Sterpato 2007

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

Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

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.

Sandhill Syrah 2007

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.

Stag's Hollow Renaissance Meritage 2005

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

Thirty Bench Red 2007

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

Wolf Blass Premium Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

Did you get turned on to wine with Australian Shiraz? What are your your views now? I'll be interested in the comments on this post.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Confession time, I don't even go down the Australian aisle at ANBL any more. I find the whole area over done and boring. Every now and then I am surprised, the d'Arenberg's often surprise and now I see the Reynella is back, but for the most of that country…boring.
My best friend often says that I should lay down one of the WB Prem Selection Cabs each yr. I have ignored those recommendations …. Unfortunately.

Nose: new American oak, Mocha, mocha, Mocha. Cola favours and hot cherries. Deep aromas.
Taste: Highly extracted, Latte. Lots of cherries mixed with cedar wood. Great favours. Smooth and integrated tannins.
Overall: This still tasted young, no age at all, could easily sit for another 5 yrs or more. I will be buying one of these every year.

Price: $29.99
Value 4/5
Score 92
Alcohol 13.5%
Region: South Australia
UPC: 087000308503

2006 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot

I suppose it is true that we rarely review Merlot - clicking on "Merlot" under "Reds by Grape" only brings up one varietal Merlot. I think the varietal craze is overdone - some wines are best as varietals, but others are usually better in a blend; Merlot is great blended with Cab, but I have to admit that I haven't found too many varietal Merlots that I've enjoyed. In any event, here is a review of an (almost) varietal Merlot from Vasco da Gama. I'll certainly be giving this one a try.

--- Vasco's Review ---

Here is what is apparently a rare Merlot review for this Blog; the 2006 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot. I bought a couple of bottles of this wine in Halifax this past winter, and this is one of them. (These have since shown up on the shelves of NBLC).

"I looked upon the cherry tree and there did I see,
A plum growing on a cherry branch, but how could that be?
The scent of plum and cherry, and a bit of anise too.
It lured me into it's embrace, as I smelled, swished, and chewed".

This wine is another great Chilean value at $23.99...so much character, it inspires me to write. This needs a few minutes to open up, but not that long really. My first smell had a typical Chilean layer of soil and very obvious plum. As the wine aerated a bit the cherry came through and a bit of anise, but the tannins seemed to takeover the show a little too quickly. As the glass disappeared, so did the overt tannins, being replace by more licorice and dark chocolate with smoother tannins. A nice finish and a warm feeling makes me wonder why I haven't been drinking more Merlot.

This is a wine that could probably cellar for a while and get even better, but it is also fine just the way it is.

Marques de Casa Concha Syrah, CabSauv, and Merlot have all been winners. Hard to go wrong with these wines.

Price: $23.99
Value: 4/5
Rating: 90
Grape: Merlot (with a touch of Carmenere)
UPC: 7804320253480

Marques Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

I like to try a variety of different styles of wine, but a solid cab or shiraz with a few years on it is still a classic favourite. When you can find one of those in the low $20s, that's gold. I'm thinking of wines like the Gallo Cab or Wynns Shiraz. From this review, it sounds like this wine might be another one in that category.

--- A Review from Peanutman ---

The sommelier in the Moncton Vaughn Harvey Blvd store recommended this one to me. Great recommendation. I did a search on the internet to see what people were saying about this wine and most of the reviews are very similar. Bouquet: blackberry, chocolate (I got those two), black tar and smoke (missed those). My first impression of this wine was that it was very smooth, silky and with an good flavour. I noticed a little vanilla with some nice tannins that aren't too aggressive. While the internet search revealed most of this as well, the bottle mentions coffee which I couldn't taste (probably because I drink too much coffee as is). Wine Spectator rates this wine as a 90 and it is hard to argue the contrary. I thought this was different that the Carmen as I didn't find it as aggressive and I thought it was more "polished" than the Carmen. I gave the Carmen an 88 score and a 4.5 for value, therefore I'll go with WS and give it a 90 and a value score of 4.6.

