Tag Archives: Red Wine

Eight Under $28 From The April 28th VINTAGES Release

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2012

VINTAGES

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/24/eight-under-28-from-the-april-28th-vintages-release/

 

Vinea Garganega 2010 (230656, $13.95) sugars great Veronese IVR* promise out of the Veneto. Hyperglycemic green-eyed lady bass line and Hammond organ finger roll plum and honey-dew in a state of barm loaf. Glycerin of Amaretto and snappy Salak. Sour apple martini with candy swizzle stick, “soothing every wave that comes.”  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canonica a Cerreto Chianti Classico Reserva 2007 (275867, $17.00) was surely not decanted from a straw flask into this sleek and marketable bottle. A precocious and gregarious ruffle of polish and cask modernity speak of the Cerreto’s new worldliness. Splashes of Cabernet and Merlot lean IGT and yet just enough Chianti brightness remains to keep it honest.  Scales (“never heard of him“) on the label are indicative of this balanced effort. Easy money.  88

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hogue Genesis Syrah 2009 (687822, $19.95) is a steadfast and decent wine so my exegesis begins at its central core. Black colour of a world still unformed. Heady like a stand of old growth forest; black oak, ash and walnut. B’reishit Washington Syrah where the bifurcation of quality and cost collide. Big wall of Syrah sound, perfect for headphones playing “no need to hide. Keep it dark.”  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vincent Girardin Vieilles Vignes Mâcon–Fuissé 2009 (264515, $19.95) the vibrant fresh maker, with crisp, apple taut fragrance and void of oak annoyance. Just a touch of baby fat and some mineral too. Well-balanced for under $20. Girardin’s (940825, $39) Santenay on this release is not to be missed.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arnoux & Fils Vacqueyras 2009 (264663, $19.95) is as modern as it gets for the appellation, right down to “The Vac” label. Sweet Kirsch, lifted raspberry jam, soft, fleshy and forward. Has just enough funk to keep it real. Will have broad appeal and represents excellent Dogg value, if you like the plush style. Betcha Snoop drinks it.   89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leasingham Winemakers Selection Bin 61 Shiraz 2008 (448241, $24.95) the Kitty of Clare Valley is back in town. A loyal and trusted friend, reminiscent of the ’99. Burns no rubber and “goes runnin’ nightly, lightly through the jungle.” Less power, more strength. Less jam, more brakes. This Highway 61 should not be accused of having put its “bleachers out in the sun.”  90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saltram of Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (48579, $24.95) may inexplicably enjoy cult status but for the money no other Barossa Cabernet can demand such respect. I would pay $25 for this over almost any $50+ peer within the appellation. Opulent, ruddy, bursting, pickled berries.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isole E Olena Chainti Classico 2008 (704346, $26.95) the beguiler welcomes with cinnamon, cherry spice and award winning roses. Poised, confident, simply phenomenal CC issue. Delicious now and will be perfect in five.  Better than when tasted in November 2011.  91

TN from Nov. 29, 2011,“…a mouthful of black fruit, bourbon cask aromas, dark and stormy. The barque of a ship’s ocean misted, wooden planks and of a smoked beef rib. Hard lines but hard to resist. Bloody good CC but certainly not traditional.  89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Wines Tasted

Two Rivers of Marlborough Convergence Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (277707, $29.95) carries heavy alcohol bandwidth, tomato leaf pesto and band-aid across a frame of sweet lime concentrate. Hot for SB, over processed and heavy with silicone and collagen. Their will be superficial fans.  86

Chavet & Fils La Dame De Jacques Coeur Menetou-Salon Blanc 2010 (525048, $19.95) offers a rare VINTAGES sighting and would excite were it more Loire and less Marlborough. Salmagundi of pâté, gooseberry and kiwi, swathed by an alkaline grapefruit finish.  85

Torres Viña Esmerelda 2010 (113696, $13.95) zests halitious of ReaLemon and petroleum wax. Can’t help but hear the “smell of wine and cheap perfume” lyric played by a wedding band while the cast of Jersey Shore watch their drapery clad mothers put back the Esmeralda. Like Torrontoes with bad make-up. Won’t be tagging along on this Moscatel journey.  80

