Review Archive #4

 

Tasted April 2011: Tarlant Rose 2001 ~$70. I was given this bottle as a gift just before Christmas, and decided to save it until buying our first home. The LCBO sells the 1999 version for $71.95, however does not carry this version. They may taste similar, but I’m not in the financial position to buy a bottle just to find out. This is the best tasting Champagne (or sparkling wine) I’ve ever had. Fruity undertones of peach. JC95

Tasted June 2011: Trapiche Malbec 2010 $9.00. I had this wine with pasta and stuffed chicken, then later on by itself. It’s not a bad wine, however it comes out strong. Given the powerful flavours, I recommend having it accompany a hearty meat dish. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much sipping it by itself. JC 84

Tasted June 2011: Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2009 $21.95. The 2008 received 89 from Wine Align. I had a glass of this at a company function before switching over to beer for the remainder of the event. I am generally not a fan of Shiraz but based on the price of the bottle and the WA rating, I decided to give it a try. It was probably the best tasting Shiraz I’ve had, however I was still not a big fan. It starts out nice, but has a spicy finish which did not go over well. JC 84

Cusumano Nero D’Avola

Cusumano Nero D’Avola 2009 $9.95. I had been wanting to try this red wine from Sicily for awhile because it is made from the same grape as the Cent’are I had back in May and which I rated as 92, one of my favourite reds. Also, on winealign.com, this wine was rated 87, compared to 85 for Cent’are. Unfortunately, this wine wasn’t as good as I was hoping for. It had notes of cherry and blueberry, starting out smooth but finishing a bit rough. JC85

Make-Your-Own Wine

At my future sister and brother-in-law’s wedding last weekend, they provided each guest with a bottle of Chianti that they had made at a make-your-own wine place. We had the opportunity to try this wine last night. I haven’t gone to one of these make-your-own places before, mainly because I was concerned I would end up being stuck with 100 bottles of wine that tasted like vinegar. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of their Chianti. It was a nice smooth taste, good with red meat, pasta or just sipping on. JC87

I tasted two Italian house wines at the LCBO yesterday. I had not heard of either of these wines before, however I was told by the man pouring the samples that they’ve been around for a long time, and in fact someone had come by earlier and commented that these wines were served at his wedding 30 years ago.

Fontana Di Papa Colli Albani $7.45. A white wine made with four different grapes, according to the man pouring the samples. I only noticed two names on the label, which didn’t mean anything to me. There were notes of citrus and raspberry. It was dry wine, which I enjoy. JC86

Fontana Di Papa Castelli Romani $7.45. A red wine made with Sangiovese and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and perhaps one or two other grapes as well. This wine had a lot of flavour to it, coming off a little strong. JC84

Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon

Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $16.55. I had been wanting to try this wine for some time now, ever since I saw an advertisement saying it was the #1 selling Cab Sauv in Canada. It surprised me at first, but then I realized that a number of restaurants carry it. I had this at a work function, so I didn’t have to pay for the bottle, which is always nice. I thought it had a smooth taste at first, but finished a bit rough. Notes of cherry, subtle vanilla and lemon. I liked it more than the Chilean Cab Sauv’s I have tried, but not as much as ones I’ve tried in France, Canada or California. JC86

I have fallen in love...

Taking the subway to my future sister and brother in-law’s wedding ceremony, I needed some reading material. I went to my local LCBO (liquor stores in Ontario) and grabbed the latest vintages magazine. For those of you unaware of what the LCBO vintages are, it is a release every two weeks of new wines from around the world, which are typically $15 and up. There is often a separate area of the store that holds the vintages wines. These include the new releases that are available for a limited time, and the wines that are available year-round.

After the ceremony, I needed to kill some time before the reception, so I decided to check out the Summerhill LCBO, at Yonge & Summerhill in Toronto. This is the “flagship” LCBO and the largest liquor store in the province, if not the country. Upon entering, I immediately fell in love. There was more selection than I’ve ever seen before! They also have a full kitchen for conducting classes and a tasting room of new vintages arrivals! I was able to taste three wines for $2. The price depends on the price of the wine, and ranges from $0.50 to $2 per taste. It was neat that I had read about a couple of the wines I tried just a few hours beforehand in the magazine. Here are the three I tried:

Louis Bouillot Perle D’Aurore Brut Rose $18.95. This wine is from France, if you couldn’t guess from the name, however since it is not from the Champagne region, it has to be called sparkling wine. I have grown fond of rose sparkling wines/champagnes ever since my fiancée and I bought a few to celebrate our engagement. It also helped that the best sparkling wine I’ve ever tasted happened to be a rose. I did not smell or taste much on this wine. It was very dry, which I usually prefer to the overly sweet wines. JC85

Carte Noire Rose 2010 $13.95. Another French wine. This wine was a very pale pinkish colour. It had perfume and floral notes. It was a very light wine. It would be nice sipping on the patio, or maybe with appetisers. It’s too light for an actual meal in my opinion. JC86

Palazzo Dei Signori Amarone 2006 $37.95. I have never tried an Amarone before. This is probably because I haven’t seen a bottle for under $20. This wine had a spicy smell and a not unpleasant oaky taste. I was a nice medium-bodied wine. Vintages suggests pairing it with meat-based pasta or grilled lamb chops. I think either of those would work well with this wine. JC87

At the wedding, the two house wines being served were:

Velletri Centurio 2008 $7.05. This Italian red is a mix of Merlot, Sangiovese and Montepulciano d´Abruzzo. It was a nice smooth-tasting wine, which went well with both the pasta dish and the meat dish. JC87

Velletri Superior Villa Ginnetti 2010 $7.05. This white wine was too sweet for my liking. JC82

All in all, a good day!