Price: $23.99
Score: 90
Value: 4.6/5
Region: Chile
Grape: Cabernet Sauvingon
UPC: 7804320333175

Masi Campofiorin Ripasso 2005

This review from Peanutman got lost for a week or so in my gmail spam box, so I'm bumping it up the queue.

--- Peanutman's Review ---

Italy, what can we say, what about corvina, rondinella and molinara; the grapes that form this wine. Never heard of them, neither had I even after spending 3 weeks in Italy last summer.

Smell and taste, I thought it was most likely cherries (maybe even a little earthy). As the liquid in the bottle flows toward the bottom, you smell and taste cocoa. It is kind of funny, but the smell and taste were very similar. Maybe one of my peanut senses isn't working tonight. The wine has a beautiful color, not totally dark but enough to make you believe that it could be a ''big wine'' (until you put it up against a white background and you notice that it is not as dark as you might think). Does that 'big feeling' ever change when you smell it and even more when you taste it. It just flows very easily and appreciatively down the hatch. I have tasted this wine on different occasions during the years and for some reason I thought this one had a little bit of a lighter sense to it and not a very big finish. I had a 2004 recently at a friends and it had a little more ooomph!, but this one is still good.

My wife and I both like big, bold oaky wines, but we both also really liked this one after a long day at work.

In any event, my score would be an 86. Value, it depends how you're feeling, tonight it was a 4.

Price: $21.99
Score: 86
Value: 4 / 5
Region: Italy, Rosso del Veronese IGT
Grape: 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara (in 2006)
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 8002062000068

Santa Rita Floresta Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Aaron at the Prospect St ANBL recommended this wine to us. He's one of the product advisors there, which I gather is a relatively new phenomenon at ANBL. He seemed very knowledgeable, and this wine is a winner.

The nose is mostly floral notes, kiwi fruit and maybe melon, minerals, and spices. It is crisp and clean on the palate, with great acidity and length. I find that there's a bit of a hard edge throughout, but then I get that with almost all whites, so I can't complain about it. It reminds us of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in style. Our usual "standby" whites are the Kim Crawford and its ilk, and the Floresta is worth the extra $5. We rated both 88, but like this one better.

Price: $26.29
Score: 88
Value: 3/5
Region: Chile
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Tasted: March 2009
UPC: 086785470344

De Bortoli Deen Vat 4 Petit Verdot 2006

I was quite interested when Iron Chef sent me this review, as I've had my eye on this wine for a while, but just haven't gotten around to trying it.

--- Iron Chef's Review ---

Colour- Redish Purple, Great Colour.

Nose- Plummy, Vanilla oak, Lavender ??, Dusty Gravel notes. Smells great.

Taste- less than ripe cherries, Aussie Mist Shampoo (coconut) & bananas, a bit candied but not overblown. Surprisingly acidic, fine tannins- some apple crispness- a real backbone to the wine. Smooth Fruit forward wine.

Typical Aussie but something different, not austere, not completely candied overall complex. Of all the PVerdots I have had, it has always the acidity or crispness of the palate and the structure of the wine that sets it apart from the normal. As a primarily blending grape to add structure to a Bordeaux or meritage blend, I am always happy to try it by itself.

Price: $20.49
Score: 88
Value: 3.9/5
Region: Australia- Riverina
Alcohol 14.5%
Grape: Petit Verdot
Tasted: March 2009
UPC #679940000533

St Hallett Faith Shiraz 2004

Here's a review from Luke (PS - Luke, about the delay in putting it up as a separate post):

In preparation for my wine test in January, I decided to buy 20-some bottles of wine, mostly single varital, and put them in a box. For the past 3 days, I have been tasting one or two blind, making notes, and studying the region while having a glass. (And taking the leftovers to work and testing other people in my course...) I put some wines I had in the mystery box, bringing the total to about 30.

So far so good. I do have a "university exam" coming up on Tuesday, but studying wine is so much more enjoyable. I think it may be the wine...

Today I had Jaclyn pour me a random bottle at 12:30. I may have been because it was so early in the day, but my senses were either working very well or this was a great wine.

Before I even tasted, I wanted to say Australian Shiraz. The deep garnet core and the way it stuck to the glass looked familiar. The nose was very pronounced - dark fruit - cerries, plum, and white pepper. Not too heavily oaked. Very nice.