Colchester Ridge Crew Meritage 2007 (280990, $19.95) noses Ontario from the get go with burning campfire then wafts exotic towards Masala spice, brown derby dressing and horseradish root. Flavour of earth demi-glace, composted apple and black licorice.  84

Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (38075, $23.95) the “melody softly soaring through my atmosphere” is cute, sweet, lyrical and precocious. Gallo incarnate in the AlexanderValley. A death Cab for some but what’s not to like?  87

Stag’s Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (996405, $49.95) the model of consistency vintage to vintage and head to foot. Runs black cherry in its veins with nary a cut, scrape or bruise. Napa varietal profiling in its poised, beating heart.  89

Andrew Rich Cuvée B Pinot Noir 2008 (127043, $29.95) carries currant, candied pomegranate and the rocky crush of clove studded juniper berry. Well made, on the elegant side of Pinot life, even Burgundian if that can even be articulated.  88

Mendel Malbec 2009 (108225, $24.95) typifies Mendoza replete with old vines fruit adding canorous body. Infundibular midriff slows the smouldering, swelling berry pleasure. Crucial minerals carry red grape fluid away from the viscera and out of the body.  87

Susana Balbo Signature Malbec 2009 (79798, $21.95) at the outset teases TCA, then VA. Paulliac nez of tabac et peau d‘animaux. That and a whack of new French Oak where vanilla, chocolate and coffee lambaste and pummel the senses.  NR

Majella Shiraz 2008 (269308, $29.95) is a vitrified, mined vine of depth and power but short on finesse. Heavy extract with a touch of soap and mired in the details of oak. “The wheels are spinning but the car, neutral.”  86

Esprit de Pavie 2008 (244020, $32.95) shows good spirit as it amalgamates 2nd wine fruit from iconic Pavie, Monbousquet, Clos L’eglise and St. Columbe. Spiced coffee cake and soft yet pretty purple fruit. Obdurate push back indicates three years of cellaring will help. Would have been a CVR** steal at $20-25.  89

Brancaia Tre 2009 (164715, $22.95) the SGM speaks of identity theft and lack of spirit. Once upon a Tuscan, now a global commodity playing on MOR radio stations. This bottling recently rushed to great success but there is now “a question of your honesty, yeah your honesty.” Sure it’s delicious but what’s with “all this machinery making modern music?”  Pair not with pasta asciuta normale.  87

StefanoAccordini Acinatico Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2009 (85159, $19.95) is pitchy for a valpo with splendiferous up front fruit. Cimmerian red plum joined by buff vanillan cocoa and velveteen in the mouth. So far so good but ultimately flaccid and void of oomph.  86

Allende 2006 (954560, $24.95) in extant cantillates oak, oak, oak. What happened to my Rioja? Tempered Tempranillo so no fear that it may seize. Pendulous and potent, well-mannered, ready to please. Go Condado de Haza over this for sure.  87

Perrin Réserve Rosé 2011 (719062, $15.95) is warm and balanced, all strawberry, all the time. Nutty for its ilk.  86

 

 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR* – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

 

 

Good to go!

 

Bodegas Roda – Raven of Rioja

Mideastro Yorkville

Mideastro Yorkville

 April 17, 2012

Mideastro, 27 Yorkville Ave, 416.477.2427, Chef Benny Cohen

http://wp.me/p1N3EI-cvj

The Spanish Wine Society and Halpern Enterprises precipitated a four-course, eight-wine pairing by way of Chef Cohen and Bodegas Roda. Chef”s Italian/Israeli/Mediterranean inspired fusion holds food sacred to stimulate the brain. Plates as Modigliani canvas, sauces of the fruitful earth, proteins enriched deeply by herb and flora. Bodegas Roda matches the culinary caws with wines possessed of stunning clarity, consistency and the subtlest of variance from the lowly Sela through to Roda’s Unico challenger, the Cirison. For Agustín Santolaya, playing winemaker at Roda must be a dream, like Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe. Here his wines one through eight, including two from Ribera del Duero (Corimbo and Corimbo 1), all Malena Costa beauties of viscous, long-legged concentration. Barcelona FC’s Carles Puyol is likely drowning his sorrows in a Roda vertical after this past weekend’s crushing loss to Real Madrid and the fading memories of his one time, raven-haired, Mallorcan model girlfriend.

