A 10 Month Rest

This is my first post on here in almost 10 months. My how time flies. I could say the hiatus was because I stopped drinking wine or moved into the wilderness away from all that scary technology, but that wouldn't be true. I really don't have any good excuse. I did stop making notes on wines, but I've decided to start this up again. So for today, the bad news is this post is just me rambling on, I don't actually have a review for you . The good news is that I'm once again attending the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo here in Toronto! On Nov. 16th I plan on writing many reviews on here, so mark it on your calendar.

A couple months ago I was in Napa, but no I didn't write any notes down so I can't post any of my traditional reviews. I did taste and subsequently buy a bottle of the best Pinot Noir I've ever had, very smooth with a nice finish. The wine is from Napa Cellars but unfortunately is not available at the LCBO. If you are thinking of going to Napa, I recommend doing your own tour. I found the bus tour to be too restrictive and I feel that the samples were smaller than if I had come in on my own. I also found out from the bus driver that some wineries in Napa no longer let buses come in because they feel on average not as many people buy their wine. Although Napa tends to get all the attention, I recommend touring around Sonoma (right next door) and also further south in Cali to Paso Robles.

I couldn't believe how much cheaper wine in California was compared to here in Ontario, Canada. I was able to buy a bottle of J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon for $13. Whereas back home that same bottle costs $22. An even bigger difference was Moet & Chandon  Brut Imperial. It costs $62 at the LCBO, but only $37 at BevMo in California! It worked out to being cheaper than when I bought a bottle last year where it is made in Epernay, France.

2 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Wines

I have never tried wines from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area of France before, mainly because they tend to be priced in the $30+ range. I had the opportunity to try two different wines from this area over the holidays.

The first wine I had was Les Hautes Brusquieres 2009 $56.00. Even though it had been decanted for about an hour, it was still very dark and dense. The wine had a noticeable alcohol taste to it and was fairly chalky in taste. It was not too enjoyable and I wouldn't buy this even if it were $10. Perhaps a longer decanting time would help. JC83

The second wine was Anselme la Fiole $34.95 . I know bottle of this wine quite well because it stands out. It is slightly slanted and is purposefully dirty. Perhaps this is a homage to C-d-P's rustic roots, before Robert Parker touted this style of wine on the world stage, increasing the price four-fold. I enjoyed this wine more after letting it sit out for a while. It was a dense, full-bodied wine, but not quite as dark and thick as the Les Hautes. There was no vintage on the bottle that I could notice, which I found odd. JC85

All in all, a similar experience to when I first had amarone. Again, a wine that you can't really find for under $30 at the LCBO, and like the C-d-P's, a strong, deep-bodied wine that perhaps I had too high expectations for given the price and prestige surrounding it.