NB Wines

Bouchard Pere et Fils Premier Cru Beaune de Chateau 2005

2011-04-16T09:02:00.002-03:00

Kelly and I can’t review many wines on our own - we just don’t drink that much! So we love to get reviews from readers. We’re not experts - we just like wine - and this blog is all about sharing opinions. You can e-mail a review to me here, or, if you want to do it anonymously, post it in a nbwines / at / gmail / dot com. If you want to provide the review anonymously, post it in the “Make a Suggestion” thread, and I will re-post it.

Here is a review of a Burdundy from Peter. While this wine is no longer available, ANBL does carry a variety of wines from Bouchard Pere et Fils regularly (the white Beaune de Chateau is currently listed), so we may see it again. Let’s hope so - it’s hard to find a good Burgundy at this price.

— Peter’s Review —

Nose: Delightful, fresh, powerful springtime nose. Classic Pinot Noir scents with raspberry and cranberry like notes, some earthy and floral notes. You can just anticipate the nice acidity. Mouth watering, complex, and enticing.

Palate: Again fresh, easy drinking (watch out!), very well balanced! Prominent acidity in line with what you want and expect from a pinot. Light-medium body. Nice raspberry fruit is the predominant flavor. Just faint tannins on medium long finish. More earthy and floral notes on back end. Very drinkable on own, and paired very nice with cedar planked BBQ ginger maple salmon. I always caveat all this for most wine drinkers, particularly new or very casual, this style may not be fruity or approachable enough to impress. But for those who like Pinot, this is great stuff. I didn't mind paying the premium for this one. Would buy again. I presume I drank around the right time frame, but would love to hear opinions on cellar time for such wines.

I'd score 91-92pt+.
Price approx $45

Poderi Colla Nebbiolo d'Alba 2003

2011-04-10T20:11:00.000-03:00

She's smiling, and you should be smiling too, if you can find any of this wine left in the stores. It's a Nebbiolo d'Alba - the little brother (or sister, judging from the label) of the great Barolo and Barbaresco. It's the same grape (Nebbiolo), and from the same general region (Alba), but not from the especially favoured sites that are the home of these two more famous wines. While this does not have the flavours and complexity of a good Barolo, it's a great buy nonetheless. If you have ever wondered what a Barolo is like, but you haven't been willing to shell out the $50+ to find out, this has characteristic Nebbiolo flavours at very reasonable price. Also, apart from any comparison with Barolo, this is excellent value at the price, especially if you prefer an old-world style. But if you want to try it, hurry, as there isn't a lot left. I'm only posting this because I already bought a case for myself.

Price: $19.99
Region: Peidmont
Grapes: Nebbiolo
UPC: 836951000185

Wine and Food Fest

2011-04-07T11:11:00.000-03:00

Bridlewood 2008 Reserve Viognier

2010-12-22T21:48:00.000-04:00

I tasted this wine with Norman, and then later with a group. Both times, I guessed it might be a Riesling. So apparently I think it has Rieslingesque qualities. However, one of the group - correctly identifying it as predominantly Viognier - volunteered “if this is Riesling, I’ll shoot myself.” So maybe it’s not so like Riesling. I don’t taste much white. Others in the group thought it might be Chardonnay. Style-wise, I found it sweeter, fruitier, and smoother than other Viogniers I’ve tasted.

The nose is delightful and aromatic: honeydew melon, floral notes, citrus and something a bit spicy, like cloves. On the palate it is slightly sweet and crisply acidic with smooth viscosity. The texture is a bit buttery. We enjoyed it on its own, but I can imagine that it would stand up nicely paired with cheese or maybe seafood. Overall, very nice.

Price: $24.99
Score: 89
Value: 3.5/5
Region: Central Coast California
Grapes: Viognier 90%, Chardonnay 4%, Marsanne 4%, Rousanne 2%
UPC: 085000014615

Sterpato 2007

2010-12-18T21:43:00.000-04:00

I tasted this wine with a group, and then, coincidentally, with Norman about a week later. Everyone describes it as a Super Tuscan. What is a Super Tuscan, anyway? I know that historically, wines that didn’t adhere to the blending laws for the region question had to be sold as “table wine.” When in the 1970s some Tuscan producers experimented very successfully with international grape varieties, those wines became known as Super Tuscans. The addition of the looser IGT category to the older DOC/G system embraces some of those wines. But if I find myself with a Tuscan wine designated IGT or “vino da tavola,” how do I determine whether it is a Super Tuscan or plain old undistinguished table wine? Does the term describe a particular style and assemblage of grape varieties, or does the wine have to be in some sense “super”?

The first time I tasted this wine, I guessed it was a Bordeaux blend (i.e. mostly Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot). The second time I tasted it, it struck me as unmistakably Italian, and predominantly Sangiovese. Averaging those experiences, I'd wankishly opine that it's a nice hybrid of the international and traditional, and a true expression of its constituent grape varieties. The nose is lovely: dark red berries, stewed fruit, cedar, dried flowers, moss, dusty leather, and spices. All of those follow through on the palate, along with firm tannins and good length and acidity. I found it a bit hollow toward the middle to end palate, with a bit of an edge; but then I tend to find that with Sangiovese. Overall, it’s great value and I would buy more at the price.

Price: $22.79
Score: 89
Value: 4/5
Region: Toscana, Italia
Grapes: Sangiovese 80%, Merlot 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%
UPC: 8029966000512

Collazzi Liberta 2008

2010-12-10T20:56:00.002-04:00

Aaron recommended this as a sort of baby sibling to the Collazzi Toscana, which I really like. It’s a winner. The Liberta is very different from the Toscana, but enjoyable just the same. Its nose is relatively reserved, mostly plum, cedar, and something a bit dusty. The same basic flavours follow on the palate, which is full with nice structure, firm tannins, and good length. It seems to stop short a bit mid-palate with a bit of an edge and a gap that I find characteristic of Sangiovese, but that’s fine. Norman says it’s “quite quaffable” and I’d agree. A solid choice at the price. I found it perhaps even better after a night in the half-bottle.

Price: $24.79
Score: 88
Value: 4/5
Alcohol: 13%
Region: Tuscany
Grapes: Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese
UPC: 8033844400011

Velenosi Lacrima Di Morro d'Alba 2008

2010-10-27T20:28:00.001-03:00

This is a very distinctive wine that will probably provoke love-it-or-hate-it reactions. I think 86 is a fair score, but I expect some people will like it a lot more than that, others will like it less. If you're looking for something interesting and different, this is a good choice at the price.

--- Kelly's Review ---

Lacrima di Morro is a grape variety grown only in Morro d’Alba, a tiny wine appellation in the Marches region of Italy. DOC regulations require that the wine must be at least 85% Lacrima di Morro, with Montepulciano and Verdicchio together permitted to comprise up to 15%.

This particular example of the variety is very distinctive. The nose is ripe and fruity, mostly lychee, blueberries, roses, and a hint of menthol. The flavours are clear and bright and nicely balanced. It’s not a complicated wine, but I don’t expect complicated for $15.

I tasted this with a group, and there was substantial agreement on the flavour profile, and also on which grape varieties the wine most resembled. We all tasted it blind, and most guessed that it was a Grenache, a Pinot Noir, a Zinfandel, or possibly an extremely atypical Cabernet Sauvignon.

It’s great value at the price. I suspect that its bright fruitiness would go well with spicy bbq.

Price: $15.29
Score: 86
Value: 4/5
Region: Marches, Italy
Grapes: Lacrima di Morro
UPC: 666056000236

Cavit Pinot Grigio 2009

2010-09-26T09:31:00.000-03:00

Norman asked me to pick up a white for cooking, so I grabbed this one. Ridiculously hungry and waiting for supper to happen, I started drinking it. I enjoyed it. (“Hunger is the best sauce,” says Norman’s mother.) The nose is aromatic and mostly citrus, honeydew melon, a bit of mineral, and a maybe a hint of cloves. The same flavours follow through on the palate, plus something like plasticine. It is medium bodied, dry, and slightly viscous, with good acidity. I find that it ends on a sour note, but I often find that with white wine. At $13.29, it’s good value.

Price: $13.29
Score: 86
Value: 4/5
Region: Venetio, Italy
Grapes: Pinot Grigio
UPC: 8007890229247

Sandhill One 2007

2010-09-11T21:44:00.000-03:00

The Sandhill One is a blend of Cab. Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It bears a strong family resemblance to the Petit Verdot, but somehow it doesn’t quite strike the right note. It is certainly rich and smooth, like the label says, but it is not particularly complex. Kelly detected a slightly bitter finish, which I can’t say I really noticed, but on the whole it struck me as well done, but in an overly soft, fairly generic new world style. It had me second guessing my positive review of the Petit Verdot, since the two are quite similar in style, but Kelly assures me that the Petit Verdot is just better (I also take comfort from Peanutman’s comment). I tried the 2004 vintage of the One a couple of years ago (when it was four years old) and loved it. Maybe another year or two will improve the 2007.

Sandhill Petit Verdot 2006

2010-09-08T23:06:00.000-03:00

I was a bit disappointed by the Sandhill Viognier, not because it's a bad wine, but because Sandhill sets a high standard. This Petit Verdot lives up to that standard. It is inky and long, with rich dark fruit caressing the tongue. It's beautifully structured - enough tannin to give it backbone, but soft at the same time. Maybe not subtle - at least not yet - but impossible not to fall for. But if you're going to try it, you should hurry. This wine is part of Sandhill's Small Lots program - only 233 cases made, and fewer than four are left in the province. The Sandhill release appeared on the shelves only a couple of weeks ago, and the Petit Verdot is already sold out in F'ton. The only reason I'm willing to post this comment is that I've already ordered in a half dozen from out of town for my cellar.

Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

2010-09-07T08:15:00.002-03:00

I like cab, but I don't seem to drink very much of it. You can get a great cab for $50+, or a bad one for $15, but a good quality cab at a decent price is a rare bird. So at $24 the Liberty School cab is a welcome find. This is a very solid cab with good varietal character in a New World style, but without being overdone. Kelly says "Full, smooth, fruity, with an edge of tannins for balance - blackberries with a bit of menthol or evergreen." I'd score it around 88, which I would say is a 4/5 for value for a cab. Perfect for drinking now with a steak. It would be very interesting to see how it ages. At the price I wouldn't expect much, but it seems to have good structure and plenty of fruit. If it does improve with age it would be great value.

Bear Flag Red

2010-09-04T23:05:00.000-03:00

The label on this wine gives you a good idea of what it's all about - a bit over the top, but fun. The label says "smoot and juicy" and Kelly says "This wine knows itself." It's a blend of including tempranillo and zin, and the zin really comes through. It's a bit too sweet and candied for my taste, but for $13.99 you can't complain. Not a wine to sip and savour, but would be tasty with a spicy BBQ.

Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2006

2010-09-03T22:39:00.004-03:00

I know we've reviewed this before - in fact twice, with very different views expressed. Now it's back on the shelves at ANBL, so why not give it a third review? I like it just as much as I did last time - well, I'm not sure I'd give it 91+, but I would definitely give it a big thumbs up, so long as you like a fairly austere style. But I would say that whether you like this wine is very much a matter of your personal tastes. Iron Chef called it "an austere Chianti," and I'd say that pretty accurate. The good news is that this time around the price has actually gone down - $18.99 instead of $24.99. So, why not give it a try and let us know what you think?
(BTW, if you're searching for it on the ABNL site, it is misspelled as "Cannonnau").

Sandhill Viognier 2008

2010-08-29T21:49:00.001-03:00

Sandhill is probably my favourite Canadian winery, and we get an excellent selection of their products here, so I always look forward to the new release.

This Viognier is one of the recent arrivals. I haven’t had much in the way of varietal Viognier myself, but from what I understand, this effort from Sandhill is not very typical. Viognier is usually described as floral and aromatic, and is often added to Shiraz to boost the nose, but the nose on the Sandhill Viognier was quite subdued. It has a viscous palate, with a distinct ‘petrol’ flavor that I always associate with Riesling. I didn’t taste it blind, but if I had, I’m sure I would have picked it for a young Riesling. Apart from whether it is typical Viognier, in its own right it is solid but not spectacular. At the price – $26.48 – I would give it 3+/5 for value; I’m not disappointed, but I won’t rush out for more.