On the palate, medium body, soft tannin, and a very long finish. Lots of fruit and spice. I was very impressed by this wine. Greath depth and length. My conclusion was South Australian Shiraz, 2004.

Price $27.99
Value: 4.5/5
Score: 91
Region: Australia, Barossa
Grape: Shiraz
UPC #9316920000084

BTW - this week's tastings gave me the idea to see if there is are any valuable learning tools on youtube. So far there isn't, except for this guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLdfeeXpJYc&feature=related

He says he has allergies, I say he has a coke problem.

Ferraton Père & Fils Crozes-Hermitage La Matinière 2006

Crozes-Hermitage is an appellation in the northern Rhone. It produces red wines of mostly Syrah, and up to 15% Roussanne and Marsanne, and whites of Roussanne and Marsanne.

We tasted La Matiniere at the Expo and loved it. So we picked up a bottle and drank it at home recently. I think it offers a bit of something for every taste: prominent fruit, as well as noticeable structure and tannins. The nose is mostly plump, soft fruit - plums and berries - with spruce and herbal and floral notes. All of that follows through on the palate, which is also very soft until it finishes with firm tannins. Good length. This wine is not overly complex, but it is very nice and excellent value for the money. It also kept very well in the half-bottle. After a day it had softened a bit, but didn`t seem to have lost much complexity or fruit.

I see from the ANBL product database that there are only about 80 bottles left in the province and hope that we have already picked a few up.

Price: $26.48

Value: 4/5
Score: 91
Region: France, Northern Rhone
Grape: Shiraz / Syrah
Tasted: Dec 2008
UPC: 3380651030630

Montecillo Reserva 2002

Here's a review from Luke. Incidentally, when he first posted this in the "Make a Suggestion" thread, there was none available in F'ton. They've now brought some in, along with the Torres Celeste that Luke also mentioned in that post.

Here's Luke's review of the Montecillo:

"The Celeste has left me in the mood for Spain since I had it, so I opened a 2002 Montecillo Reserva (Rioja) today. I got something different on the nose every time I went back. Cherries, earth, cedar, lavender, spice, and maybe even tea and chocolate. The fruit and vanilla were most obvious on the palate, which had a medium to long finish with a nice hint of chocolate. A very complex wine.

The deep garnet colour has hints of brown that are starting to show quite well. There is still good acidity and tannin, I look forward to trying this in another year or two. Very enjoyable now, however."

Price: $24.29
Score: 87
Value: 4/5
Region: Spain, Rioja
Grape: Tempranillo
Tasted: 30 Nov 08
UPC: 022851208015

Rymill Coonawarra Shiraz 2004

Here is a review from Chris MacDonald, ANBL's wine buyer:

"The appearance of this wine was definitely not bright or intense..it was closer to mildly dull and weakly hazy. The aroma was medium in intensity but there was a lot in there...a mix of primary fruit aromas, oak influence, fragrant spice(take your pick!) and some more mature notes on the leather and tobacco side....definitely complex.

The taste revealed its cooler climate roots..good acidity paired with medium soft tannins and the flavour was more on the spicy side than fruity. The finish was long and satisfying."

Price: $25.99
Value: 4/5
Score: 91
Region: Coonawarra, Australia
Tasted: Nov 2008
UPC:9315128981034

Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina 2005

I don't usually drink a lot of Chianti - I've generally found it to be too sharply acidic to be enjoyable. So I was curious to try Iron Chef's suggestion . I'm glad I did. This is an elegant wine - and by that I don't mean it's tasteless. It is true that it is a bit reserved, though it opened up over a couple of hours. But I call it elegant because it has very clean fruit on an open mineral structure, with a bit of licorice(?) on the finish to add interest. Kelly got blackberries and spruce on the nose (though she's finding evergreens in everything these days) and coffee on the palate. Excellent balance - the acidity made it crisp rather than sharp. (But I can't say that I got much on the earthy / mushroom end of the spectrum.)

This is probably a wine for those who like an old world style. Note that ANBL online lists the vintage as 2003, but it's the 2005 that is currently in the stores.