Loud shout out to Doble B, the Marxist (as in Brothers) Spanish Wine Society maestro Barry Brown for an afternoon tasting at the Yorkville eatery. Roda’s eight great were presented dissertation style by the Bodega’s Export Manager, Gonzalo Lainez. Later that evening by member’s invitation, in flights, as guest to my liege AZ for comida and comedia.

Bodegas Roda at Mideastro

Bodegas Roda at Mideastro

 

Confit Quail, watermelon, spinach, red onion, with a light touch of ruby grapefruit vinaigrette and wild oregano, dauro olive oil

  1. Sela 2009 ($34) the new kid on the Roda of Haro block combines Hibiscus spiced charcoal, tar and roses from 89% Tempranillo with sherry, scented, savoury caramel apples of 11% Graciano. Gracious me.  88
  2. Corimbo, La Horra 2010 ($41) of ever red catholic fruit and pine tar migrates to a spice of an exotic edge. Floral and radiant Riberan of indeterminate florescence. High tide of Caribbean funk and vanillin fudge.  100% Tempranillo.  89 

 

Roasted Veal Sirloin, three colour potato, vermouth porcini jus

  1. Roda Reserva 2006 ($56) aligns velveteen, well-rounded Garnacha with smokey Tempranillo and thoughtfully astringent Graciano. Adds up to a promising future because at present this may be the most backward wine of the lot.  Shut down line built for a long playoff run.  91
  2. Roda Reserva 2007 ($51) the pensieve of reductive tomato and juiced violets has the most tang for the buck. Flirts with the vermouth porcini jus at night and runs away with the veal.  90

 

Tempranillo Braised Lamb Cheek, pomegranate risotto, zucchini papardelle, aubocassa olive oil

  1. Roda 1 Reserva 2005 ($90) is a tale of two bottles. First one slightly oxidized, second absolutely stunning. Mr. Lainez’s commentary, “fruit must play a prominent role and the oak is supporting actor” is evidenced by this ’05. Acidity and freshness incarnate.  93
  2. Roda Reserva 1 2006 ($80) like its ’06 brethren exemplifies the anthropomorphic personification of the vines polymer. Sweeping tannins on the loose, hexagonal, hooked tongue and cheek. A local anaesthetic in the mouth, syrupy, needing carne.  92
  3. Cirison 2009 ($292) according to Gonzalo is “the best wine we have ever made.” Impeccable balance, perfect polymer, fruity, smooth. “The ultimate Tempranillo,” says Roda man. Whereas the rest of the portfolio are rotating single vineyard entities, the Cirison is made from the best bunches of grapes from Roda’s holdings. Expensive, refined, delicious.  94

Assortment of Artisan Spanish Cheeses, manchego, picón, mahon

  1. Corimbo 1 2009 ($80) is sweet thistle pie. A cracker jack Tempranillo and nothing but Tempranillo. Candy coated with red licorice and an inexplicable apple flower sensation as if molecular gastronomy of the Ferran Adrià or Heston Blumenthal kind. Exotic and spicy, seeing through me, it “knows my name but calls me ginger.”   95

 

 

Good to go!

Spring Scion Search Leads To Wild Leeks

Field of Dreams/Michael Godel

Field of Dreams/Michael Godel

 April 18, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/18/spring-scion-search-leads-to-wild-leeks/

 

The subdivisions and four-lane roads loom close by but down here on the forest floor you would never know it.  Protected land descendant and magical, handed down from generation to generation through noble and notable families. My search is for the scions of spring, young shoots rising up from the loam. The tender green army of accretion ramps through the humus. Hunching in the mulch, great care is taken to remove one Allium tricoccum here, one wild leek there. Feeling through the marl, separating bulb from root without disturbing the subterranean system. This is how I spend my morning.