Kelly tasted it blind - here are her notes:

White –91 – nose of mostly spicy citrus and minerals, also a bit floral; viscous on palate, ending a bit sharp. Very nice. A manly style of white, but not an extreme example. Has good “oomph.” Guessed pretty much every grape under the sun. Basically, I was generalizing from my experience with reds mixed with Viognier – where the Viognier seems mostly to contribute floral aromas – and didn’t find it all that floral. Also, I’ve never had a Viognier that was citrusy like this. Mostly they’ve been floral with a bit of minerals, and sort of sharp. Riesling or Gewurz were my first guesses.

Sandhill Syrah 2007

2010-07-14T22:33:00.000-03:00

Sandhill has hit one out of the park with this classic Aussie style Shiraz. I like the big Aussie when it’s done well, but too often it’s overdone one way. This Sandhill Shiraz has the big fruity style, but it’s perfectly balanced – delicious without hitting you over the head. Not so much “wow,” as “mmmm.” I won’t give it a score or value rating, but I will say that I had a bottle last week and went out and picked up six more. I had another glass tonight, and I think I’ll pick up another half dozen tomorrow. There’s not much left in the province. $23.49.

D’Arenberg The Laughing Magpie 2007

2010-07-12T11:55:00.001-03:00

Michelle picked this up at the Wine Expo, and it is no longer available. Sounds like that’s not a bad thing.

— Michelle’s Review —

This wine is a 90% Shiraz and 10% Viognier. I was assuming from trying similar blends that the Viognier would give the Shiraz a bit of a minerally edge, round out the pepper, mellow the dark fruit. I have to say, I was a bit hesitant buying this wine because of the experiences with other d’Arenberg wines. I found them a bit to “hot” for my liking. Well, this one happened to be the same. Perhaps I should have decanted it, let it breath for at least ½ hour…something. It literally burned my eyes as I brought it up to my nose. At 14.5% its so over the top alcohol. Personally I think that is a bit ridiculous. I lost everything in the tasting because of that hotness. Very disappointed. I would give it 2/5 for value (since it was about $25 from what I remember) and a rating of 75/100. Do people really enjoy that style? Alcohol so overwhelming it burns your eyes before it gets to the lips. Perhaps I am overly sensitive to it and I would love to hear if anyone else had the same experience.

Sandalford Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

2010-06-18T22:32:00.000-03:00

Wow! I haven’t had much cab lately, as I’ve had a hard time finding one I like at a price I’m willing to pay. So this is a great find. It’s drinking beautifully already – great nose, perfectly integrated tannins, excellent fruit and depth, without being the stereotypical Aussie fruit bomb. I’m very sensitive to the green flavour of under-ripe cab, and there is not the slightest hint of that. But it isn’t in the least jammy either. These grapes must have been picked when they were perfectly ripe. Good complexity already, and only three years old. This is excellent value at the price. I will definitely be picking up a bunch more of this, both for drinking now and to see how it evolves.

Ménage à Trois 2008 White

2010-06-17T22:32:00.000-03:00

I picked this up because of the blend – Chardonnay, Moscato and Chenin Blanc. I was hoping for the richness of Charonnay and the grapiness of Moscato and some of the all-round deliciousness of a Vouvray that Kelly and I had recently. Well, I didn’t quite get all that. Instead of building on each other, the different grapes seemed to dilute each other. It’s doesn’t have the richness of the Chardonnay, the nose of Moscato or the flavour of Chenin Blanc. It adds up to an adequate but generic crisp white. It reminds me of the Hermit Crab I tried a few weeks ago, even though none of the grapes are in common. I’ll give it a 3/5 for value; I don't feel like I've wasted my money, but I won't buy it again.

Lurton Fumées Blanches 2008

2010-06-16T23:08:00.000-03:00

This is about what's you'd expect from New Zealand sauvignon blanc for around $20, except that it’s $13.50 and from France. I have to admit that sauvignon blanc isn’t my favourite grape. I prefer my whites to be fruity and floral, like Gewurz or Muscat, or rich like chardonnay. But for those of you who like the crispness of sauvignon blanc, this is excellent value at the price.

Monte Antico Toscana 2006

2010-06-11T23:41:00.000-03:00

I was surprised to see this little gem in ANBL when I popped in the other day. Kelly and I drove to North Carolina for a cycling vacation this spring and we stopped at New Hampshire Liquor on our way down. The Monte Antico was advertised as #61 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2009, and the blurb was something to the effect that it was the best value wine on the whole list. For only $11, we had to give it a try. And it was a winner. Very well balanced, medium to full bodied, with bright fruit and soft tannins. WS gave it a 90. I’m not sure I’d go quite that high, but somewhere in that ball park is about right. At $11 it was a off the charts for value – it’s the best $13 red I can recall. At $19 from ANBL, it’s still good value.

Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
$18.79
4/5

d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab 2008

2010-06-07T01:00:00.003-03:00

I can't say anything bad about this wine, but I don't have a lot of good to say about it either. Reasonable nose, on the green apple side of things, well balanced, good body, but there isn't anything that stands out for me either. Kelly and I had it on one of those hot weekend afternoons a couple of weeks ago, side by side with another white (an Aus Verdelho, not an ANBL product), and it didn't stand up very well. We didn't finish it that day and I put it in the fridge. Pulled it out a couple of times since then, but it just never particularly appealed to me. A perfectly decent white wine, but I won't buy it again at this price.

$19.79
Value 2.5/5
Viognier, Marsanne

Vilafonte Series C 2003

2010-06-05T22:18:00.000-03:00

The blog has been moribund – but it’s not dead yet. Let’s get it kick started with a review from Michelle, along with a food pairing – and even the recipe!

— Michelle’s Review —

Ok I have to admit, I did not purchase this little gem. Last night Don and I were having pork loin medallions with an apple cider reduction along with mushroom/quinoa pilaf. The inevitable question came up "Do we have any wine?". Yes, its funny, but I have a very small rack and there are certain ones in it, that cannot be touched. The top row, is usually the every day ones that I open at the drop of a hat (you know, under $20/bottle). As you go down all three rows of the rack, the price goes up or my affection grows (my last Chianti skuttled in a suitcase from Italy is on the bottom). So, I say yes, take one from the top. Now, imagine my surprise when this unknown bottle shows up. I am perplexed. I didn’t buy it and I don’t remember adding it to the rack. I read the back and say "Sounds nice, it’s a blend that should go great with the pork".

The nose had the deep berry, slighly earthy hints with a smattering of vanilla. In the glass deep, dark indigo. I got the anticipation giggles. Woo. I was completely surprised. Gorgeous dark fruit cake with plums and tobacco. The finish was velvet smooth with little or no tannic aftershock. WOW. I was in heaven. Went nicely with the pork without overpowering it. I just kept topping up my glass. Its one of those pleasant surprises. I just wish I knew who brought it over, so I could congratulate them.

Pork Loin with Apple Cider

1 pork loin
3 TB each thyme, mint, oregano
3 T Olive oil
½ onion sliced
3 cloves garlic
3 fresh rosemary sprigs
½ cup apple cider or apple juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine herbs. Pat pork loin dry and rub on the herbs (I usually put it in a ziplock and toss it around). Slice loin into medallions about 1 inch thick. Heat olive oil over medium heat an oven proof pan. When hot, add onions and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add pork medallions and brown for 3 minutes each side. Add rosemary & apple cider. Place in the preheated oven. Cook for about 10 more minutes and then broil for about 2 minutes until the pork is browned. Lots of fresh ground black pepper to serve.

Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 green onion
2 TB of fresh thyme

Bring stock to a boil and add mushrooms quinoa and onion. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until stock is absorbed. Add the fresh thyme and fluff with a fork.

Price $39.99
Value 3/5
Merlot 41%, Cabernet Sauvignon 39%, Malbec 16%, Cabernet Franc 4%
South Africa, Paarl Region

Rymill Coonawarra MC2 2003

2010-03-29T08:35:00.000-03:00

This blog is intended to be about diversity of opinion, so I checked out the review this wine at Nick’s, a major Australian retailer that usually provides well balanced reviews (given that they are trying to seel the stuff). They didn’t much like this wine. This makes me think of Gallo Barrelli Creek Cab - WS gave it an 86 in 2003, but we liked much better than when we tried it in 2009. There’s lots of it left, so if anyone else has tried this wine, please let us know whether you agree with Nick’s or with Iron Chef.

— Iron chef’s Review —

My Coonawarra adventure continues.

Colour - Ruby core, to orangish rim.
Nose - Dried spices - cloves, green peppers, currants and plums. Some hot notes mixed with Vicks. New shoe leather. Floral components. Deeply aromatic and interesting.
Taste - Currants and plums - more dried cooking spices. Mint and menthol. Some sweat. Very drying palate somewhat austere. Faint coconut and stewed apples late on the palate. Good tannins.
Overall - Loved this wine. Not as peppery as the Yearling, but more complex. I have a feeling that this would improve in my cellar. Screw cap - decanted 45 minutes.

Are there any other Coonawarras except for the Jacob's Creek St Hugo at $40 at ANBL?

Score 91
Value 5/5
Australia – Coonawarra
65% Cab Sauvignon 23% Merlot, 12% Cab Franc
13.5% Alcohol
Price: $19.99
UPC: 9315128981089

Torres San Valentin Parellada 2008

2010-03-26T08:17:00.001-03:00

A new grape! Too bad the wine wasn’t better.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

The grape, Parellada, is one of three grapes used in the Spanish sparkler Cava. Never had this before.

Nose- Lemon and honey. Some floral notes and seashells by the seashore.
Taste- Fresh lemon rind, watermelon and more honey. Good mouth-watering acidity. Some vicious notes on the palate. Also a plasticine taste on the palate that I did not care for.
Overall- certainly smelled better than it tasted- it was fun to try once, probably not a second time.

Price: $12.99
Value 2.5/5
Score 83
Spain, Catalunya
Grape Parellada
Alcohol 11%
UPC 8410113001177

Rymill Coonawarra Yearling Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

2010-03-24T22:05:00.000-03:00

After the early spring we're back to red wine weather, so here's a red wine review.

(BTW - tancred, I know this wine is right up your alley, so leave a comment and let us know if you agree with Iron Chef. No excuses.)

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Recently I had an aged (1999) Coonawarra Cab and was blown away; I had to try another, not aged though.
Nose- Very pronounced Menthol and Mint. Somewhat Hot. Grenadine mixed with coffee and cocoa. Had an aroma of a very good wine.
Taste- Very peppery, hot alcohol and rich cassis. Again loads of menthol and mint. Smooth tannins and a slight red apple taste. Very happy with the reduced levels of sweetness, drier and peppery.
Overall- highly impressed with this wine- a real step up from the ‘animal wines’ of Yellow tail and Little Piguin. At this price point, comparable to the Merlot Trio from Concha y Toro, Dona Paula Los Cardos Malbec, or The Wolftrap. Can’t wait to try the Rymill Coonawarra MC2 this weekend.

Price: $14.99
Value: 4.5/5
Score: 90
Alcohol: 14%
UPC #9315128051010

False Bay Pinotage 2007

2010-03-18T09:14:00.000-03:00

It's always nice to try something a bit different, and pinotage is the signature grape of South Africa. Too bad this one isn't better. (But if anyone else liked more than Iron Chef, we'd like to hear from you.)

---- Iron Chef's Review ---

I usually try most Pinotages that go through ANBL, mostly because of the Cathedral Cellars Pinotage, that was here for years. Just a super wine.

Colour- Red and purple core fading to pink on the rim.
Nose- Blueberry Ice Cream, some hot notes and fresh Hamburger. Some hot alcool aromas. And some dank wood smells like most South African wines.
Taste- More Blueberry Jam and cooked hamburger. Good length on the acidity. Grape skin tannins. That same danky wood taste.
Overall- This wine has that distinctive quality/flaw that most South Africa wines have.

