Wednesday, December 31, 2008

CARMEN VALLE DE CURICO SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008


If you are a regular reader of this blog you will recall that every Christmas Eve my family sits down to a delicious crab dinner. This year my dear old dad selected Carmen Valle de Curicó Sauvignon Blanc to accompany this magnificent feast. This was a delicious wine that complemented the crab beautifully. The body was very smooth and rounded, with well balanced citrus notes. It would easily stand up alone as a sipping wine with strong notes of grapefruit and hints of pineapple. The long finish was very pleasurable; I was sad to see the empty bottle.






Friday, December 5, 2008

REIF ESTATE WINERY CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2006

We visited Reif Estate Winery near Niagara-on-the-Lake during our most recent tour of the Niagara region. The winery was founded by German wine maker Ewald Reif in 1983. The current wine makers are dedicated to growing premium quality grapes, mainly Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

The Chardonnay Reserve 2006 showed qualities typical of a new world Chardonnay. Jules immediately noticed the vivid straw colour that seemed to almost glow in the glass. This wine had scents of honey, maple syrup, pear, and kiwi fruit. On the palate were hints of peach and appricote. I mention "new world" because during a trip to Montreal last weekend, Julia and I had a delicious meal at Restaurant Julien that included a bottle of Domaine Brintet Bourgogne Blanc, a classic old world Chardonnay. It was noticably different: it was drier and more acidic, with hints of citrus and minerals. New world Chardonnays tend to be more rounded and sweet, and show honey, vanilla, and pineapple. As a relative newcomer to the world of wines, this has been quite a revalation for me.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

JACKSON-TRIGGS DELAINE VINYARD SYRAH 2006

Picked up this bottle during another recent visit to the Niagara wine region. Jackson-Triggs is one of my favourite Canadian wineries. I find their wines to be consistently outstanding. Of the wines I tasted, the Delaine Vinyard Syrah stood out for its distinct character. It had just been released to the public when we visited and was apparently selling very well.

The Delaine Vinyard is a 100-acre plot along the Niagara Parkway that grows vines for JT's premium wines. Several varietals are grown in this vinyard, including Syrah. Also known as Shiraz, this grape is well known for comprising many Rhône wines from Southeastern France. I often associate Shiraz with spice, although the spice was subtle in this wine. I detected leather, cloves, and cinamon on the nose. This wine showed nice tannins, with flavours of blueberry pie and cranberries. I also found hints of chilli peppers. This wine could probably benefit from a year or two of aging, but it definitely shows well now. It was a very enjoyable accompaniment to the lamb chops and grilled vegetables we had tonight.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

STONEY RIDGE RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2006

I picked up this pinot when I visited several Beamsville Bench wineries in August. The grounds at Stoney Ridge was very impressive, with large beautiful gardens full of flowers and herbs. They very much deserve to be know as "Niagara's Garden Winery." Inside, the tasting bar was small yet busy, and you could pick up a variety of cheeses and other food to go with your wine.

I wish I could be as positive about the wine. The boquet showed hints of strawberry, and I could detect cranberry and roses on the palate. I found it to be a very simple wine, and the low alcohol content was very noticable (12.2%). The label claimed that the wine had been oaked for at least a year, however it was undetectable. For a "reserve" wine I was quite disappointed.



Thursday, October 30, 2008

CHATEAU D'ARGADENS 2004


This Bordeaux was the Vintages wine of the month for October. It is a Bordeaux Superieur, meaning it is a common wine produced with grapes from all over the region. Consisting of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, this red is refined and well balanced. The bouquet is subtle with notes of liquorice, black current, and leather. The palate suggests cloves and blackberry, and hints of the twelve months of oak aging.

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Monday, October 27, 2008

PENFOLDS KOONUNGA HILL SHIRAZ CABERNET 2006

It has been a long while since I last posted a review. Not that I haven't drank any, it's just been in situations when I didn't have the time and/or patients to take any notes. Recently I was at a local steakhouse for my birthday and happened to order a bottle of Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet. I liked it so much I decided to buy a bottle from the liquor store and perform a proper tasting. As an aside, I really wish restaurants in Canada would not charge so much for wine. I recall paying about $35 at the steakhouse versus about $17 in the liquor store. Obscene!