Harvested Ramps

Harvested Ramps

In the afternoon claustrophobia while tasting through 30 producer’s wines at Austria Uncorked. The Trump Hotel’s 8th Floor zimmer is too small for this event. There must be 200 geeks standing shoulder to shoulder, grappling for space. Must make quick haste of the room. Here then three Austrian standouts to pour alongside the cooked wild onions.

Kurt Angerer Grüner Veltliner Spies 2010 ($22.95) deserves props on a day when Austria’s alpha white plays second fiddle to the more invigorating Rieslings. A Grüner of mellow, yellow body, mind and soul.  Stone fruit, electrical banana and wouldn’t it be refreshing to see this varietal “bound to be the very next craze.” Saffron, green wine speaking terriorilly of gravel, granite and loess.  88

Heinrich Blaufrankisch Leithaberg 2009 ($36.95) out of Burgenland is a spirited and sugilite-hued in the vein of top cru Gamay. Versatile and lithe, able to withstand peppery, cooked greens and the would be food kill of the bulbous lily. Lavender imbued, Blau acts as a verdant harbinger for dinner. Signature red of Austria possessive of an art film quality that speaks a languid foreign language.  90

Bründlmayer, Steinmassel Riesling 2006 (0120600, $29) from Kamptal is a racy, stone cold, sobering Riesling just beginning to lay off the gas. The petrol notes mixed with a leesy, citrus pang show off the peripatetic nature of the varietal.  The zen of the intelligent Bründlmayer machine.  91

Wild leeks as vegetable, condiment and relish. Here, last night’s preparations.

Cleaning the Ramps

Cleaning the Ramps

T-Bone Steak, Brisket Burgers and Fried Leeks

Cannelini Beans, Zatar and Wild Leeks

Cannelini Beans, Zatar and Wild Leeks

 

Tomorrow, Ramp Omelette and Wild Leek Pizza.

 

 

Good to go!

Titanic Rioja for Friday The 13th

Friday, April 13, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/13/titanic-rioja-for-friday-the-13th/?postpost=v2

 

That the calendar’s folklorique confluence should coincide with this weekend’s 100th anniversary of the tragic Titanic’s sinking does not bode well for the superstitious kind. If you are one of the many inflicted with paraskevidekatriaphobia then this may not be your favourite day. If you also suffer from oenophobia, I feel for you. My solution? A big, bad, traditional Rioja from the April 14th VINTAGES release for and with supper.

Modern Rioja has its place but rarely speaks of its place. Youngish versions (Crianza and Reserva) often display good balance, treble clef acidity and red cherry fruit but are too often heaped with drying qualities. A second glass is like the towing of  a dead barge. I prefer Chianti at this level. The Gran Reserva of Rioja is another animal.

 Bodegas Franco-Españolas was founded in 1890. This an outfit of the low and slow fashion. Tempranillo aged in oak barrels for many years before release. No bucking of tradition; stubborn, sure, old-school. Not since the 2001 release of the 1991 Montecillo Gran Reserva at $19 has VINTAGES procured a titanic, complex concentricity of traditional Rioja, vintage and price.

Bodegas Franco-Españolas Rioja Bordón Gran Reserva 2004(114454, $22.95) whiffs salve-scented snuff, “gets you hooked and trifles with your mind.” The spicy cereza blossoms and heads straight south to the heart, followed by a sexy, brown sugar, saxy, Bobby Keyes note. “I’m no schoolboy but I know what I like.” I wouldn’t hesitate to visit this every couple of years up to the age of 15. Much ado about this Rioja from Beppi Crosariol (93), JR-IWC (91), Gord Stimmel (91) and WE (90). A blend of 80% Tempranillo, 16% Grenache, 2% Mazuelo and 2% Graciano. Aged in American oak for 36 months. 13.5% abv. $22.75 at the SAQ.  90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good to go!

April Wine: Top VINTAGES Values to Buy Right Now

April 12, 2012

How many times have you found yourself standing in the LCBO dumbfounded and lost in ambient wine distraction? Do you feel knocked upside the Medulla Oblongata by a monopoly’s shelves bedecked by every race, creed and colour of wine known to Ontario kind? Don’t get caught on The Bad Side of The Moon. Have no fear. Head straight to the VINTAGES section and choose one of these great IVR* and CVR** top picks.