A smell and taste that reminds me of carrying an old wooden canoe down to the river - old wet wood. Unfortunately this is as good as it gets for Pinotages here in NB - still slightly boring and forgettable. Screw cap, decanted for 25 minutes.

Price: $17.99
Value: 0/5
Score: 80
Alcohol: 14.5%
South Africa- Western Cape
UPC: 6009650000174

Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2006

2010-03-11T08:47:00.001-04:00

I had this wine a few days ago, and my memory isn’t as sharp as I would like, but I loved this wine and I can’t let it go without blogging. Cannonau is the name for Grenache in Sardinia. This wine is very much in the old world style.

It is moderate in alcohol (13.5%), medium bodied and medium coloured. It bears no resemblance at all to the jammy style of Australian Grenache based wines. The nose is reserved, but interesting, and I found it beautifully balanced on the palate, with good length and a distinct aftertaste of chocolate. Kelly found it to be too astringent the first time she tried it, but she had been drinking something sweeter just before. I mention it by way of saying that this is not a lush wine. I am not as familiar with Grenache based Châteauneuf-du-Pape as I would like to be, but I found it more elegant and much more interesting than impressive that the Gigondas I have had at a similar price. I wouldn’t have been disappointed to have paid $40+ for this wine – in fact, it reminds me quite a lot of the Bocca di Lupo. There is not much left in the province. If you like an old world style, give it a try and let us know if you like it as much as I do. But be warned – if you like a lush, ‘big’ new world style, this wine is not for you.

$24.29
Score: 91+
Value: 5/5
Grape: Grenache
UPC 8006725100256

PS - I gave it a 91+ because I'm having a hard time dealing with score inflation / compression. Jamie Goode has a very interesting post on the subject.

Pierre Sparr Alsace One 2007

2010-03-08T20:53:00.001-04:00

Ho hum. This wine looked so good. Three of my favourite white grapes - riesling, muscat and gewurtz. I like Muscat and Gewurz for the fun nose, and

riesling for the lucious oily texture. But if I’d had this blind, I would never have guessed any of those grapes. Mostly just neutral with pronounced acidity. OK, maybe a bit of riesling character on the nose, and if I really try I could say that I got some lychee or something from the gewurz. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing particularly right with it either.

Price $17.99
Score 85
Value 3/5
Grapes: riesling, pinot blanc, muscat, pinot gris, gewürztraminer
UPC 3263530020017

Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz 2006

2010-03-06T21:06:00.001-04:00

Here’s my pick for the value wines sweepstakes. This has always been a classic

good value Aussie Shiraz, but it seems to me that the price was creeping up towards $30 in the past few years (or maybe that was the Show Reserve?) Anyway, this one is a winner at the price if you’re looking for a Aussie Shiraz with good fruit but without the overdone jammy-ness that makes the cheaper wines to unappealing.

Price $19.99
Score 88
Value 4/5
UPC 9300727140517

Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Sangiovese 2005

2010-03-04T19:46:00.000-04:00

Here we go at last. Is Iron Chef just pulling our legs, or have we discovered the Holy Grail - a 90 rated wine for less than $15!? Give it a try and let us know what you think.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Colour- Pale red with orangish rim.
Nose- Plums with orange marmalade. Olives and a weird Sun dried tomatoes smell. Quite perfumy, some twigs and gravel and rosemary. Interesting.
Taste- Peppery Plum fruit, abundant liquor, earth, nutmeg and green coffee. Sourish with a tart acidity. Very complex for the price.
Overall- This was a solid example of a robust Sangiovese- give me hope for this grape, Italy can learn from this.

Price: $14.99
Value 4.5/5
Score 90
Alcohol 13.5%
South Eastern Australia
UPC #012894100919

Brumont Tannat-Merlot 2006

2010-03-02T19:43:00.000-04:00

I tried this as the Blue Door and quite enjoyed it with dinner, so I thought it would be spectacular value without the restaurant markup. Unfortunately, I was wrong. When I tried a bottle at home it struck me as typical in style for a wine in that range – jammy and unbalanced. It is maybe a notch above average, in that it was only a bit jammy and less unbalanced than most. I finished most of my glass, but the rest of the bottle was for cooking.

It looks like the search for a good wine cheap wine will keep on keepin’ on.

Price: $15.49
Value: 3.5/5
Region: France
UPC 3372220000236

Vina Chocalan Carmenere 2008

2010-02-28T17:36:00.000-04:00

Every wants good wine at a great price. Looks like this one doesn't quite make the grade. Oh well, we'll just have to keep looking.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose- Green peppercorns, Veggies, Bell & Chile Peppers, Twigs and Burnt Marshmallows.
Taste- very heavy and syrupy. Capsium in a Cherry Slurpee.
Overall- a good Carmenere for the price, but no different than the Casillero del Diablo, Errazuriz, G7 Reserva at that price point. The real values are in the PNKT or the Sunrise Carm.

Value 2.5/5
Score 85
Price: $13.49
Chile, Maipo
Alcohol 14%
UPC #7804603660455

Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2005

2010-02-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

I too have been turned to the white side lately. Here is peanutman's tale:

--- peanutman's review ---

Can't believe I'm drinking more whites than reds lately, but I like experience. Reds start back this Thursday with a Super Tuscan for my 41st Bday. Here is a wine that I loved, but for those reading please take into consideration that I don't know much about white wines.

Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2005. Value 5 out of 5, score 92. $14.29 for a 375 ml. I have never paid more than $18 for a white, but this was well worth the money.

In the latest Tidings magazine, they give the 2006 a score of 90 and describe it as such: Bouquet is fresh, yet with complex citrus, honey and spicy notes. (My take on the 05, grapefruit and honey). Displays similar finesse on the refreshingly light palate, with lingering sensations of honeyed sweetness and deftly balanced acidity. Bears an extraordinary resemblance to Sauternes. My take on the 05 is pretty much the same but I'm not certain about the acidity. If this is what a Sauternes tastes like, I will have to try one. Not that I know what heaven tastes like, nevertheless this was heaven in my mouth. BTW, this has a beautiful golden color.

Mission Hill S.L.C. Syrah 2004

2010-02-07T23:51:00.000-04:00

Things have been quiet on the blog lately - I've mostly been drinking wine out of my cellar, so I haven't had a lot of new stuff to blog about. So I'm going to bend the rules a bit with this review from Peter. The Mission Hill SLC Syrah isn't currently available at ANBL, but many wines from Mission Hill are, including others in the SLC series, so I figure that's close enough.

--- Peter's Review ---

This one is not available in New Brunswick, but I see a few of Mission Hill's
S.L.C and Oculus wines are, so it might be a nice relative comparison.

Nose - Initially plush floral aromas, a distinct chocolate hint, with delicious
raspberry reduction scents were very attractive. With some air it became chock
full of vanilla and a less delightful soapy raspberry smell.

Taste- medium-full body with a good structure. The tannins were there, but well
integrated into the backbone. No heat. Well balanced with hints of good
acidity. There was a raspberry and cherry flavor throughout, and later with air
a significant dose of oaky vanilla. It hinted at some earthiness, but hard to
pull out. It has a freshness that was enjoyable.

Overall a nice wine. Not a great value. But enjoyable none-the-less. I long
debated when to drink this one, and figured six years old would be a safe time.
This was based upon the initial recommendation from the sommellier in Kelowna,
as well as a few reviews on cellartracker. I presume it was as good as any
time to drink.

Region: Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Price: ~$35 at fine wine boutique in Kelowna
Value 3/5
Score: 88+ points

Concha y Toro Trio Chardonnay blend 2007

2010-01-18T21:41:00.002-04:00

Here’s a good value white from a well-known producer – a bit surprising that it’s no longer available at ANBL. Perhaps they’re simply out of stock, since 2007 seems to be the current release. In that case we can look forward to the 2008 next summer.

— Peanutman’s review —

I'm not too much into white wines. I like Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, but other whites are not very appealing to me, especially when too dry. I'll have to expand on my tastes when summer roles around. I remember buying the Trio with the Sauvignon Blanc and another that had Chardonnay for my birthday bash last year. I was really surprised with the Chardonnay version and found it better than the Sauvignon Trio. I guess I bought another bottle of the Chardonnay trio as I found one in my little cellar this past weekend. Really good wine for the price. The colour is pale yellow with some greenish tints. The aromas are of fresh fruit, a little bit of lemon and lime, but what I noticed mostly was honey. The taste is fruity and fresh, a little acidic (especially with salted pretzels)but with good structure. I forgot it in the fridge for a couple of days and it was still good on day three. Good value for money in my book but not available at NBLC anymore.

Price:$15.79 (no longer listed)
Value: 5 / 5
Grape: Chardonnay (70%), Pinot Grigio (15%), Pinot Blanc (15%)

Penfolds Kalimna Shiraz Bin 28 1998

2010-01-16T18:27:00.001-04:00

It’s not so long ago that I started building a cellar, so it’s only now that I’m starting to drink some wines that have been cellared for a few years. This Bin 28 illustrates that older is not necessarily better. This is from the middle of the Penfolds range – the current release is almost $40 in NB – and as I recall, 1998 was supposed to be a very good year, yet this wine didn’t show particularly well. It was well balance and well made, but the fruit had faded and it there wasn’t a lot of complexity to replace it. Still enjoyable, but at least a couple of years past its peak. A solid 88 nonetheless. It’s not fair to give it a value score. If you have any of these in your cellar, drink up.

South Australia, Shiraz
Price: $38.29 (current release)
UPC: 012354071834

Casillero del Diablo Gewurtztraminer 2008

2010-01-13T07:20:00.000-04:00

I love Gewurz – along with Riesling, it turned me on to white wine. A decent Gewurz for $14 sounds like a good find.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose - wet Stones, Tropical Fruit- lychees, Passion Fruit and Mango. Lime Leaves.
Taste- Mango+ Passion Fruit gelato. Minerally acidy. But some soapy mouth feel that disappeared with Stacy's Jerk Chicken.
Overall- Better than the rest of the New World Gewurtz that are in ANBL, but falls short of the more expensive ones from Alsace like the Pierre Sparr or Ribeauville, but I haven't tried the Sumac Ridge yet.

Chile- Maule Valley, 13.5%
95% Gewurtztraminer, 5% Riesling
Value: 4/5
Score: 87
Price: $13.79
UPC: 7804320127217

Bonterra Chardonnay 2007

2010-01-11T01:00:00.003-04:00

For immediate purposes, this is the most useful of Iron Chef’s New Year’s wines; a good chardonnay at a reasonable price that (unlike the other New Year’s wines) is still widely available.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose: Butter, Oak, Pear, Nutmeg and Cinnamon
Taste: Pear and Melon with a nice spicy edge of Nutmeg/Cinnamon and Cumin. The finish was very creamy and full.
Overall: A very dependable Lobster wine

California- Mendocino
13.5%
Price: $21.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 89
UPC: 082896780419

Chateau Giscours 1981

2010-01-10T01:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the highlight of Iron Chef’s New Year’s wines – “the finest wine I have ever tasted.” Originally purchased in NB, about 25 years ago.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Colour: Brick coloured core to a yellow rim with lots of browns in between.
Nose: Dried spices like cloves and bay leaves. Dried leather. Dried Flowers. Dried Tobacco. Surprising Red Licorice fruit for a older wine. Someone from the tasting said it smelled like Saddle soap- not sure what that smells like.
Taste- Very smooth - tannins still present. More dried favours of Leather, Tobacco, spices and Cherries. Interesting notes of a Truffle Olive oil. Had a creamy butterscotch finish.
Overall- We have tasted a number of late '70s, early '80s Bordeaux and this was the best yet, the wine was still very favourful and had surprising Tannins and fruit - probably the finest wine I have tasted. Decanted 45 minutes.

Bordeaux- Margaux
12.5%
Score: Tough to quantify with a number

Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2006

2010-01-09T01:00:00.000-04:00

I see the word “vanilla” appears many times in this review. Doesn’t sound like my kind of wine, which is good to know - the mediocre reviews are as useful as the raves.

— Peanutman’s Review —

Smell - At the start, it was wonderful. Very blackberry(ish) with a hint of vanilla. Four hours later, very vanilla(ish) with a hint of blackberry. It was nicer at the start.

