Cavit Pinot Grigio 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.