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/12/april-wine-top-vintages-values-to-buy-right-now/

 
REDS
 
Current In VINTAGES Stores
Pietro Marini Malbec 2008 (268045, $13.95) Argentina
Petra Zingari Toscana Igt 2008 (244228, $13.95) Italy
Michele Chiarlo ‘Le Orme’ Barbera D’asti Superiore 2009 (265413, $14.95) Italy
Bodega del Abad Dom Bueno Crianza 2001 (244699, $14.95) Spain
Taurino Riserva Salice Salentino 2008 (177527, $14.95) Italy
Domaine De La Janasse Côtes Du Rhône 2009 (705228, $15.95) France
 
VINTAGES April 14th Release
Jorio Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2009 (134577, $13.95) Italy
Fabre Montmayou Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (261891, $14.95) Argentina
 
VINTAGES April 28th Release
Sister’s Run Epiphany Shiraz 2008 (269464, $15.95) Australia
Cannonica e Ceretto Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 (275867, $17.00) Italy
 
 
ROSÉ
 
Current In VINTAGES Stores
Tawse Sketches of Ontario Rosé 2011 (172643, $15.95) Ontario
 
 
SPARKLING
 
Current in VINTAGES STORES
Louis Bouillot Perle D’ivoire Brut Blancs De Blancs (48801, $18.95) France
 
 
WHITES
 
Current In VINTAGES Stores
Fielding Estate Chardonnay Unoaked 2008 (164491, $13.95) Ontario
Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2011 (080234, $16.95) Ontario
Studert-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2007 (114777, $17.95) Germany
Marimar Estate La Masía Don Miguel Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 (270090, $19.95) California
 
VINTAGES April 14th Release
Michael Delhommeau Cuvee Harmonie Muscadet De Sevre-et-Maine 2010 (164624, $12.95) France
L’Uvaggio Di Giacomo Vermentino 2009 (279281, $15.95) California
Tyrell’s Brookdale Semillon 2011 (269316, $19.95) Australia
 
VINTAGES April 28th Release
Vincent Girardin Vieilles Vignes Mâcon-Fuissé 2009 (264515, $19.95) France
 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR* – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

 

 

Live Wine Chat on canada.com

April 12, 2012

Join in Today at 2:00 pm ET as I chat online about wine. I will be joined by Ruth Dunley (PostMedia), Rod Phillips (Ottawa Citizen), James Nevison (HALFAGLASS) and Gurvinder Bhatia (Vinomania)

http://www.canada.com/news/Live+Chat+wine+experts/6427822/story.html

We will be discussing wine media. Do you read wine reviews or make purchases based on what wine critics write … should you? 

 

 

 

Good to go!

Shinny Video, Sidney Crosby and the NHL Playoffs

April 10, 2012 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/10/shinny-hockey-sidney-crosby-and-the-nhl-playoffs/

 

City permit expires, mercurial ice melts, close of shinny season. Beer break, break from beer. Hockey void temporarily filled if only in a heteroclite dream of narrative embroidery. For one weekend in April a miraculous, synergistic trinity. Enmity gauged exodus out of Pharaoh’s desert, the heavenly ascension and an inexplicable blast out of the pine straw at Augusta National. The Paschal Flame, Burning Bush and Amen Corner of Jesus, Moses and Bubba now in the rear view mirror. Attention diverts to round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The most exciting two weeks in sports television. 

