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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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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PAINTED TURTLE - SHIRAZ

Last night Julia and I decided to open a bottle that was given to us for Christmas (thank you Jamie and Gordana!). This was certainly a lesson in why wine needs to breathe for a while before drinking. When we first tasted the wine, it tasted very acidic. However, after about 10 minutes it mellowed out and was very pleasant.

This Shiraz has nice legs and hints of vanilla on the nose. I tasted hints of pepper (typical for a Shiraz) as well as cloves and blackberry. It went very nicely with the assortment of chocolates I had received in my Christmas stocking.

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Christmas Tastings

Christmas is a time to enjoy friends and family, and what better way to celebrate the season than with a glass of wine. I've had a few nice wines over the last few days.

CHABLIS 1ER VAILLONS - CHRISTIAN MOREAU CUV GUY MOREAU 2005
For Christmas Eve I decided to try something special to go with the Dungeness Crab that my Dad was preparing. I decided to go with a nice Chablis, a white from Burgundy, which consists of the Chardonnay varietal. It was nicely balanced, quite acidic, and was reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc. I felt it lacked finish. Aged in 60/40 stainless/barrel, yet not very oaky.
Chablis known for best value Burgandy white. According to Jancis Robinson, author of How To Taste - A Guide To Enjoying Wine, young Chablis shows high acidity, and then goes through a five or six year period of maturation, afterwhich the beauquet opens up in complexity. I would like to try this same wine in about 2012.

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POACHERS BLEND - ST.HALLETT 2006
When the Chablis ran out, Dad popped open a bottle of Poachers Blend. I had been wanting to try this as it had recently been named best value blended white by Wine Access magazine. Very fruity. Reminded me a bit of champagne.

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SATURNA ISLAND VINEYARDS - PINOT NOIR 2006
Accompanied turkey dinner on Christmas night. Colour of raspberries. Very light, flavour of raspberries and cranberries. Overall, lacked depth.

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Kettle Valley Winery - Pinot Noir 2005
Smokey and earthy. Blackberries, currants. Deep, rich red colour. Solid tannins. Level of acidity to be expected in Pinot Noir. Long finish. Very nice.

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Note: you have probably noticed the new ratings system. I think that the 100 point rating system used by many publications is dumb since they only seem to give ratings over 80 (granted, they tend not to publish any ratings less than 80). One would think that you would want to stay away from anything rated lower than about 75. Furthermore, how can you really tell an 88 from an 89? Therefore, I tried to simplify my ratings to three simple choices. Wines rated one wine glass are ones I would tend to pass over in favour of trying something else. A two wine glass rating is a solid choice. A three wine glass is really great wine that is worthy of cellaring or opening for a special occasion.

SHIRAZ CABERNET SAUVIGNON - WOLF BLASS RED LABEL

A very festive open house at my parents house Sunday with plenty of wine. My Dad loaded up with plenty of nice selections, including a few bottles of Wolf Blass Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Every time I drink a Wolf Blass I understand why it is so popular. This blend was deep and rich, well balanced with just enough tannins. I accompanied it with Camembert and Blue cheeses, giving a great contrast in flavours. Luckily there were a few bottles of other labels left over, so Christmas should be fantastic!

Score: 87
SKU #311795 / UPC #00023859000229

CONO SUR TOCORNAL Chardonnay 2007

I'm back! I took a trip to Thailand, where is wine is sparse and expensive. Unbelievably there is such a thing as Thai wine, and I did sample some. Surprisingly it was decent, and my hands didn't turn purple. One such wine was from Monsoon Valley Wines. I think Thai wines still have a long way to go in establishing any sort of reputation.

Today I tried Cono Sur Tocornal Chardonnay. It comes in a big 1.5 jug and is an excellent value table wine. Fairly simple palate, partly because it is unoaked. Notes of kiwi and grapefruit.

Score: 82
BCL SKU #376855 / UPC #07804320357058