I really liked the balance of this wine - the spiciness of the Shiraz against the warmth of the Cabernet. The oak was detectable yet subtle, so as not to overpower the wine. As with many Aussie reds this one had big, bold fruit, with hints of raspberry on the nose. The high alcohol level (13.5%) was also quite detectable even after breathing for several minutes. It pairs really well with beef - no wonder it's available at the steakhouse.

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Saturday, August 9, 2008

MALIVOIRE - GEWURZTRAMINER 2006


Fragrant, perfumey bouquet with strong notes of pear, honey, lavender. Nice colour of golden straw. I always think of my Dad's advice about Gerwurz: it goes really well with Asian food because it can stand up nicely. It can, however, overpower other food that you typically accompany with a white wine. Tonight we had salmon and a tomato and bocconcini salad, and I think this wine was a bit too flavourful. A nice Gewurztraminer, but probably mismatched with our dinner.

This was another wine from our first tour of the Niagara wine region. Last weekend we visited the peninsula again and discovered some new wineries. I will write them up soon.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

PENINSULA RIDGE 2006 FUME BLANC

The second of two bottles we picked up from Peninsula Ridge Estate Winery. This one was even better than I remembered it being at the tasting bar. It reminded me a lot of the Malivoire Chardonnay I tried a couple of months back - lots of honey, vanilla, apricot, and citrus. It was silky smooth and absolutely delicious. Niagara's whites absolutely shine!

Until now I had no idea that Fume Blanc is actually Sauvignon Blanc. Apparently, the term Fume Blanc was made popular by Robert Mondavi when he began producing a dry Sauvignon Blanc that was different to the sweeter SBs that he had previously produced. I always thought it was just another type of grape.

My parents are coming to visit in a couple of weeks, and we are hoping to take another trip to the Niagara Peninsula region. I'm not sure which wineries we will visit this time. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

PENINSULA RIDGE ARCANUM 2001


Another wine from our recent trip to the Niagara Peninsula region. This red is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Extremely dark in colour, and somewhat thin legs. Notes of cedar on the nose. The palate is light on tannins, with strong berry flavour. I expected a fuller body, but it still stood up well to my steak dinner.






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Thursday, May 22, 2008

ANGELS GATE CABERNET MERLOT 2004

Had this a few nights ago along with beef stir fry. We picked up this bottle during our wine tour of the Niagara Peninsula two weekends ago, and I must say I liked it a lot better than the sample I had at the winery. It was very mellow, with just the right boldness that I look for in this type of red. It had a resiny nose, and a nice brownish tinge in the class that indicated some aging. Hints of saddle leather (don't you love it?) and plum. Very satisfying.

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

MALIVOIRE - MOIRA VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2005

This was arguably the best wine we tasted during our trip to the Niagara Peninsula wine region. The Moira vineyard is Malivoire's oldest, and is meticulously maintained in order to produce a superior wine. Much care and craftsmanship goes into this wine and it shows. On the nose are prominent notes of apple, pear, brie, and honey. Flavours of apricot, maple syrup, and vanilla. To say this wine is smooth is an understatement.

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Visit to Ontario's Niagara Peninsula wine region

Last weekend Julia and I took a trip to the famed Niagara wine region, due east of London. We visited wineries in the western side of the region, near the towns of Winona, Grimsby and Beamsville. First up was Puddicombe Estate Winery. The farm & winery boasts that it was established way back in 1797, however it was originally a cattle farm. It did not begin growing fruit until the early 1900s, and began growing wine grapes in 1940. They currently produce both fruit and traditional wines. We sampled a variety of both, and I have to admit that we were underwhelmed overall. I sampled the Riesling, supposedly a strength of the Niagara region, and found it to be very acidic and lacking in complexity. The Merlot Reserve was decent, so I decided to buy a bottle (although had it not been our first winery of the tour I probably wouldn't have). We also sampled a cranberry wine, something we had never tried before, and found it to simply taste like unsweetened juice. It would be novel to have it with turkey at Thanksgiving.