At what twain do Shinny and the NHL meet? Does the amateur Thursday night skater dream of scoring the big goal to send his team to the second round? No. But does he wonder what wine to open when Crosby, Malkin and Fleury face the big bad Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night? Mr. Crosby has been accused of the whine and dive and having a little “punk in him.” Meanwhile, watch here as shinny guy goes five-hole on a Pinot and a CdP.

http://youtu.be/oM9EL32yg-4

 

3630 Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County 2007 may just be the Barnyard Wine Company’s last red. Whites only going forward. No mistaking the lackey to Volnay. Medaille, metallica and silica. Enter Pinot Sandman. Turn the page and despite the nettles and bitter herb of oppression gone biblical on the buds, the black cherry fruit is cheery. Strong bones transition firm and fighting towards wizard chess end game checkmate.  87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2001 turns water into wine in a presentation of varietal ephemera. The La Crau plateau galets impart a puckish, stony and smokey cinnamon sensation upon the raspberry-scented fruit. Defends its terrior with Vezina and Norris ability despite costing well below the league average. Has a good five years left in its stride.  92

 

 

 

Good to go!

KP Duty – Kosher For Passover Wines

April 4, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/04/kp-duty-kosher-for-passover-wines/

 

Lent? Forget about it. 12-day cleanses? Whatever. Try cooking with and having to eat nothing but Matzo, eggs and oil for eight days. To a Jew, Matzo is irresistible, consumed with über, hoover fervor and it leads to an awful syndrome. Matzo Belly.

(1998) Dry Bones cartoon: Passover, Pessach, Pesah, Holiday, Shuldig, Yom Kippur, over eating, over weight, dieting

Once a year due diligence calls so the apron goes on. Passover cooking is a science and an art unto itself. It is my form of penitence, tortuous, a culinary desert, horrific like a Fear Factor episode. Charred eggs, Haroseth, Chopped Liver, Kugel, Farfel Stuffing and desserts made with Cake Meal and Matzo Meal. My worst nightmare!

Recommending wines that are Kosher for Passover used to be similarly daunting but the field has certainly improved. Here five choices to get you through four cups, four questions, gamey gefilte and that wafer thin bread that tastes like forty year-old crackers. Be sure to click on the LCBO inventory links because the wines are only available in limited quantities and in specific stores.

 

ADAR DE ELVIWINES CAVA BRUT KP  (56737, $15.95) and its touch of residual sweetness will aid in the transition from a no beer, no scotch cocktail hour through to the traditional boiled potatoes and salt water. Why not go sparkling for Pesach?

HAFNER GRÜNER VELTLINER KP 2009 (157511, $12.95) is a newbie as far as Kosher for Passover is concerned. Touch of honey and upper level acidity is the key to this food and wallet-friendly Austrian white.

FIVE STONES SAUVIGNON BLANC KPM 2010 (218065, $23.95) may also be Mevushal but this Aussie SB is dry and worth the extra bucks. Beckett’s Flat is the producer of this aromatic beauty.

ELLA VALLEY VINEYARDS EVER RED KP 2007 (687897, $23.95) delivers the goods when the brisket comes to the Seder table. Ella Valley is Israel’s most consistent Kosher producer at a level most can afford. Their straight Merlot is their best but costs $10 more than this Bordeaux Blend.

GALIL MOUNTAIN YIRON KP 2006 (95075, $33.95) is the clear winner in VINTAGES Kosher choices for 2012. Tannins resolved, fruit still shining like the Galilee sun, Cabernet and Merlot lifted by the addition of Syrah.

 

 

 

Good to Go!

BC Syrah, Feist Heist and Juno Who Stole My Face?

April 2, 2012

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/02/bc-syrah-feist-heist-and-juno-who-stole-my-face/

 

City in Colour’s Dallas Green took home the Juno for Songwriter of the Year but Feist pulled off the show’s biggest heist, stealing away Artist of the Year from Green’s outfit. Congrats certainly goes out to The Sheepdogs but where is the love for Sloan, Ron Sexsmith or Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy? Now I have discovered larceny of another kind. Someone has made use of my face. Here is a self-inflicted portrait of me at Opalescent Lake, Barron River, Algonquin Park. Now click on the YouTube Gillette Commercial and tell me my doppelgänger is not out there walking the earth. Can’t be an April Fool’s thing. Freeze it at the three-second mark for full effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIDfkix-HGQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=3s

Last month my tasting note was less than flattering for the TOWNSHIP 7 SYRAH 2007 (263665, $24.95). “Gives off a stickum smell so much so VA comes to mind. Hard and brutish, the township ungroomed, full of moody character, barely penetrable. Hold a feather over the glass to see if it’s alive. Hard to assess.” 85

As a promise to proprietor Lori Pike-Raffan, I promised to taste again. I did in fact purchase a second bottle and am happy to report the first specimen as surely flawed. The flavour theft could have been a result of bad temperament, bottle shock, poor handling en route to Ontario or just bad luck. Here my note on the second try.