Day 2 update: This wine has changed a bit in the half bottle, but I think it's gotten even better. That a bonus in itself - a wine that gives two days of pleasure is better than one that tails off on the second day. And I'm getting some really great flavours on the palate and finish. Kelly says the nose has got black cherry ice cream and is "really freaky." I'm not sure if she means freaky in a good way, but I like it. I'd originally given this a score of 89 and 4/5 for value, but on the basis of today's experience, I'm bumping it up to 91. Maybe even 92. It is awesome value at the price. I always worry about grade inflation, but I think I've got to give it a 5/5. I should say that I've had a very long day, so maybe I'm just in the right mood, but right now I'm loving this wine.

Price: $26.79
Value: 5/5
Score: 92
Alcohol: 13%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 8007425000181

E&J Gallo Stefani Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2000

What's worthwhile at the current ANBL Liquidation sale? While they don't have the 2000 rated, WineSpectator rated the Gallo Stefani Vineyards Cab consistently at about 88 from '94 through '98. At $25 even a 88 is reasonable value and occasionally (as with the Bocca di Lupa) an 88 turns out to be spectacular. So I so I thought I'd give it a try.

I thought this was a solid mature cab with soft tannins and reasonable fruit, though without a lot of complexity or striking character. WineSpectator gave other vintages about a 10 year drinking window, but I don't think I'd hold on to this much longer; it's definitely not over the hill yet, but the fruit is muted and it hasn't picked up a lot of complexity.

Kelly liked this quite a lot better than I did: "Cedar, raspberries, cherries, leather, tar, roses, and veggie lasagna follow through on palate, with addition of licorice. Lots up front on palate, and long. Very firm tannins throughout." (Veggie lasagna is her giveaway for cab). We tasted this with the Nipozzano (Friday's review) and she thought the Stefani had more complexity, while I felt the other way.

Bottom line, if you like cab, this is a wine worth picking up from the liquidation table.

Price: $24.99
Value: 3/5(N) - 4/5(K)
Score: 88 (N) - 89 (K)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 085000208076

Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Syrah 2005

After my scary encounter with the poo wine, I decided that I didn't feel like picking a wine at random from the ANBL shelves for at least a couple of days, so this time I went with a recommendation. And we have a winner! This Shiraz reminds me of my favourite classic Australian Shiraz (see yesteday's post), though it's maybe not quite as fruit forward. Tastes like a bit more of a cool climate Shiraz, though I'm not sure the Rapel Valley, where it's sourced, really counts as cool climate. Not super complex and maybe just bit on the sweet/lush side for my taste but yummy. Great value too - the Aussie wines in this style are creeping up over $30. I think I'll have to get a bottle Wynn's 2005 Shiraz soon and see how it stacks up for value. In the meantime, I'm very happy with this.

Here's Kelly's note: "Evergreen, blackberry, chocolate, coffee, and maybe violets on nose, which is very nice, if a bit restrained. Same flavours follow through on palate, with lovely blackberry dominating. Well balanced, moderately long. The nose seemed to open up after an hour or so."

BTW, Wine Spectator gave it a 90 and Stephen Tanzer gave it 88, so it looks like Kelly and I split the difference (but we rated it ourselves before we looked at the pros, honest).

Price: $24.29
Value: 4/5
Score: 89(K)/88(N)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Tasted: Sept 2008
ANBL UPC: 7804320117294

Perrin & Fils Les Christins 2005

No, I don't love every wine I drink. But since I'm starting this blog, I thought I might as well start with some wines I do like. Vacqueyras is a southern Rhone appellation, just to the north-east of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and this wine is a 75/25 blend of Grenache/Shiraz, two of the classic grapes of the region. It has good fruit (though not an Aussie fruit bomb), good complexity and excellent balance in the mid-note range. An old world wine with some new world character, I'd say. Kelly had this to say: "Reserved red fruit - raspberries, cranberries - evergreen and lavender on nose and palate. Long, ending with firm tannins." WineSpectator gave it a 91, and I'll go with that. Drinking well now.

Price: $25.29
Score: 91 [PS - but see comments. 89 is probably more accurate]
Value: 4/5
Tasted: January 2008
ANBL UPC: 631470000247