Taste - Very much a Chilean fruit bomb Cab at the start with a hint of vanilla. Decent tannins with a medium length finish. After four hours, same as the smell as it became very vanilla(ish), but it had a longer finish. It seemed smoother, a little less fruit bombish and a little better. For a wine that spent 8 months in American Oak, I found it a little surprising that it was so vanilla(ish). I'm wondering how this wine would taste in a year or two as it evolved a lot over four hrs.

I have a hard time rating this wine as I was not expecting that much fluctuation in smell and taste. Therefore, I'm not giving a rating. Having said that, it would be somewhere in the 80's for a Chilean Cab, but I don't know where in the 80's. I might make up my mind if I try it again; doubtful.

I was expecting more, but at the same time I wasn't upset with the wine. I just wished it would have had something to talk about (and no not a song). I believe the 2005 was a value red at a previous wine festival, but the 06 leaves me puzzled.

$18.99
Valle Del Maipo, Chile
UPC 089419007152

Pio Cesare Barolo 1998

2010-01-08T07:14:00.003-04:00

This is the second of Iron Chef’s New Year’s wines. I have a particular interest in this one, as I have a number of bottles of the 2001 Ornato in my cellar – it’s reassuring to know the normale is aging so well.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Colour- very lightly coloured pale red to orange-ish rim.
Nose: Very Earthy, newer leather, warm oak notes. Stewed Cranberries. Fresh anise and dried flowers. Some hot alcohol aromas.
Taste: A tannic attack to the back of the jaw. Still tasted young. Fresh herbs of Mint, Rosemary and green peppercorns. Very earthy on the palate- like a forest floor- not a barnyard. Dried Cranberry fruit. Very Long finish. Decanted 90 mins.

14%, Alba Italy, Nebbiolo

Newfoundland LC Clearance Oct 2009 $49.95
Value 5/5
Score 96

Moet et Chardon Cuvee Dom Perignon 1992

2010-01-04T21:54:00.001-04:00

It looks like Iron Chef had some interesting wines for New Year's. He gave me four reviews, and I'll start with a teaser - the traditional champagne, which didn't live up to the star billing.

Anyone else have some good / bad / indifferent New Year's bottles to tell us about?

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose: Warm Bread-like yeasty notes. Salted Cashews and Staley minerals
Taste: Brioche with nuts- mostly cashews. Dry mineral notes and grapefruit. Finish was surprisingly short.
Overall: this was the third time that I had tasted this vintage and I was the most disappointed with this bottle. It just tasted dried out and abrupt in its finish.
Not scored.

Alcohol 12.8%
Purchased at ANBL- 6yrs ago about $225
UPC #3185370362174

Primitivo del Salento Classica IGT, Cantele

2010-01-01T16:40:00.000-04:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope the new year's festivities haven't turned you off wine, because we have a review of a good value red from peanutman to start off the year.

— Peanutman’s Review —

I've discovered in 2009 two different types of grapes that I really like, one being the Petit Verdot and the other the Primitivo. I'd rate this one the same as the Farnese (which is no longer available), but I would say this one was a little better. It had a spicy, flowery and cherry smell. It was an easy drinking wine, with a little spiciness to it and just enough tannins not to be overpowering. Nice wine to drink by itself.

Price $15.49
Value: 4.5/5
Score: 88
UPC: 8009015033425

Bubbly Recommendations?

2009-12-30T17:09:00.000-04:00

Michelle posted this to "Make a Suggestion," but I thought it deserved its own thread:

"Anyone doing a sparkling wine or champagne review for the BIG night? I had Christmas Eve a Jacobs Creek Chardonnay/Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee. Nice, easy drinking bubbly. Not in the least bit dry. I do enjoy a nice prosecco or occasional champagne too..but who doesn't! anyone have a recommendation for, say, under $50?"

Finca Antigua Petit Verdot 2006

2009-12-22T23:16:00.000-04:00

Peanutman posted this in the Make a Suggestion thread, but I think it deserves a separate post, even though it’s no longer in stock. As it happens, Kelly and I just had an excellent Australian Petit Verdot last night, though not the one that is currently available at ANBL. This seems to be a grape worth looking out for. Anyone else had a Petit Verdot recently? Anyone have more comments on the de Bortoli Vat 4 that ANBL carries?

— Peanutman’s Review —

Just wondering if anyone bought the Finca Antigua Petit Verdot 2006 at the Wine Festival. I had my first bottle tonight. Too bad NBLC doesn't have any in stock. Wow. what a good wine. Very blackberry ish and smooth to boot. A little tannic but not much. Probably perfect time to drink it. I don't remember what I paid, probably around $20. Smell is simply beautifully fruity, like something you would want to have on your toast in the morning. I would give it a 4.5 out of 5 and I would say that it was better than the Australian Petit Verdot available at NBLC. Simply enjoyable.

Value 4.5/5
UPC: No longer available.

Warwick Trilogy 2004

2009-12-17T01:00:00.002-04:00

Even though this wine isn't available any more, it's always interesting to find out what a few years of age will do to a wine, especially for the next time you're thinking of buying this style.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Opened this with a South African neighbor. Popped and drank. Beautiful cork.

Nose- Cassis, stewed cherries, vanilla, oak, coconut and anise. Some aromas of green coffee beans. It really smelled great- that 'fine wine smell'- long deep nose.

Taste- Loads of Oaky vanilla, white chocolate and Coconut lathered over a cherry stew. Nice mineral or green apple acidity and abundant chewy tannins. And pithy green peppers. Some astringent coffee notes latte on the palate. The finish went on forever.

Overall- A really special wine that was drank far, far too early- reminded me of an earlier version of Don Melchor, before it became an over extracted Parker wine. If anyone still has these, please hide them for at least another 3-5 yrs.

Price: Sale wine 2-3 yrs ago- about $40Value: 4/5
Score: 93
Region: South Africa- Stellenbosch
Grape: 55% Cabernet, 34% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot
Alcoho: 14.5%
UPC: No longer available

Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewürztraminer 2006

2009-12-15T01:00:00.000-04:00

A friend brought this over recently for Norman's 48 3/4 birthday. It's a great find. The nose is particularly lovely and full, with citrus - particularly grapefruit - as well as apricot, spices,

and minerals. The wine is viscous on the palate, and very slightly sweet, and crisp and very long. The only negative is that there's a noticeable bitterness throughout. The blurb on the label advertises "full grapefruit flavours," and in fact it does taste quite a lot like grapefruit, right down to that characteristic bitter edge.

Decent Gewürztraminer isn't so easy to find at any price, and this one is great value at $16.99. Also, I patriotically like its Canadian origin; it's from the Okanagan.

Price: $16.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 89
Alcohol: 13%
Region: Canada
UPC: 778876128936

Torrelongares Tinto Garnacha 2008

2009-12-13T01:00:00.000-04:00

This is the other half of Iron Chef’s twofer Grenache review. This is more like what I’d expect for the price.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose- Dried herbs, like a greenish tobacco. Some woody popsicle notes. Hot cherries with some plasticine aromas.
Taste- Chalky sour cherries- like drywall plaster. Some green pepper veggies tastes late on the finish.
Overall- not my favourite style of wine, but it was good to try opposite the Borsao.

Price: $12.99
Score: 81
Value: 1/5
Region: Spain, Carinena
Alcohol: 13%
UPC #8424659010067

Stag's Hollow Renaissance Meritage 2005

2009-12-11T01:00:00.001-04:00

This review bends the rule that this blog is about NB wines – but it doesn’t quite break it. This wine is available to New Brunswickers, but not from ANBL. You have to order it directly from the winery, with a one case (mixed) minimum order. I got this bottle from friends who did that - it was their last bottle, but they were moving and couldn’t take it with them.

In any event, it was very curious for a Meritage, but delicious. It is medium to light bodied, with a striking floral / potpourri nose. Well balanced with excellent complexity and good length. I can’t help but compare it with the Osoyoos Larose because they are both Bordeaux blends from the Okanagan. I actually like the Stag’s Hollow better than the more famous the Osoyoos Larose – but it’s not really a good comparison because the wines are so different. Given that they’re roughly the same blend, I would love to know more about the wine making techniques involved - I would never guess that they are the same grape if I tasted them blind.

On a related note, we hardly ever review Bordeaux wines on this blog. For me, it’s because the few that I’ve tried seem very overpriced. I’d appreciate it if anyone could give me a tip on a good Bordeaux at a reasonable price that is available at ANBL.

Price: $30
Value: 5/5
Score: 93
Grape: 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc
Region: BC

Borsao Joven 2008

2009-12-09T21:30:00.003-04:00

A 91 score for $13!? I'm going to have to try one and see for myself. Luckily, there are about a billion bottles of this left in the province.

BTW, Chef sent this to me as part of a twofer, but I'm going to post the other review separately.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose- Dried Herbs, Cloves, sage, spearmint and tobacco. An interesting smell of grape seeds. Lots of candy apples from the Frex.
Taste- Hot Chocolate and cherries. Some grenadine but good balance of acidity /tannins and sweetness. Very clean finish, a little short.
Overall- Certainly the better of the two Garnachas. I really enjoyed the Borsao. I will be adding a number of these to the cellar for the holidays.

Price: $13.29
Score: 91
Value: 5/5
Region: Spain, Campo de Borja
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape: 70% Garnacha, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Tempranillo
UPC: 8412423120036

Undurraga Sibaris Carmenere Reserva Especial 2007

2009-12-06T01:00:00.001-04:00

The back label says this wine is dedicated to the citizens of Sibaris “an ancient city recognized for the refinement of its residents.” Well, they’ll be turning over in their 2500 year old graves if they can hear their names used to endorse this wine, which is overwhelming characterized by what Kelly simply calls “that cheap wine smell.” This stuff is truly terrible. The Partager from Barton & Guestier ($11/litre) that I’ve been using for cooking after it has been sitting opened on my kitchen counter for a week is better than the Sibaris. I’m not kidding. I gave them both to Kelly to taste blind and she agreed. I wouldn’t use the Sibaris for cooking. In fact, I didn’t. The sauce I was making needed red wine, but I wasn’t going to poison it with this stuff. Maybe it will improve with age – I’ll never know, because I won’t let any of it pass my lips again. This is a Wine Expo wine, and luckily for everyone, there’s hardly any left. Blech.

Price: $20.29
Value: 0/5
Score: 75
Grape: Carménère
Region: Chile, Colchagua Valley
UPC: 7804315001997

Te Ata Po Malbec Reserve 2008

2009-12-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

According to this article, Sonia Carpenter and David Craw are local winemakers (Motts Landing Vineyard) who made this particular wine while wintering in New Zealand. Here’s what Iron Chef’s had to say about it.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

A local -ish wine that I just had to try.

Nose- Gamey like duck or partridge. Blueberry compote, cedar and butterscotch and vanilla aromas. Complex.

Taste- Great acidy for a red- a food wine. Mineral quality that I have come to expect from NZ wines. Medium tannins. Very drying finish. Some medicinal and herbal notes. Good dark blueberry fruit.

Overall Sonia Carpenter and David Craw of local winery, Motts Landing have produced an exciting wine that is very complex and multi-layered. I will be a regular buyer of this wine. Just Super.

Price: $19.99
Value 5/5
Score: 92
Price: New Zealand- Gisborne
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 400008150194

Sandalford Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

2009-12-02T01:00:00.000-04:00

Australian wines generally are known for being "big." That can be a good thing, depending on your tastes, but sometimes it just gets overdone, and they end up with "big" but lose everything else.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Smell- Very deep and complex. Herbs of ground cloves, dried sage and mint. Nice coconut aromas mixed in with the oak and densely extracted cherry stew.
Taste- Compared to nose, it was a little disappointing and almost boring. Cassis and cherry brandy. Loads of dark fruit. Palate numbing heaviness.
Overall- it started great, but the palate was too thick without much more than cherry brandy.

