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 Curicรณ 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.