Next up was Peninsula Ridge Estates. It has a fantastic old house up on a hill that operates a restaurant, but since we did not have reservations we could not eat there. The wine tasting was a typical line up, including a Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. I was really impressed by the silky Fume Blanc 2006.

Peninsula Ridge Estates vineyard

The Restaurant at Peninsula Ridge

After grabbing some lunch at a nearby cafe, we next visited Angels Gate Winery. The property features a very attractive "mission" style building perched up on a hill overlooking the shoreline. The estate is relatively new; its first vines were planted in 1995. They offered a wide variety of wines, and best of all the tastings were free! The wines were OK but nothing stood out as outstanding. I picked up a bottle of Cabernet Merlot that seemed promising.

Angels Gate Winery

Virtually across the road is Thirty Bench Wine Makers. It had been recommended to us by the proprietor of the cafe we had stopped at for lunch. We were greeted personally at the door and were given an overview of the vineyard and their wine making process. A lot of care goes into making Thirty Bench wine. We were told that the grapes are all hand picked in small batches, for instance one row of vines may be deemed ready to pick while the next row waits a few more days. They offered us a tasting hosted by one of their wine experts, but unfortunately due to time constraints we couldn't stay. Instead we sampled a couple of their featured wines: the Beamsville Bench Riesling and the Benchmark Red Blend. Both were excellent and were definitely some of the best wine we had tasted during our tour. I really want to visit Thirty Bench again so that we can try the longer tasting.

Last of not least was Malivoire Wine Company. Above their tasting room is where their storage tanks are located, so while you are sampling you can look up through glass windows to see where their wine is made. One wine that really stood out was the 2005 Moira Vineyard Chardonnay. The Moira vineyard is Malivoire's oldest, planted back in 1995.

Malivoire Wine Company vineyard

Overall, the Niagara whites were superior to the reds, and this was confirmed by many of the winery representatives. I found the reds to lack boldness; they seemed weak. However, we sampled many delicious whites such as the Moira Chardonnay from Malivoire and the Beamsville Bench Riesling from Thirty Bench.

We left the Niagara Peninsula with nine bottles of wine. Keep watching this blog for my tasting notes as we eventually try each one.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

HENRY OF PELHAM - RIESLING 2006


It has been a while since our last post, as we have recently moved from Vancouver to London, Ontario. Naturally, things have been quite busy, and we haven't had the luxury of leisurely wine tastings.

Now that we are in Ontario, it is time to sample some of the local varieties. The Niagara Peninsula is the major wine appellation here, and is where Henry of Pelham Family Estate is located. Its sub-appellation is called Short Hills Bench.

We sampled a bottle of Riesling to have with some tortellini - probably not a great pairing, but what the heck. It had grapefruit, citrus, and quince on the nose, and the taste had strong flavours of granny smith apple. It was a very nice introduction to Ontario wine, and I can't wait for more.

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Saturday, March 15, 2008

MOUTON CADET 2005



Mouton Cadet is the product of Baron Philippe de Rothschild. It is not good enough to be called Chateau Mouton Rothschild, so they called it Mouton Cadet (cadet meaning younger son in French). It is a Bordeaux AOC with grapes from Saint-Estephe and Haut-Medoc, plus other regions.

We ordered a bottle at Morton's - The Steakhouse, and it went perfectly with our porterhouses and rib eyes. A luscious, deep red hue, and a perfect balance of fruit and tannins. It is a blend of 65% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 15% cabernet franc.