Review Archive #3

Tasted June 2011: Yvon Mau Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $8.95. The 2008 received 83 from Wine Align. I bought this wine because it was a cab sauv from France for under $9, plus 5 air miles! It tastes how a cab sauv should taste at this price level. There is nothing special about it, however it is an enjoyable drink before dinner or with a steak. Jammy flavours and ripe fruit. JC 87

Tasted May 2011: B.V. Century Cellars Cabernet Sauv $10.95. This tasted similar to J. Lohr Seven Oaks, however half the price. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine, sipping before dinner as well as eating fajitas on a patio in Toronto. JC 90

Tasted May 2011: Monarch Red 2009 from Pelee Island Winery $10.45. The 2008 vintage of Monarch was one of my favourite wines. I would give it a 93. The 2009 vintage, which we had first tried shortly after it was released, was noticeably sweeter, however still a nice smooth taste with a little more flavour than an Italian house wine. My partner didn’t like it at all, while I still thought it to be a decent wine, it wasn't nearly as good as '08 probably only an 86. We are cautiously optimistic for the 2010 release. 

A White and a Red

Trius Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $13.95 One of the wines that we got from our trip to the Hillebrand winery. This had peach and honeydew scents. It was sweeter than I typically like my wine to be, but it was a nice drinking wine that went well with the bbq chicken and roast potatoes that we had. JC86

Antane Chianti – This wine is not sold at the LCBO. I had this yesterday at a restaurant. It had a smoky favour to it at first, but gradually as more air got into it, there was a smoother taste. I had this with pizza. Not a bad wine, but nothing special about it. JC84

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Another Rhone Valley Wine

Carte Noire Cellier des Dauphins 2008 $10.95 A Rhone Valley wine that tasted quite a bit different from the La Vieille Ferme Recolte. This one consists of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault. Other than the Syrah (Shiraz), not household grapes. It comes in a shorter and fatter bottle than the normal shape. Based on the bottle shape and label style, this looks like a much more expensive bottle. The wine had black cherry notes with spices. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg with a long finish. I did not love it like my partner did, however it intrigued me, tasting different than most other wines I have experienced. JC85

I tried this wine again today, after opening it yesterday. This time I chilled it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes beforehand and had a nice steak dinner with it, compared to chicken fried rice yesterday. I thought it had a smoother taste and enjoyed it more today, however my partner did not, to each their own I guess. Perhaps this wine should have been decanted and chilled yesterday as well. I would give this wine an extra couple of points, so JC85-87.

Review Archive #2

Tasted February 2011: PKNT Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile $10.95

Notes: The bottle with the big red chilli on the front. This winery offers a full line up of wines, but unfortunately the LCBO only carries the Cab Sauv. It is full bodied with a sharp taste. I tried this with tacos and on its own. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. Would give this an 84.

UPDATE: The LCBO now carries the Carmenere as well. I have yet to try this wine.

Tasted May 2011: Duca Di Castelmonte Cent'are Nero D'Avola 2009 $13.95 (sale price $12.95). The 2008 was rated 88 at Wine Align. Notes: I really enjoyed this wine. Nice flavour and good with chicken and potatoes or just sipping. This will become one of my go-to wines. JC 92

Fun Summer Wines

Given that it is Canada Day today and Independence Day for the U.S. in a few days, here’s a couple of summer wines that may be nice to try this long weekend.

Tasted June 2011: Botter Puglia Moscato $9.95. Interestingly no vintage year on this bottle. Moscato is the “it” wine for this summer, or at least the LCBO is pushing it as this. This wine made a good après dinner beverage. It was sweet and bubbly, however not overbearing and quite pleasant to drink. I enjoyed this wine as a “desert” wine and would also be nice sipping on a patio in the afternoon. Only 8% alcohol. JC 87

Tasted March 2011: Fresita, Chile $13.90 (85)

Notes: Sparkling wine infused with strawberries. The strawberry flavour adds nicely and this is not too sweet. Thoroughly enjoyed it, a great summer beverage. Would give this a 90.

I sampled this wine yesterday, although not particularly a summer wine:

Tasted June 2011: Callia Alta Melbec 2010 $11.00 – A nice tasting Melbec. A smoother taste than others I have had. This wine went down well. JC87