Chateau de Gourgazaud 2009

Chateau de Gourgzaud 2009 $12.95. There were scents of earth and an acidic earthy taste, which was not enjoyable. This wine was a disappointment after Wine Align gave it a 90. I had bought this wine for my mom at Christmas time, but we didn’t get around to drinking it until her birthday. At least she seemed to enjoy it, which is what really counts. JC82

Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon

Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $14.95. This is a Vintages Essentials at the LCBO and was highly rated on Wine Align, so I had been wanting to try this wine for a while. It was a Cab Sauv unlike I’d had before. There were notes of oak and meadow and a lot of fruit flavour drinking it. This had a strong scent and a somewhat different taste than most North American cab sauvs I’ve had. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this wine and thought it was well made and a good value given the quality. On the other hand, my fiancé did not care for this wine at all. JC88

Chateau Bel Air

Chateau Bel Air 2010 $11.95. This is not a complex tasting wine, but nice non-the-less. It has cherry notes and a nice smooth finish. I had this with pasta and it went well. JC87

Mouton Cadet (White)

Mouton Cadet (White) 2009 $13.45. I had the red Mouton Cadet in September and was somewhat disappointed. The white redeemed the Mouton name. It had apple and subtle floral scents with a nice finish that was well balanced between dry and sweet. JC88

Happy New Year! Cheers to 2012!

Happy New Year to everyone! I have three more wines below that I tasted in 2011, but didn't get a chance to post until today. By my count, that brings the total number of wines reviewed in 2011 to 98. I plan on surpassing that in 2012 since this year I will have a full year to review.

I had two samples at the LCBO, from the New Zealand winery, the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $17.95 and the Oyster Bay Chardonnay 2010 $16.95. I`ve enjoyed the sauvignon blanc at work functions in the past. It had pleasant floral notes and is a clean crisp wine. I tried the chardonnay for the first time and was hit by a sickeningly sweet scent and taste. Unlike the pleasant sweetness of nice ports and ice wines, this had a sweetness that I imagined would give me a headache after one glass.

Sauvignon Blanc: JC87; Chardonnay: JC75

Jean Bousquet Malbec 2010. I had this wine at a restaurant (the Keg) and it is not offered at the LCBO. I hadn’t had a malbec for a while, so I thought I’d go for it with my steak dinner. It was nice, with floral and earthy scents. The wine had a hint of oak and enjoyable fruit flavour. JC88