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Monday, March 3, 2008

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival 2008

Last night Jules and I attended the Tasting Room event of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. As the cliche goes, I was like a kid in a candy store. There were dozens of wineries pouring hundreds of wines, and it wasn't just the common stuff either. There were was a selection of champagne, bordeaux, port, and myriad reserves. It was very crowded, so at times we had to get a bit pushy to get in front of the booths, but over all I was able to taste virtually everything I wanted. Having never been to this event before, I had hoped to take some tasting notes on some of the wines. Soon after arriving, I realized that this would be impossible, firstly because I had forgot a freakin' pen, but also because of the physical difficulty of juggling a wine glass, note pad, pen, festival program, and handouts. I did see a few others taking notes, but it looked very awkward. Maybe next time...
The regional theme this year was Italy, and it seemed this was the most represented country. Because it was the most crowded area on the floor we did not sample as many as we would have liked. I admit I am less familiar with Italian growing regions and grape varietals, however I do enjoy Italian wine. Here are some highlights:
  • Prunotto Barbaresco 2004 & Bric Turot Barbaresco 2004 - according to their representatives, 2004 was an exceptional vintage for their Barbaresco wines. It showed; both the Barbaresco and Bric Turot Barbaresco were delicious, with high acidity, and pronounced fruit flavours
  • Antinori Tignanello Toscana 2005 & Cervaro Della Sala 2004 - Julia and I agreed that the Cervaro Della Sala was our favourite white of the tasting room. And the Tignanello - hey, it's a classic.
  • Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2006 - a refreshing, simple pinot grigio that offers good value.
And then there was the rest of the world. I was able to browse a downloaded version of the program ahead of time, and wrote down some wines that I wanted to try. Quite a few were French.
  • Taittinger Champagne NV (FR) - of the half dozen or so champagnes we tried, including G.H. Mumm and Pommery, this was my favourite
  • Chateau Haut Vigneau 2005 (FR) - a fine bordeaux, with pronounced tannins and a long finish
  • Perrin Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-Du-Pape Rouge 2005 (FR) - I love Perrin Reserve Red Cotes Du Rhone, so I had to try their Chateauneuf.
  • Perrin Coudoulet de Beaucastel Red 2005 (FR) - another fine Cotes du Rhone from the Perrin family, who, through recent acquisitions, produce dozens of other wines.
  • Louis Latour Pinot Noir (FR)
  • Ogier Caves des Papes Châteauneuf-Du-Pape, Clos De L’Oratoire 2005 (FR) - tried it just because of the great label
  • Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Estate Sunrock Shiraz 2005 (CA) - I have a bottle of this on my rack but had never tried it before. Now I'm glad I bought it.
  • Santa Rita Pehuen Carmenere 2004 (CL) - a special treat, since this wine was designated for industry tastings only. I distinctly remember hints of mint and burnt rubber
  • Santa Rita Floresta Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (CL) - at first I thought this was a chardonnay because of its boldness. Very pronounced citrus
  • Dr H Thanisch Berncasteler Doctor Riesling Auslese 2005 (DE) - very sweet and flavourful dessert wine

Sunday, February 17, 2008

COTES DU RHONE PERRIN RESERVE 2005

Wow. This wine completely blew me away. What terrific balance and fragile complexity. It has an earthy aroma with hints of cloves and cranberries. Flavours of cocoa and plum with a slight spiciness and excellent tannins. Thanks to Mary Alice for a wonderful bottle.

Perrin Reserve consists of Cinseault, Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre grapes. They are grown in the vinyards of Grand Prébois owned by the Perrin family in Orange, France.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

BODEGA ACHAVAL FERRER MALBEC 2005

To me, Malbec is synonymous with Argentinian wine, as they produce lots of this delicious varietal. Julia and I received a bottle of Achaval Ferrer from Jan for Christmas (thank you Jan!).

The first thing that came to mind when I tasted it was "round." It has a very round mouth feel; it is well balanced with nice tannins and a bit of tartness. Julia noticed hints of blackberry, and a flavour that she first thought was plastic, but after reading another review, was more accurately described as tarry. But in a good way.