Price: $32.48
Score: 83
Value: 1/5
Region: Australia, Margaret River
Alcohol: 14.5%
UPC: 9312175008011

Michelino Veglio Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba 2007

2009-11-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

It's not so often now that we have a varietal that hasn't yet made an appearance on this blog, but this Dolcetto is one. Dolcetto is the third grape of Piedmont, after Nebbiolo and Barbera. It is meant to make wines for early drinking, soft, with flavours of cherry. Unfortunately this example had a nose of Ozonol (phenol) and a sour finish. I suppose you might imagine the finish was sour cherries, but cherries or not, it wasn’t particularly appealing. An interesting contrast with the Nebbiolo d’Alba from the same producer.

Price: $15.49
Value: 2/5
Score: 83
Region: Italy, Piedmont
Grape: Dolcetto
UPC: 877559000702

Don David Malbec 2007

2009-11-27T08:04:00.004-04:00

While the rest of us are finally back to red wine, we haven't forgotten Iron Chef. I've noticed this wine on the shelves, but haven't tried it yet. Iron Chef liked it, but I must say that from the description it doesn't sound like my style.

BTW, anyone try any more of the Wine Expo wines? There are still some around, though they seem to be disappearing fast. Let's hear your views on these wines before they're gone!

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose- Deep aromas of extracted cherries and cassis. The oak smelled wonderful also. Great Opening to this wine.
Taste- Dark fruit, cherries mixed in with a warm wood palate. Reminded me of a good Aussie Shiraz- some Cherry Cola mixed in with a Cherry Blossom chocolate bar. Long rich finish.
Overall- Very thick and complex fruit forward bomb. A bottle from Kelly at the Blue Door.

Price: $16.99
Score: 90
Value: 4.5/5
Region: Argentina, Cafayate Valley
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7790189001129

Cantele Alticelli 2008

2009-11-26T01:00:00.001-04:00

Oz Clarke calls Fiano an "extremely interesting" southern Italian grape that at its best is weighty and honeyed with flowers and spice. I'm afraid I didn't get much of that. I had this at the same party as the Cister da Ribera, which was a hands down favourite over Alticelli. Again, the notes are sketchy, but this came across as a fairly nondescript white wine with a bit of a sour finish. Drinkable, but not more.

Price: $21.29
Value 2/5
Score: 85
Region: Italy, Salento
Grape: Fiano
UPC: 8009015040508

Quinta do Ventozelo Cister da Ribeira 2008

2009-11-24T19:31:00.004-04:00

Had this wine at a party, so these notes are sketchy, but everyone who tried it agreed that it was a real winner. It was well balanced - good acidity without being sharp or sour - and bursting with a bundle of fruit. You could taste the grapey Muscat, but there was plenty of other stuff going on. A steal at the price. A Wine Expo product and not much left.

Price: $ 13.49
Value 5/5
Score: 89
Region: Portugal, Douro
Grape: 30% Muscat, 20% Viosinho, 20% Arinto, 20% Fernao Pires, 10% Gouveio (Verdelho)
UPC: 5601109213107

Loredona Pinot Grigio 2007

2009-11-23T01:00:00.001-04:00

It's not really white wine season any more, but this sounds like a good one. If I can just convince Kelly to make sushi for me this weekend, this sounds like a perfect match.

--- Michelle's Review ---

Loredona Pinot Grigio - Monteray, CA $21.79

I had to review a white. This time of year our thoughts turn to the warm spicy, cockle warming reds. So before we turn ourselves over to the reds, I am going to review my pick for WHITE OF THE YEAR. I do not give accolades that easily. I need to be swayed and wooed. This wine swayed and wooed me to the top of the list. Who would have thought California could produce anything white that wasn't a Chardonnay! Ok maybe I am being to hard on Cali but like most of us, I got tired of that scene long ago. So here it is a Pinot Grigio. I find sometimes a pinot grigio is non descript. Chilled too much and it loses any kind of structure or flavor. Hmm..tastes like water. So this one being premo-chilled had amazing nose and palette. I felt transported to a warm spring night with everything in bloom. Clean and floral. The taste of crisp apples and orange blossoms with a finish of ginger and vanilla. Nothing was overpowering but subtle and clean. What a wonderful Pinot Grigio! This was fantastic. Have this with mussels in a light cream sauce perhaps good sushi or a lobster roll!

Dear Santa: I have been a good girl this year. My only wish is that you help Don build me a wine cellar in the basement or at least a wine fridge. I will take the fridge actually. Preferably with separate climate controlled sections for white and red. Thank you, Santa. I will leave your typical glass of Chianti Classico Reserve and chocolate truffle.

Mazzei Poggio Alla Badiola 2006

2009-11-21T01:00:00.001-04:00

For me, this is another value pick. The nose is full of ripe, dark berries, violets, cloves, juniper, and licorice on. All of that follows on the palate, which is clear and long and characterized by puckering tannins from mid to finish. Its character is distinctly Italian. Even at only 30%, the Merlot really seems to round out the Sanviovese, which I find can be a bit thin and acidic.

Price: $ 19.79
Value 4/5
Score: 90
Region: Italy, Tuscany
Grape: Sangiovese, Merlot
UPC: 8016118241053

Concha y Toro - Winemakers Lot 148 & Lot 54

2009-11-19T01:00:00.001-04:00

A two-for-one review from Michelle.

--- Michelle's Review ---

Concha y Toro - Winemakers Lot 148 Carmenere - Chile $19.79

A two for one review! Since they were both from Concha y Toro, I thought I would do them together. First, the Carmenere. For some reason I get a certain thrill out of a beautiful violet, inky colored wine being poured into my glass. It gives a possible introduction to the nose and the palette will be. This one did not disappoint. My boyfriend, who will tell you right off the bat that he has no palate for this type of thing, said it was a "nice wine". Nice indeed! Beautiful on the nose with violets and chocolate. It had a deep dark fruit, coffee and balanced out with almost a fruit cake finish. Not last year's fruit cake but one that's warm and just out of the oven and topped in a butterscotch sauce. I really enjoyed this one. I am going to Dieppe to get some more before its gone. The price is definitely doesn't justify such a great wine. For $19.79 I suggest you pick up a few more. For dinner, I braised the roast beef in this wine with some chicken stock, garlic, onions and thyme. After the roast was done, I then added some sautéed mushrooms and lots of black pepper to make a reduction. WOW! Maybe it was the beef, maybe it was the wine, but the combination was dead on.

Concha y Toro Winemakers Lot 54 Syrah - Chile $19.79

Now the Syrah. I wouldn't say this was a typical syrah. It seems the Chilean's have a different idea on what that should be. Again, I was impressed. Of course the nose had the pepper and anise of a syrah. But on the palette it has a wonderful structure. Beautifully balanced chocolate, coffee, ending in a strawberry/plum finish. Again, an excellent price for a really great wine. Now to pick up more….

Thirty Bench Red 2007

2009-11-17T01:00:00.000-04:00

I grew up in southern Ontario with no idea that there was anything in Beamsville but a few cows. So imagine my surprise to discover that the area can also produce a pretty decent Bordeaux type blend. The nose is mostly blackberries, cedar, and wood smoke. These follow through on the palate, which is full and smooth and finishes with tannins that are firm but not obtrusive. We had it with squash gnocchi with tomato sauce and spicy Mexican beef stew, and it definitely paired much better with the gnocchi. Great value.

Price: $22.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 13.4 %
Region: Canada
Grape: 55% Cabernet Franc; 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Merlot
UPC: 048162011724

Michelino Veglio Nebbiolo d‘Alba 2005

2009-11-15T11:17:00.004-04:00

The most interesting wines on Iron Chef’s list don’t seem to be available in F’ton, but a selection from the Wine Expo has made its way here. This Nebbiolo d’Alba looked interesting, so I picked it up for a dinner party last night. I can only give general impressions, since I was drinking it at a party, but I was very pleased with what it delivered. The nose was delightful - distinctly floral (it would be traditional to say roses, knowing it is a Nebbiolo, but I will just leave it at ‘floral’) with bright fruit - cherries. Recognizably Nebbiolo. The structure was very clean and drinkable - the tannins were subdued and enough acidity to make it crisp without being too sharp. It didn’t have the leather / tar and richer floral notes that are associated with a good Barolo. Maybe those will come with age - or not. In any event, it’s not a Barolo, and it's not priced like one, so you can’t ask too much. This is distinctive, well made and reasonably priced. I think I’ll get a few more bottles for everyday drinking.

Price: $18.79
Value 4/5
Score: 88
Region: Italy, Piedmont
Grape: Nebbiolo
UPC: 877559000405

Wine Expo

2009-11-13T08:51:00.003-04:00

I wasn't able to attend the Wine Expo last week, as I was away. Anyone spot any winners? (or losers?)

Count on Iron Chef to have something to say - here are his brief notes on the Wine Expo:

--- Iron Chef's Notes ---

Pierre Sparr Extrem - Table 3
I think this was the Riesling- highlighter on the label, fresh crisp minerals and tropical fruits- very nice

Pierre Sparr Sublima- Table 3
Very nice Gewurztraminer- mango and passion fruit, balanced acidity surprisingly.

Sandhill Syrah- Table 4
Had all the bombastic fruit flavors, but there was some old world leather tastes that where nice.

Peller Estates Ice Cuvee- Table 4
Fun sweeter bubbles.

Erasmo 2005 Chile- Table 9
I had heard a lot about this, and it was ok, but for $29, I thought it needed more depth of taste.

Nearco Sant Antimo IGT 2004- Table 9
Wow, this had what you would expect for $47, dark fruit, mushrooms, leather, and tannins. This was really great.

Diemersfontein Pinotage 2008, $29
Aromas of burnt rubber and tasted like elastics.

Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc- Table 13
I like Chenins, but this one was flabby even for them.

Ardhuy La Cabotte Garance 2005 $26.79- Table 14
Great favours, ripe fruit, some tannins and great oak.

Ardhuy La Cabotte Gabriel 2006, $34
A bit more in your face than the Garance, more Grenadine sweetness.

Ardhuy Savigny Aux Clous 2006 $46
Wonderful Pinot Noir, deep tastes and aromas, more milk chocolate than I would have guessed.

Ardhuy Corton Renardes 2006, $116
Compared to a rich wine like the Savigny, this was an absolute monster, the finish lasted for 15 miinutes.

Beringer Knights Valley Alluvium Rouge 2005 $54 - Table 17
I was interested to try this, quite sweet with surprisingly like structure.

Mezzacorona Riserva Teroldego Rotaliano $19- Table 19
First time I had a Teroldego - smelled very pungent almost acrid, good fruit. I liked it.

Torres Mas La Plana 2005, $46
Highly structured, dusty tannins- enjoyed it.

Ventisquero Pangea 2006, $52- Table 21
Highly extracted, syrupy, great aromas, maybe too heavy.

Oreno IGT 2006 $81- Table 24
Very nice wine, deep aromas and long finish.

Saia IGT 2006, $36
Never had good success with Nero d'Avola, I always found them too acidity, chewing on an old style foil potato chip bag. This one was no different

Parducci Zinfandel- Table 26
Really nice Zin, tobacco and dry herbs favors.

Pio Cesare Altro Chardonnay Table 29
Great Chardonnay- lemony buttery fruit

Pio Cesare Langhe Nebbiolo 2006 $46
Very approachable Nebbiolo, good tannins but not astringent. Dried Roses and black tea.

Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG 2003, $85
Again very approachable as a young wine, maybe to much. Has the price on this stuff just takeoff ?

Poggio al Tufo Rompicollo 2007, $20.49- Table 34
One of the best wines of the show for me. Beautiful red fruit, nice tannins and great aromas of fresh herbs and coffee. 60% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged for one year in oak barrels

Poggio al Tufo Alicante 2007, $27.79
Made from Alicante Bouschet grapes- beautiful colour, some bubble gum flavors and mocha coffee. Just loved this stuff.

Donnafugata Mille una Notte 2006, $75- Table 35
Again, had a tough time with the acidity of this wine. Just didn't enjoy it.

Winemakers Lot 115 Cabernet- Table 39
Solid wine. Good Cab like mint and chocolate.

Winemakers Lot 148 Carmenere
Peppery and fun, good rich oak also.

