome to Cheese Toast's Wine Reviews. My name is Chris, and along with my girlfriend Julia we intend to post reviews of various wines that we happen to sample. We are by no means wine experts, but we appreciate a good glass and want to develop our palates. Hopefully people reading this will be able to use our reviews to help find a decent bottle. Since we live in North Vancouver, our main source of wines is the BC Liquor Store. We will post a BCL SKU whenever possible.

Our inaugural wine is a 2006 Gewürztraminer from Chile called Cono Sur. Julia and I both really like Gewürztraminer, especially accompanying any Asian or Indian cuisine. The slightly sweeter and stronger flavour holds its own against the spiciness. Unfortunately this particular vintage was a little disappointing. It seems this wine was a perhaps a bit young, but in any event, it tasted sour. Not many flavours came through for me. Julia agreed that it had quite a sour note, was acidic, and was not complex enough.


Score: 75
BCL
SKU #494708 / UPC #07804320753904