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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

MARLEY FARM WINERY - KIWI SOLERA



This past summer Julia and I visited Marley Farm Winery near Victoria as part of a wine slash bike trip. This winery is reputed to be owned by a relative of Bob Marley. Indeed, when we arrived we could hear "I shot the sheriff" piped over the stereo.

Marley Farm Winery produces a selection of traditional grape wine as well as a variety of fruit wines. After sampling a few, I decided to buy a bottle of Kiwi Solera. It reminded me of sherry and had a great complexity.

Last night we decided to open it. On the nose it had a very aromatic, pleasant bouquet. To the taste, prevalent flavours of honey, pears, and apples. It indeed reminded me of sweet sherry.


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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

CABERNET SAUVIGNON - SANTA RITA RESERVA 2005


This cabernet from Chile's Maipo Valley is representative of how great Chilean wines are. It is as good a red as you will find for a decent price. If you regularly read this blog you already know that I am particular to Santa Rita wines, and this one simply reinforces my fondness for them.

On the nose, blueberries and vanilla. The color is a deep crimson that barely lets the light through. The taste is timid at first, but then really opens up with nice tannins and a hint of oak. A hint of sweet chillies.




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Sunday, January 13, 2008

FISHEYE SHIRAZ 2005


I opened a bottle of FishEye Shiraz to go with my left-over risotto - not the ideal pairing I know, but it worked. This wine has a very intriguing nose with notes of cherry and red berries. I was quite surprised by the lack of spice; I characterize Shiraz by its spiciness. Also, the tannins were unremarkable. This is a simple wine, with a fragrant nose and big, bold flavour. This would be good with a pizza.

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FRESCOBALDI POMINO BIANCO 2006



Quick fact: Pomino is an Italian Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) within Tuscany. Pomino Bianco is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco.

I bought this white to go with a mushroom risotto I made, and it complemented the meal perfectly. The wine is nicely balanced; I enjoyed the lack of tightness and acidity that I usually taste in most whites. It had good fruit flavours and noticeable minerals. An excellent wine.

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

HESS SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2003


I bought a bottle of Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon last summer after trying it at a local restaurant. I enjoyed the smooth complexity and wanted it again.

This cabernet gives blackberry pie on the nose. It has great legs and a nice ruby, tawny color. Flavours include prunes and allspice. Well balanced tannins, and a long lingering finish. Excellent.



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Friday, January 4, 2008

SANTA RITA PINOT NOIR RESERVA 2006


Chalk full of flavour, this Pinot Noir is a very tasty wine. High alcohol on the nose, tastes of berry, and the slightest hint of oak. I've still got two bottles sitting on my rack that I look forward to opening. Santa Rita Pinot Noir Reserva is from the Leyda Valley region of Chile.

I have been very impressed by the consistency of Santa Rita wines. I think the Floresta I had back in September was some of the best wine I have ever tasted. In addition to the two Pinot Noir Reservas, my wine rack includes a bottle of Cab Sav Reserva 2005. The ultimate would be a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon Casa Real, a mere $60 at the BC Liquor Store. One day...

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YALUMBA Y SERIES VIOGNIER 2006

We received a bottle of Yalumba Y Series Viognier from Aunt Jan this Christmas. On the nose, it had interesting notes of celery, and dare I say, canned salmon! Prominent flavours of unripe grapefruit. Reminded me of Chardonnay.

A delicious wine!

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Tuesday, January 1, 2008

PIQUERAS CASTILLO DE ALMANSA TINTO RESERVA 2003


I have read from many sources that Spanish wine offers excellent value, so I picked up a bottle of Castillo de Almansa Reserva for New Years Eve. The wine is produced by Bodegas Piqueras in the Almansa region of Spain. It is a blend of Tempranillo, Monastrell, and Garnacha grapes, giving it a nice complexity. It is aged 12 months in oak barrels.

I couldn't detect much on the nose, however the flavour opened up and was long on the finish. There were notes of blueberries and vanilla. The oak was detectable but was balanced enough to let the fruit flavours come through. A great wine at a great price (about $14).

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