Winemakers Lot 54 Syrah
Very flavorful and some gamey aromas.

d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie 2007, $29- Table 52
Full on Coke Cola taste with an interesting aromas - very impressed with this

Valdivieso Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc- Table 54
Looking forward to a Cab Franc, but this was so dominated by Green Peppers.

Valdivieso Caballo Loco $66
Didn't really think much of it, flat, somewhat boring.

Rivetto Ce Vanin Barbaresco 2006, $54- table 57
Great aromas of Dried flowers and dark oak. Still really tight. Lots of Tannins.

Rivetto Leon Barolo 2005, $81
Really tight, loads of drying tannins- Young Barolo, but my favorite Barolo of the show.

Finca Antigua Petit Verdot- Table 58
Beautiful Purple colour - great taste of red liquorish.

Travaglini Coste Sesia 2007, $24- Table 61
Very approachable nebbiolo, dry herbs and back tea. Tannins were there in force but manageable.

Travaglini Gattinara 2004 $37
Classy wine, deep cassis and the tell-tale favors of that region. Just Super

Travaglini TreVigne Gattinara 2004, $57
This was tight, and tannic. But also rich like cocao powder- this would be really interesting in 10+ years.

Clos Triguedina Petit Clos 2006 $23- Table 65
One of the surprises of the show was how good the little Probus was. Medicinal favors mixed in with Black bart chewing gum.

Clos Triguedina Probus 2005 $57
Dark Fruit, Black liquorish, strong tannins. Super Cahors.

St. Urbans-Hof Riesling 2008

2009-10-25T01:00:00.000-03:00

Nose of wet wool and citrus
Viscous and crisply acidic on the palate

Price: $19.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 90
Alcohol: 9.5%
Region: Germany
UPC: 4013231000684

Mission Hill Five Vineyards Chardonnay 2007

2009-10-18T01:00:00.002-03:00

I’ve mentioned before that our wine drinking follows strong seasonal patterns: white in the summer, red in the winter. We do occasionally drink white in the winter – especially with Kelly’s fantastic homemade sushi.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Nose- Peaches, Pear and Pineapple with some sugar dusted flowers- lilacs maybe.
Taste- Peaches in syrup. Vanilla and oak. Good Crisp acidity. Some nutmeg also.
Overall a very dependable white that is always the same. A tad bit expensive compared to the Chileans.

Price: $17.99
Value: 2.5/5
Score: 88
Alcohol: 13.5%
Region: Canada, British Columbia
UPC: 776545995148

E.Guigal Crozes Hermitage 2002

2009-10-16T08:50:00.002-03:00

This vintage is no longer available at ANBL, but there is plenty of a subsequent vintage. (The ANBL website says it’s the 2004, but we all know the vintage info on the website is not very reliable.) Since ‘02 was the worst vintage in years, whatever vintage is available stands a good chance of being even better. (Depending on how it has been stored - from what I’ve seen, storage at ANBL isn’t always ideal.) Anyway, has anyone tried the currently available vintage?

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Received this as a Christmas gift and I was a little leery of the vintage (RP gave Northern Rhone 78 for the 2002 vintage). Decanted for 1 hour.
Sight- heavy bricking to brownish tints.
Nose- Cigarette ash, white pepper, Wild Blueberries and raspberries. Other aromas of tar and other petrol scents. Intense nose.
Taste- Dark berries, rasp and blue. Lots of fruit. Good Acidity and tannins. Wet Stone. Mocha espresso and warm oak. Long finish.
Overall- really surprised by the depth of taste in this wine. It had a lot going one. This did not taste old or worn out. Great Wine, but I suspect that this is as good as this is going to get, the sight of the wine suggests that it may start to decline soon. Great Cork.
Drink' em if you got 'em.

Price: $32.29
Value 4/5
Score: 93
Region: France, Northern Rhone
Grape: Syrah
Alcohol: 12.5%
UPC: 3536650801003

Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva 2006

2009-10-13T22:56:00.006-03:00

I thought this was a new grape to me - but according to Oz Clarke, it is just the Sardinian name for Grenache.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Decanted for 45 minutes.
Never had a wine from Sardinia before. The grape is the original Grenache that was later imported to Rhone and other places. This winery has been producing this wine since 1899.

Nose: Leather, earth, barnyard and root vegetables. Some oak and orange liquor notes. Rose petals and Port-like oxidized aromas.
Taste: Rustic. Sour cherries, menthol and dusty tannins. Cloves and black tea. Tastes like an austere Chianti. Chalky acidity. The palate is hollow in spots. Delicate tastes.
Overall the nose was much better than the taste. There just wasn't enough fruit to support the dusty tannins, felt unbalanced and hollow. Interesting to try.

PS Robert Noel's wine of the week.

Price: $24.29
Value: 2/5
Score: 83
Grape: Cannonau / Grenache
Region: Italy, Sardinia
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 8006725100256

Pierre Sparr Reserve Gewurztraminer 2008

2009-10-12T11:06:00.001-03:00

We seems to be having a mini-Pierre Sparr tasting, with our review of the Schoenenbourg a couple of weeks ago. Nothing wrong with that - Alsatian whites are some of my favourites.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

Paired this with some Asian Noodles and Scallops with cilantro sauce.
Sight- Golden Yellow.
Nose- Mango and pineapple bomb. Great fruit forward nose. Some honey and flowers also.
Taste- Mango gelato. An interesting cooling sensation on the palate. Lots of mouth watering acidity. Apple pie spices. Good minerals too. Kind of Boozy.
Overall a really great wine. Where did all this acidity come from, wasn't expecting that. Perfect with Asian spicy food.

Price: $26.99
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 92
Region: France, Alsace
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 3263530020819

Wine Expo

2009-10-04T10:30:00.003-03:00

I thought I'd start a thread to discuss the upcoming Wine Expo (even though, unfortunately, I will be out of town). Anon has pointed out that there seems to be a focus on Italy, which is welcome - if I could only drink wine from one country, it would certainly be Italy, yet the current ANBL offerings are a bit slim.

Personally, I am generally not much of a fan of straight Sangiovese wines, including Brunello as well as Chianti. (Although I did once have a Chianti Classico that got a 94 from WS, and it truly was fantastic and excellent value at $42). We vacationed once in Tuscany and even there I thought the Brunellos were over-priced - that makes me think I'm just not a fan of the style.

I tend to like what the Italians do with international grapes, and I'm also a fan of their indigenous grapes. If nothing else, the variety is interesting. I notice that there is at least one straight Sagrantino, a grape that I have never had before. Oz Clarke's guide makes it sound very interesting. He says it was traditionally "austerely tannic, but better vinification has helped round out the fruit, and it is clear that this is a grape with a good deal of personality."

Pierre Sparr Schoenenbourg Grand Cru Riesling 2001 Redux

2009-10-02T22:19:00.000-03:00

Posting another review of a wine we’re already reviewed is cheating a bit - but that’s what we were drinking, and Kelly didn’t know what it was or that we’d already reviewed it.

Here are her notes:

Wet wool, citrus, and something spicy on the nose - white pepper and cloves, maybe? Very smooth and viscous on the palate. Nicely balanced and crisply acidic. Finishes on a slightly sharp note, but it's not an unpleasant sharpness. Initially I didn't detect the petrol note common in Riesling, but I think a subtle one developed over the evening.

Kelly gave it a score of 92 (without any prompting by me), which is the same as WS gave it. Interesting, since I was underwhelmed the first time and gave it an 88. I liked it well enough, but I still didn’t love it. Very well made and some good flavours, but just not the ‘wow’ factor that I want for a 92. Maybe it was just a bit too subtle for me. I let Kelly finish my glass.

Monte Antico 2006

2009-10-01T07:43:00.003-03:00

Good reviews, bad reviews, mediocre reviews - they're all helpful. Here is one of the latter.

— Iron Chef’s Review —

I recently got an email about this wine rating it 90 pts from WS and I thought it would be fun to try.

Nose- Earthy, mushrooms and caramel. Some bright cherry fruit mixed in with oak.

Taste- Nice earthy favours with good oak. Restrained cherries with chocolate and coffee tastes. Some hollowness in the mid-palate. The finish was longer than expected.

Overall- The earthy aromas promised a better wine than the palate delivered. I still liked the wine, didn't love it. If I was going to spend $20 on this, I should have spent and extra $6 on Tommasi Ripasso Valpolicella or the Nipozzano Riserva.

Price: $18.79
Score 86
Value 2.5/5
Region: Tuscany
Grape: Sangiovese, Cab, Merlot (12.5%)

Wine Expo Tickets

2009-09-30T10:13:00.001-03:00

Michelle has reminded us that tickets for the Wine Expo November 2-7, go on sale Saturday. Apparently tickets are available at www.tickets.moncton.ca, but the event doesn't seem to be listed yet.

Montalto Nero D'Avola/Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

2009-09-20T21:06:00.003-03:00

A nice thing about focusing on ANBL wines is that we can revisit the same wines from one year to the next. Michelle much didn’t like the 2004 vintage of this wine, but Peter says the 2008 is a solid pasta wine and good value at the price. Difference of vintage, or just a difference in taste? If you try it, let us know what you think.

— Peter’s Review —

Nose: Rather subtle nose. Offering up just a tease of floral notes and some
indistinct red fruit.

Taste: Very light body, some vibrant red fruit up front. Noteworthy pronounced acidity, that is kept completely in check and balanced. Background tannins that you get with some prolonged swishing on the palate. Not a whole lot of complexity. Disappears quickly. It paired nicely with a traditional meat lasagna and the usual sides (salad and bread). Overall nice flavor. Not a thinking (wo)man's wine, but enjoyable none-the-less. No heat detectable as in other vintages reviewed.

Commentary: There have been reviews of prior vintages of this wine and some interesting discussion in the comments on this site. One person noted that it got 4th place in the 'killer value' section of this years 'Wine Access' awards amongst hundreds of entries. A rather rare find, in that it is a lighter bodied red that doesn't taste watered down or just nasty. And rare in that it is <$15 and still is balanced and food friendly. I'd keep one around for weeknight pasta meals.

Price: $11.79
Rating: 87
Value: 5/5
Region: Sicily
UPC: 8030423000754

Firesteed Pinot Noir 2006

2009-09-18T07:43:00.002-03:00

Pinot strikes me as a good shoulder season wine - too bad Tancred says this one is just a little over-priced to be really good value.

--- Tancred's Review---

This is an unmistakable new world pinot noir. Strawberry flavours on the nose and a fruit forward palate that marks this as new world, reminiscent of a cool climate Australian pinot. Quite dry, maybe even a bit tart on the finish. This is not a great wine, not particularly complex, but it is a well-made pinot if you're in the mood for something in this style. At $25 though, not a bargain.

Price: $24.99
Rating: 85
Value: 3/5
Region: Oregon
UPC: 753526100005

Casillero del Diablo Reserva Privada 2007

2009-09-15T21:44:00.003-03:00

It seems to be the shoulder season for me - too cool for white, too warm for red. Soon, Kelly and I will be back to our regular glass of red in the evening. For now, it's good to know someone out there is still drinking wine - who else but Iron Chef?

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I was intrigued to read the label describing a blend of great Chilean vineyards, Pirque for the Cab and Peumo for the Syrah.
Nose- Warm vanilla oak with lots of Mocha and dark chocolate. A really dense nose of extracted cherries and ripe fruit.
Taste- Heavy and strong. High alcohol scented. Rich dark chocolate and Toasty vanilla oak. Highly extracted dark fruit- raisins and prunes. High Octane.
Overall: Some people that we tasted this with did not care for it, "too over the top" was a common statement. But I like it for what it was, a High Octane fruit bomb, and no nuances here.

Price: $20.99
Value: 3/5
Score: 88
Region: Chile, Maipo Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
Grape: Cabernet & Syrah Blend
UPC: 7804320272252

Henry of Pelham Reserve Riesling 2006

2009-09-07T20:23:00.000-03:00

Peter lives on the Island now, but he does get back to ANBL once in a while. And with this great end of summer weather we’re enjoying, a value priced white.

— Peter’s Review —

I have been on a bit of a riesling kick. So, when I saw this one on sale and recalled reading somewhere it was a solid pick. I thought why not? Coincidentally, I got a winecurrent newsletter last week commenting on the '07 version of this wine. They liked it's balance, fruit and acidity. 4/5 stars.