TOWNSHIP 7 SYRAH 2007 (263665, $24.95) limns in glass as a cool, penetrating Pic Island or Canto XVII colour. Peppery spice and unfettered eucalyptus separate the 7’s actions from California’s rangers, remaining unique unto itself.  BC tree fruit exuding from every sip save for a mutinous, shy, hollow and peripatetic middle moment.  More time should smooth and flesh that fruit.  89

 

 

 

Good to go!

Of Budgets, Bohemian Rhapsody, Intrigue and Curiosity

Saturday March 31, 2012

 

Search the newswires, blogosphere and the world of internet forums and you will sense, as my friend DL would say, a “guttural sadness” and general discontent. Talking here about comments voiced both in response to the Federal Budget and the latest VINTAGES release. The question as to which laid or hatched the bigger egg with Easter around the corner is oft debated and apparently, debatable. Even more current is the news video of a wasted Karaoke specialist in the back of an Alberta Police cruiser belting out Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. That this and talking dogs on YouTube draw the most interest really tells us that wine and politics remain parochial pursuits. I am actually drawn to the occasion by the March 31st group of wines. Nothing spectacular but several snookered in the curiosity and intrigue sectors.

 

Domaine De La Janasse Côtes Du Rhône 2009 (705228, $15.95) from a house approbate whose Châteauneuf-du-Papes are exchanged for proverbial left nads. Good vintage ad infinitum bleeds currant clabber through this replica CdP in as many ways as can be defined. Matthew Jukes calls it “an essential member of your everyday drinking armoury.” WS (89), Beppi (88), CT’s (88). Berry good IVR* stuff  88

Janasse CdR 2009

 

Studert-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2007 (114777, $17.95) brings it in every way. Spätlese at $18 from a producer paid fealty going back a millennium. Are you kidding me? Just enough late harvest age in its hose to petrol up the tank for a joyride in the here and now. Stimmel (91+) notes “sweet (but balanced)…hedonistic wine for patio sipping.” VanSickle writes “balance of racy mineral-toned acidity.” The Wine Ponce says it best, “…aroma seduces with wildflower honey poured over a wet stone.” At this price six go in the cellar, one IVR* for every year through 2017.  89

Studert Prum WS Spatlese 2007

 

Terre Nere Brunello di Montalcino 2006(208462, $35.95) gathers CVR** speed with every passing consideration.

Terre Nere Brunello di Montalcino 2006       

“Amply positive” notes from Franco at Vinowire

http://vinowire.com/2011/02/22/francos-top-picks-brunello-2006/

 

Richard Jennings on Wine (88+)

http://www.rjonwine.com/italian-wine/brunello-di-montalcino/

 

Monica Larner at WE (88)

http://buyingguide.winemag.com/catalog/terre-nere-2006-sangiovese-grosso-brunello-di-montalcino

 

Whine Dharma (96). “Peyton Manning of Brunellos, simply one of the best, most gifted, fiery, tenacious. Manning doesn’t play football, he is football.”

http://winedharma.com/en/dharmag/january-2012/brunello-di-montalcino-2006-draft-great quarterback-and-lot-asian-dishes-everyt

 

Todd B. Alexander’s Italian Wine report (86) from the guy who rates nothing over 90 and scores 85 for Siro Pacenti! “This is a brunello that will clearly shine with the right substantial fare or from a 5 year stint in the cellar.”

http://italianwinereport.com/brunello-di-montalcino-2006-top-notch-but-not-historical/

 

Bruce Sanderson (92) of WS, “complex and flavorful.”

http://www.scribd.com/doc/53472505/Insider-2011-04-20

 

 

Other Wines Of Note:

 

Corte Rive Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (089318, $39.95) RP (93+)

Delaforce Corte Vintage Port 1997 (199695, $38.95) WS (95)

 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR* – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

 

 

 

 

Good to go!