Nose: Green apple, lemon, and a hint of minerality.

Taste: Most notable is the very dry nature of this wine. It is medium bodied with just of hint of heat. There is a bit of tart green apple fruit coming through. I think it would be likable to someone keen on really dry wine. I like a little more fruit in my wine, so it fell a little short of my expectations. It was ok with a variety of cheeses and crackers.

Price: $12.99 (on sale)
Value: 4/5
Score: 85
Region: Ontario, Canada
UPC: 779376202317

Trio Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Cabernet Franc 2007

2009-09-01T07:05:00.002-03:00

Here's a companion to last week's review of the Trio Merlot

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

After the success of the Merlot Trio, I was excited to try this again. Also Norman's blog of astringent Cabs was ringing in my ears.

Nose- Heady with Alcohol. Black currants, Menthol Tobacco. Burnt sugar. Some stemmy aromas.
Taste- Hot and boozy. Bell/Green Peppers, Sun dried tomatoes. Jammy Currants. Sharpe after taste- lots of tannins mixed with resiny oak. Some nice caramel notes.
Decanted for 2 hours.

Overall: I remember a number of years ago doing a Lindeman's Tasting blind- the Merlot, the Cab and even the Pinot Noir were remarkably similar, a certain house style refined the varietals characteristics into one indefinable taste. The Concha Toro wines don't seem to suffer that fate, the Merlot Trio and the Cab Trio are quite different, even though I may like one style much more than the other, I respect their differences.
The astringent qualities of the Cab blend was very evident, the palate was sharp, this was thankfully lessened with food, but present all along. A good example of this maybe Chocolate, it is often assumed that the higher cocoa percentage yields a better chocolate, but I have found that 75% or more cocoa just imparts a bitter flavour. Cabernet, like cocoa, needs other things to tone down the bitter parts, like oak or longer maceration or even Merlot.
I liked this wine, but in comparison to the Merlot Trio, it was lacking.

Retail Price: $15.79
Value: 3.5/5
Score: 86
Region: Chile- Maipo
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7804320143958

Las Moras Black Label Malbec 2006

2009-08-29T01:00:00.000-03:00

When I received this review, the Las Moras Black Label sounded familiar, so I searched the blog and discovered that Kelly and I had it at the wine show and liked it. Good to have a full review.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Freshly cracked black pepper, powdered Cocoa- like Quick. Raisiny fruit. Powerful and heady- quite a whiff of alcohol.
Taste: Highly extracted jammy black fruit. Cola flavours. Some sweet Grenadine notes. Good strength in the Tannins, somewhat grippy. Tobacco and some medicinal flavours in the end of the palate.
Overall- I enjoyed this, some of the sweeter notes were balanced off by the strong tannins. Thought this had a depth of taste to support the price. I would buy it again. Good choice for bold tasting foods, paired with a Blue Cheese Crusted steak.

Price: $17.99
Value 4/5
Score 89
Region: Argentina, San Juan Valley
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7791540091889

Trio Merlot Carmenere Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

2009-08-27T01:00:00.001-03:00

This picks up on our recent end-of-summer theme of value-priced reds.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I haven't had this wine forever, and I can't remember why I stopped drinking this.

Nose: Warm Oak, dark/ extracted cherries, Coconut, nutmeg and cloves. Nice white pepper aromas. Very full nose.
Taste: Plumes and other stone/pitted fruits. Nice spicy pepper tastes and sun tan lotion. Really enjoyable and long finish especially for this price range..
Overall a very solid wine that delivers a long finish with interesting aromas. For some reason lately Merlots have been tasting very good to me.
I won't make the mistake of forgetting this wine in the future. I will have to have the Cab blend next.

Price: $15.79
Value: 5/5
Score: 91
Region: Chile - Rapel
Alcohol: 14.5%
UPC: 7804320143941

Masi Tupungato Passo Blanco 2008

2009-08-25T01:00:00.002-03:00

This has not been a good week for me wine-wise. I've had four different wines- why so many? Because I keep pouring them out. A bottle of the Anheuser Riesling was badly corked. Then there was the Masi Rosato. Then a bottle of 89RP rated wine picked up in New Hampshire that was undrinkably wretched. Then this. This wine is made by Masi in Argentina. It is a blend of Pinot Grigio and Torrontes, and that is what it tastes like. But not in a good way. It starts off crisp but neutral, like a typical Pinot Grigio in this price range, but then finishes with a sharp sour sherry (not cherry) taste that I attribute to the Torrontes. Not good. Kelly's reaction to her first sip was "Did you buy this wine to cook with?" Answer: No. For less money I can get a cooking wine that I can actually drink.

Price: $18.79
Score: 78
Value: 1/5
Region: Argentina
UPC: 8002062001768

Angoves Nine Vines Shiraz Viognier 2007

2009-08-23T01:00:00.000-03:00

A brief foray back into red wine. Sad to say, but summer is almost over. But here's a wine to make you feel better about drinking red again.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Ever since the Wolftrap opened my eyes to the Shiraz/Viognier blend, I have been meaning to try this wine.

Nose: Cola- like Dr Pepper. Mint and Asian spice like Sesame seed oil. Vey full and deep nose.
Taste: Plummy with a creamy mouth feel - malolactic fermentation. Good tannins, some gamey notes. Not sweet as I have come to expect with Aussie wines. Warm integrated oak. Long finish that really excels in the mid palate- somewhere that many, many wines go flat or hollow. Very creamy and enjoyable. Food friendly matched well with Korean marinated steaks, balanced.
Overall- didn't love it as much as the Wolftrap, I went bananas over that btw. But I liked it a lot more than most aussie sugar bombs. It was just austere enough for me. I have been picking up nice Australians for a while now, it is beginning to give me some confidence in the area again.

Price: $13.29
Value: 5/5
Score: 90
Region: South Australia
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 9300694347445

Caymus Conundrum

2009-08-21T01:00:00.000-03:00

Welcome to Joel, a new contributor! He sent me this review with the comment that “I tune in from time to time and see what people are sipping on so I thought I would take a second and through my hat into the ring with this review.” And a good hat it is, too.

--- Joel's Review ---

As with everyone else these days it seems that whites are the order of the day. Here are my thoughts on the Conundrum.

Produced by Caymus this is one of those "everything but the kitchen sink wines" made up of a number of unnamed grapes.

Day bright moderate gold straw color with watery rim.
Intense nose of stone fruit and perfume and fresh citrus, orange blossom.
Medium plus to full body wine. Fruit forward with moderate plus acidity and moderate plus length on the finish.

Very aromatic white with what I would guess to have a good bit of Viognier and Chardonnay. I'm having a hard time to figure if there is oak or just a lot of texture from malo fermentation.

All in all a good white with lots of guts...a nice alternative to a full Chardonnay. Was great with some simple sea food and citrus flavors.

A bit on the $$ side. Also for me I tend to go towards more lean and crisp styles of white.

Price $35
Value 3/5
Score 87
Region: California
Grape: Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat, Viognier (other unspecified)
UPC: 017224707134

Castello Banfi Sant'Antimo Cum Laude 2004

2009-08-19T01:00:00.001-03:00

We had this wine blind at a friend’s house last week. This is a change for me as I usually pick the wine from the cellar, so I rarely get to taste blind (while Kelly often does - which is why she is so much better than I am at identifying the wine.)

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah. The style was the nice balance between old world and new that the Italians do so well - I guessed it as either Australian or Italian. I also guessed it was a Cab, while Kelly picked it as having Sangiovese.

After that build up, I have to say that unfortunately, I can’t really give this wine a proper review. It tasted distinctly, though not overwhelmingly, of the astringent taste that sometimes mars a Cab for me. I’m particularly sensitive to this taste. I remember having a Cab one night with about eight other people. Two of us found this taste made the Cab undrinkable, one person could taste it, but it didn’t bother her much, and the other five were completely oblivious to it. Bottom line - I didn’t enjoy this wine much, but I don’t want to blame the wine.

Kelly’s notes are brief as this was a dinner party: “Berries, plums, cedar, wool. A bit hot on the nose. Nice on the palate, finishing with firm tannins.” She rated it 91.

Has anyone else noticed this issue with Cabs? Because of this issue, I’m not going to give it my own score or value rating - I'll just give Kelly's.

Price: $45.99
Score: 91
Value: 3/5
Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah
UPC: 8015674440764

Masi Modello delle Venezie Rosato (Rosé) 2006

2009-08-18T21:29:00.005-03:00

This review should be labelled "taking one for the team." I was at ANBL looking for the Dr. Loosen that Iron Chef and Michelle liked. Then I saw this wine and mused about how rosés is underappreciated and a great summer wine etc., so I decided to buy this instead. In a rosé I hope for the fruit of a red and the crispness of a white. Instead I got not much nose and a sour medicinal taste. I was going to blast the wine, but then when I went to write up this note I realized that this was a 2006 - very old for an inexpensive rosé. I think these wines are usually meant to drink immediately on release. I suspect this wine isn't that bad, it's just over the hill. This is two years older than the current vintage at SAQ. ANBL really should have put it on sale at the end of the first year rather than holding over the excess stock. I'll score it without taking that into account - this blog is about wine that we can get here at ANBL, and over the hill is how we're getting it. But keep in mind that the score isn't necessarily a reflection of the inherent quality of the wine.

Price: $14.79
Score: 78
Value: 1/5
Region: Italy
Grape: Refosco and others
UPC: 8002062001706

Dr Loosen Riesling 2008

2009-08-17T18:25:00.001-03:00

I think I'll stick with white wines so long as this heat wave keeps up (and as long as I keep getting reviews), so here's another summer wine review from Iron Chef.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Petrol, Tropical fruit - kiwi maybe. Good nose, pleasant aromas.
Taste: Nicely textured, off-dry. Good crispness. More tropical fruit, mango and kiwi. Lots of flavours. Enjoyable wine. Would be nice with Curries, Thai or Indian.

Price: $17.79
Value: 3/5
Score: 87
Region: Germany, Mosel
Alcohol: 8.5%
UPC: 183103000013

Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay 2007

2009-08-15T01:00:00.000-03:00

After I got this review from Iron Chef, I ran out to get a bottle of this. But I won't tell you what I thought of it right now - I'll post a comment instead.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

This wine always gets great scores from the Wine press, The Wine Advocate - 91 pts, Wine Spectator 91 pts and such, and I usually try the new vintage as it arrives. Tasted with Lobster Risotto, on NB date eve.
Appearance: Straw yellow with streaks of green.
Nose: Freshly churned butter, Pineapple, Pear and peaches. Some other tropical fruits - papaya maybe? Floral notes also. Some oak and pepper integrated into the various fruit aromas. Deep/ Rich nose with a pile of stuff going on. Just Great.
Taste: Butterscotch and Vanilla, and Tropical Fruits- papaya again and Pear. There was nuttiness also that I didn't smell until I tasted the wine. Honey and pepper mixed in late in the palate to make a great and long finish. Highly textured and beautiful wine.
Overall- This was always a great wine, but in the past the oak notes were first on the palate and now they are last and mixed more with honey. This wine has really advanced over the years, more refined, especially when it comes to integrating the oak into the background of the wine. The one of the best Chardonnays, for that matter, one of the best white wines I have had.

Price: $23.99
Value: 7/5
Score: 94
Region: Chile
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 7804320411149

Pelee Island Winery Gewürztraminer 2008

2009-08-14T01:00:00.001-03:00

I’d promised a review of the Bandi Cum Laude for today, but we had a summer white last night and since we’re finally getting some summer, I thought it made more sense to post about that.

I love an off-dry or sweet Gewürz in the Alsatian or German style, with that distinctive lychee nose. I was hoping for a cheaper home-grown version, but this Pelee Island Wine didn’t quite deliver. The bottle claims an aroma of mangoes and peaches, but I didn’t get htat, and I certainly didn’t get the lychee I was hoping for. A bit of petrol - reminded me of a Riesling rather than Gewürz - and a slightly sour finish. About what you’d expect for the price. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced Gewürz, I’d say the Ribeauville Andante is easily worth the extra $5.