Tawse For Thought, A Niagara Summer in March

March 22, 2012

 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/27/tawse-for-thought-a-niagara-summer-in-march/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A freakish heat wave smothers Ontario with record temperatures and that does not sit well with Paul Pender. Budding vines followed by frost could spell disaster. “I’ll be looking for a new job” says Pender. Let’s hope not. His first four vintages at Tawse Winery are the stuff of local hero. The wines yet to be bottled from 2010 and 2011 will introduce Mr. Pender to the world.

Paul Pender is a pragmatist. He’s also the most passionate winemaker this side of the 49th. This deadly combination is the proviso towards ensconcing Tawse as the preeminent winery in Ontario. That and the meticulous farming of optimum ripened grapes coddled from top vineyard sites. The land, the fruit and the barrels. Mr. Pender’s Burgundy, Northern Rhône and Bordeaux Right Bank rolled into one dramatic package. He considers himself a farmer above all else and Tawse is on the road to achieving full organic and biodynamic status. Others may fill out forms that declare their outfits “sustainable” but very few practice what they preach.

I spend 90 minutes in the Tawse caves with Moray’s man, tasting through the 2010 and 2011 casks. I emerge energized, head buzzing,  like walking out of a Yorkdale movie theatre as a child in 1980 having just watched Raiders of the Lost Ark. To a batch, the reds show concentration, deep colour, balance and structure. Not a weak or merely acceptable one in the lot. No “iffs” here. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah for the long haul. White grapes are mined with Burgundy in mind. When I look into the eyes of the Chardonnays, the cut, clarity and brilliance shine of Dresden green. Single Vineyard wines, each its own unique organism, testaments to power and finesse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chardonnay David’s 2011 coruscates like the glare of a Koon sculpture, lambient and luminous. Searing tang of citrus and green apple. A crime to show so well, Zen in its persistence and long finish. This vintage and this vineyard may unseat Robyn.  93-95

Chardonnay Quarry Road 2011 resides on the mineral, slate and lime side of the tracks. The calcareous quality imparted by its eponymous SV terrior makes it the antithesis of David. Creamy, 24-karat fruit.  91-93

Chardonnay Robyn’s Block 2011 will put another gold record on the wall. Combines the best of both David’s and Quarry’s world.  Smacking sapor of melons and pears. Seriously folks, life’s been good to Robyn.  92-94

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cabernet Franc Van Bers 2010 will show that 2010 is the new 1998 for Ontario reds. “Our climate is always workable for early ripening Cab Franc” says Pender, “and when the vintage is right, it’s ideal.” Layers of rich fruit here packed like sardines within a protective bubble of tannin. Should go to 2020 and beyond.  91-93

Merlot David’s 2011 fresh to barrel noses reductive and requires ferocious swirling to aerate and be counted. The wine rebounds so Bob’s your peduncle for this round mound of Merlot. For regular days when you’ve “got some money and a case of wine.” Will drink well in the boat’s cuddy and with grilled ground chuck up on deck.  87-89

Merlot David’s 2010 suffers no stenosis and instead flows as a sanguine and savoury riverine expression. Olives and the smokey whiff of yeasty bread on the grill. Not surprising considering the quality of Pender’s lees so often collected and added back to the next generation’s barrels.  89-91

Syrah Redstone 2011 airs reductive fallacy ad absurdum and so beats it out as a funky drummer.  It takes a major swirl to disambiguate the fetor from the fruit but patience is virtuous. A walled Syrah for sure, and mysterious. Opaque, pepper studded trove of treasure peeks out.  88-90

Syrah Redstone 2010 lays bare visually that rarely, if ever, have I seen this kind of colour intensity from Ontario Syrah.  Pulp and skin impart an easily identifiable dark sheen of complexion. A mess of lush fruit, meed of the maker.  Drink this and “the flutes of the chi will sound again, my friend.” Dangerous. May someday have to be weaned off this one.  91-93

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good to go!