Price: $13.49
Value: 3/5
Score: 83
Alcohol: 12.5%
Region: Canada, Ontario
UPC: 777081714842

Aresti Reserve Pinot Noir 2006

2009-08-12T08:15:00.002-03:00

Somehow it's no surprise that Iron Chef is first off the mark with a review to kick off the the new (post-vacation) season. Last night Kelly and I had the Banfi Cum Laude 2004, which we will review on Friday. The hot weather forecast for this week is great white wine weather, so I'll be waiting for more reviews. Remember, post your review in the "Make a Suggestion" thread, or e-mail them to me at nbwines / at / gmail / dot / com.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose: Herbal, warm oak, some hot flashes and extracted cherries.
Taste: Menthol like Cough syrup and Tooth picks. Way over the top oak with a resiny finish. Red Apple acidity.
Overall- did not enjoy this, tasted a lot like those mint flavoured toothpicks. Seemed to suffer from the same problem that the new Nottage Hill Pinot from Hardys, over oaked to hide inferior fruit. But again what do you expect for under $15 for a Pinot.

Price: $13.99
Value: 1/5
Score: 72
Chile: Curico Valley
Alcohol: 14%
UPC: 677855001218

Vacation

2009-08-03T01:00:00.001-03:00

We're back from vacation. Reviews will start again soon - as soon as we drink some wine, or someone out there sends me a review. Don't be shy.

Fontodi Syrah Case Via 2003

2009-08-02T01:00:00.000-03:00

This review is short but sweet.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Tated with Cmacdonald July 25, 2009.
Appearance: clear and clean, mod-strong purple.
Aroma: game-y, spicy, coconut, dark chocolate. Pleasant, intense and complex. Raw steak. Reminded me of aussie shiraz. Wow.
Taste: lots of acidity, chocolate, coconut, dark cherries, rich. Long finish-- Great Wine.

Price: $38.00 (sale price) - no longer available
Value: 5/5
Score: 95
Alcohol: 14%
Region: Tuscany, Italy
Tasted: July 2009

Acadie Prestige Chardonnay

2009-07-31T01:00:00.000-03:00

If we post reviews of white wine, do you think that will make the sun appear?

--- Michelle's Review ---

Now is the time for white! Typically this summer I have been surrounding myself with Pinot Grigios and Sauvignon Blancs. But rejoice! I have expanded my horizons and hopped on another white bandwagon. Can you believe, a chardonnay! It seems people where chardonnayed out from the boom a few years ago. Where if it wasn't a California chardonnay it wasn't worth your time …kinda like the Aussie Shiraz ship. Its sailed! SO..I am so pleased to say that I found a grand Chardonnay. I had this one at a dinner party last week. We had a few snacks but nothing to over power what we were there to do, drink wine. This one was so pleasantly chilled. Of course it helps when your wine fridge literally tells you the optimum temperature for your vino. Love it. So this was a beautiful golden hue. Smelled of oak, some hay, and I got a whiff of mature peaches. Strange. The taste was crisp without a lot of dryness I sometimes associate with chardonnays. This one my friends is dangerously drinkable.

Price; $20.79
Value: 4/5
Rating: 88
Producer: Cave Cooperative du Haut Poitou
UPC: 3359770000565

Oyster Bay Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007

2009-07-29T01:00:00.000-03:00

We liked the Oyster Bay Chardonnay, but it seems the Pinot doesn't quite match it. Anyone had the Sauv Blanc?

--- Iron Chef's Review---

Region: New Zealand, Marlborough
Nose: Strawberries and Raspberries- fresh fruit smell. Some herbal notes mixed with vanilla. Whiff of dry stones. Very fragrant.
Taste: More Raspberries or cranberry than strawberries with some pepper. Nice crisp grape-skin tartness. Tastes of pitted fruits. Some oak on the finish but very light. Elegant and supple.
Overall a very solid wine that is more refined and elegant than bombastic and loud. Enjoyed it but thought the price was pushing the boundaries. Also LCBO at 26% cheaper.

Price: $26.99
Value: 2.5/5
Score: 89
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 9415549809679

Vacation

2009-07-28T21:45:00.000-03:00

Kelly and I are going on vacation today. I have a few posts scheduled and you can continue to make comments on the existing posts, but new comments won't be reflected in the "Recent Comments" column until we get back on August 11.

Perrin Vacqueyras Les Christins 2005

2009-07-27T01:00:00.004-03:00

It turns out that we've reivewed this wine before - in fact, the second wine ever reviewed on this blog. Interesting to compare review - and the comments.

--- Iron Chef's review ---

Always been a personal favourite. One of those go to wines that never fail.
Nose- Cherries, Nutmeg and oak. Some meaty aromas and dries berries like Elderberries. Deep and roundly scented.
Taste- Grenadine, white pepper and a mocha latte with extra whipped cream. Some of the minced meat pie and fig flavours that I remember, but less. A bunch more fruit, highly extracted and … sweet. Thought of that drink, Shirley Temple. It was good, but not what I remember the 2004s as.
Overall- maybe it was the vintage or my mood, but I wasn't feelin it. I will continue to buy this wine, but I hope for better results in the future. BTW $19.95 at LCBO, 26% markup.

Price: $26.99
Score 86 (WS 91)
Value 3/5
Alcohol: 13.5%
Region: France- Southern Rhone
Grape: Grenache and Syrah
UPC: 631470000247

Domaine de Bila-Haut, Occulatum Lipidem 2005

2009-07-25T01:00:00.002-03:00

Welcome to Peter, a new reviewer. After finding the site and contributing some comments, he's decided to take the plunge and contribute a review - you can too!

--- Peter's Review ---

Nose: Very rich and complex nose of earth, barnyard funk, red fruit compote, and baking spices.
Taste: Medium bodied, pleasant acidity, nice back bone of red fruit (I could not pick out which specific fruits), nice long finish. Well balanced wine. This wine pairs well with a variety of food, though it certainly can be lovely on it's own.

Some further notes: I have to admit a strong bias toward the wines of southern France. I crave the baking spices, garrigue, and balance they so often bring to the table. This one fit the bill. It may not for everyone, so be warned, if you want gobs of fruit or the creaminess of well-oaked wine, this one may not be for you. Wine Access magazine scored it 90 points. Gary Vaynerchuck of Wine Library TV scored it 88 points. I found it not dissimilar to Chateau Haut Bel Air from the same region, but a notch better. This one is far superior to the regular Domaine de Bila Haut red. I will be buying more. Would love to hear some opinions on this.

Price: $27.99
Score: 89-90points
Value: Fair price 4/5.
Producer: M. Chapoutier
Varietals: Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault
Region: Languedoc-Roussillion, France
UPC: 3391181390736

2004 Montalto Nero d'Avola/Cabernet Sauv.

2009-07-23T01:00:00.000-03:00

Here's one for Peter, who seems to like the negative reviews.

--- Michelle's Review ---

Have you ever tried a wine that you really hoped would be a good review? I really wanted to like this wine. It had all the right "ingredients" for a good review. But I came away with mixed emotions. I think it’s the style of wine. I truly believe I do not like the "hot afterglow" on my palette or the alcohol. Something tells me that this is typical of warmer climate wines. The wine and the grape are from Sicily. It’s a blend of Nero d'Avoloa (80%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%). At one time they used the Nero d'Avoloa grape to bump up some for their weaker reds. Some say it compares to a Shiraz. It does have the peppery, black currant flavor but I cannot get past the alcohol. I tried this wine on more than one occasion and now believe that I really don't like it. Its in the value price range and I had hoped I could add this one to the Value List. Perhaps this wine really does need food to mellow it out or bring out some other nuances. Occasionally you do come across one that does. I could picture it with pasta and a bold red sauce or perhaps a nicely grilled steak. Don't take my word for it. Some people like that afterglow. I didn't like the Stump Jump for that reason but others do.

Price: $11.79
Value: 3/5
Rating: 75
Grape: Nero d'Avola/Cabernet Sauv
Region: Italy (Sicily)
UPC: 8030423000754

Las Moras Pinot Grigio 2008

2009-07-21T07:00:00.002-03:00

To celebrate the two days of sun we just had, here is a review of a summer white, in the ever-popular "value" category.

--- CMacdonald's Review ---

Appearance: Medium intensity pale straw yellow with green tint.

Aroma: Pleasant. Med. Intensity dominated by non-citrus fruit. (I said peaches, my wife said pears). Overall a lot more aroma than the typical pinot grigio.

Taste: Lots of flavor for a pinot grigio. Medium bodied with moderate acidity (it held up well with soft goat cheese). Dry, short-med fruity finish. Tasty, crisp without being lean.

Price: $9.99
Value: 5/5
Score: 87
Alcohol: 12.5%
Region San Juan, Argentina
Tasted: May, June & July 2009
ANBL UPC: 7791540091193

A-mano Primitivo 2007

2009-07-17T07:20:00.003-03:00

While this wine doesn't sound so good, the burnt rubber taste sounds interesting. Google revealed that there has been a recent major controversy about a burnt rubber taste in South African wines. In the end (spoiler alert) it seems the taste isn't confined to South Africa - it is probably a sulfur compound formed as a result of poor winemaking.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

I had this wine many moons ago from the SAQ and really liked it, I was happy to see it at ANBL under a new screw cap.
Nose: Leafy notes- like tobacco. Hot berries in syrup, blueberries I think. Some resiny wood also.
Taste: Blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. Gravely tannins. Some stemmy notes. And something that I didn't care for, it took me an hour to figure it out- Rubber bands or burnt rubber. I dislike that taste in wines. Not sure of the cause, but I will avoid it.
Overall, it was a disappointment; I would not buy this again. Rubber bands are not something I look for in a wine.

Price: $17.99
Score: 70
Value: 1/5
Region: Southern Italy- Puglia
Alochol: 13.5%
UPC: 726452003771

Château Reynella Cabernet-Merlot Basket Pressed 1997

2009-07-14T01:00:00.000-03:00

It's always interesting to get reviews of wines that have been cellared for a while, even if they're not available any more, as it gives us an idea of whether the current vintage will do well.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

The last of the Reynellas I own. Sorry to see them go. The best of the Shiraz, Cab and the Cab/Merlot was the Cab/Merlot.
Nose- Some barnyard notes or brett (Brettanomyces- a fungus, old barrels are frequently touted as the main culprits). Rich cherry and plum favours. Mint and dried spices like cloves. Lots of stuff going on in the nose.
Taste- Stewed Cherries and plums, Chocolate and Coffee. Cedar and sandalwood. Very smooth tannins. Rich, velvety texture. Seemed fresh and vivid. No trace of age or dullness. Finish that lasted for a long time.
Overall- had this with a couple of good friends, but probably had it 3-5 yrs too early. Lots of life left in this one. This had all the elements, smell, taste, complexity, length, everything. It tasted a lot like a Super Super Tuscan. Spoke with a representative of the NFLD Liquor and they still have a couple of this vintage amazingly.

Price: about $40
Value 5/5
Score 94
Grape- Cab/ Merlot Blend
Region- Australia- McLaren Vale
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: Not available in NB; purchased from NS Port of Wines

Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2003

2009-07-12T09:23:00.002-03:00

Come on everyone, don't make Iron Chef do all the work. I know you're out there drinking wine - so send in a review. Either e-mail it to me directly at NBwines /at/ gmail /dot/ com or just post it on the "Make a Suggestion" thread and I'll repost it separately. It doesn't have to be long and no fancy wine words are required - the idea is just to get the conversation going.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Nose- Dried Flowers, Older cedar, some hot alcohol notes. Extracted Cherries.
Taste- Red, Ripe Cherries mixed with raspberries. Chalky tannins and Dill pickle chips. Much longer finish that I would have guessed for the price.
Overall- this was a dead ringer for a Spanish wine. It showed a bunch of nice favours and more depth of taste than expected. The Dill on the palate was interesting. I liked this wine.

Price: $15.79
Value 4/5
Score 88
Region: Spain- La Mancha
Grape: Tempranillo
Alcohol: 13.5%
UPC: 8436013812644