I am using a 5-star rating system, which appears at the end of each review; here’s the key to the stars:
5 = Outstanding … 4.5 = Excellent … 4 = Very Good … 3.5 = Good … 3 = Average
5 = Outstanding … 4.5 = Excellent … 4 = Very Good … 3.5 = Good … 3 = Average
We got another two things to focus on in this release: Wines for Easter (Easter) and Wines from New Zealand (NZ) … The wines that are part of the spotlight are labeled as such:
Argentina …
Red -
Passion 2008 Reserve Malbec ($14.95 - #0191775) – a crowd pleaser for sure, flavourful and at a good price; good wine to find out why people are talking about Malbec. (*** ½)
Urraca 2008 Malbec ($19.95 - #0214379) – this is a more serious Malbec than above with spice cocoa, plum, fig, vanilla and slightly smoky. (****)
Australia …
Red –
Josef Chromy 2009 Pinot Noir ($27.95 - #0163022) – I really enjoy Tasmanian Pinot Noir, this one has raspberry and cherry fruit with spice and slightly woody nuances; the fruit really lingers on. (****) – Easter
Kilikanoon 2007 Convenant Shiraz ($39.95 - #0674747) – always a winner, this fruit bomb keeps you coming back for more: plumy, jammy and flavourful. (****+)
Thorn-Clarke 2008 Shotfire Quartage ($21.95 - #0024091) – I continue to love TC wines, love the spice, chocolate, pepper, plum and the other multitude of flavours. (**** ½)
Wolf Blass 2008 Gold Label Shiraz ($27.95 - #0590273) – Wolf continues to deliver pleasure in the glass. (****+)
White -
Rolling 2009 Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon ($14.95 - #0678821) – great flavours of melon, grass and citrus … summer in a glass for a really good price. (****)
Canada …
Rosé – (Ontario)
Tawse 2010 Sketches of Niagara Rosé – ($14.95 - #0172643) - Easter
White – (Ontario)
Featherstone 2010 Black Sheep Riesling ($16.95 - #0080234)
Malivoire 2009 Gewurztraminer ($24.95 - #0542522) – Easter
Chile …
Red -
Casas del Bosque 2009 Reserva Carmenere ($13.95 - #0205872) – cherry and blueberry; this is Chile’s answer to the Passion Malbec: a chance to learn about Carmenere. (*** ½)
Caliterra 2009 Tributo Carmenere ($14.95 - #0056630) – a more serious Carmenere; fruit and smoky vanilla, blackberry, blueberry skin, lovely black cherry beginning with a spiced-peppered finish. (**** +)
France …
Red - (Bordeaux)
Chateau Chantemerle 2006 ($21.95 - #0198986) – this is good value for a wine you will be drinking next Easter; spicy, coffee and leathery, should develop nicely over the next couple of years. (*** ½+) - Easter
(Midi)
Domaine la Casenove 2006 Le Garrigue ($17.95 - #0956888) – smoky, plumy, black cherry; good value red that could sit in your cellar another couple of years plus. (****)
(Rhone)
Cave de Rasteau 2009 La Domeliere Rasteau Cotes du Rhone Villages ($15.00 - #0222927) – cherry and plum, simple yet supple. (*** ½)
Perrin & Fils 2008 L’Andeol Rasteau ($19.95 - #0976845) – floral and fruity, plum and fig, aromas lure you in, flavours keep you coming back. (**** ½)
White – (Alsace)
Pierre Sparr 2008 Reserve Gewurztraminer ($17.95 - #0747600) – this is the wine that I believe Alsatians do so well, but you have to like the sweeter side of Gewurzt. (*** ½+)
(Loire)
Andre & Edmond Figeat Les Chaumiennes Pouilly-Fume 2009 ($21.95 - #0196659) – creamy grapefruit and grassy, not incredibly lively but worth checking out, acidity really carries the finish. (*** ½)
Domaine Cordaillat 2009 Reuilly ($17.95 - #0202432) – pink grapefruit and lots of it. (*** ½+)
(Midi)
Les Piliers 2009 Viognier ($15.95 - #0669531) – tropical fruit driven nose with a citrus driven palate. (*** ½)
Italy …
Red - (Piedmont)
Ca’del Baio Asili Barbaresco 2007 ($44.95 - #0213066) – smooth and elegant, fresh and sour cherry, spice, a little wood and with a touch of an herbal note. (****+)
(Umbria)
Falesco 2008 Vitiano ($15.95 - #0950204) – cherry fruit with vanilla, spiced plum and pepper; nicely spiced raspberry finish. (*** ½+) - Easter
(Veneto)
Allegrini 2006 La Grola ($27.95 - #0476598) – spiced plum, red currant, cinnamon on the nose; the palate is less elegant and more down to business but still carries an impact. (*** ½+)
White - (Veneto)
Dal Cero 2009 Pinot Grigio ($13.95 - #0161661) – lemony with good acidity; a really good patio sipper for sure. (*** ½+)
New Zealand …
Red –
Amisfield 2008 Pinot Noir ($44.95 - #0179754) – black cherry, earthy with some vanilla and plum flavours, full-bodied and enjoyable. (****+) – NZ
Ant Moore 2009 Pinot Noir ($24.95 - #0220657) – black and sour cherry mix with good tannins and a nice mineral note; this is one Ant you want at the picnic. (*** ½+) – NZ
Craggy Range 2009 Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard ($27.95 - #0163584) – nice Bordeaux style blend with sweet fruit, good acid backbone and some tannic bite. (*** ½+) - NZ
Kim Crawford 2009 Merlot ($19.95 - #0680967) – blackberry, black currant and mocha, good pleasant finish. (*** ½+) – NZ
Lone Kauri 2009 Reserve Pinot Noir ($16.95 - #0214858) – nice introductory New Zealand Pinot for those wanting to get acquainted with this country’s red of choice. (*** ½) - NZ
White -
Eradus 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($17.95 - #0225557) – very New Zealand in style which hits the mark: grassy, gooseberry, grapefruit and passion-fruit on the palate; long finish, very summer ready. (****) - NZ
Momo 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($18.95 - #0009167) – soft and supple with lots of tropical fruits, melon and pear along with gooseberry and flint; interesting, atypical, but nice. (*** ½+) - NZ
Portugal …
Dessert -
Messias 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Port ($16.95 - #0140863) – I continue my love affair with Messias and combine it with my on-going love affair with LBV Port … raisin, dark chocolate and plum; good acidity here keeps the sweetness in check alongside the hints of spice keeps the fruit from overwhelming. Delightful. (****+)
Red -
Quinta da Ponte Pedrinha ($15.95 - #0219188) – this one is simple really: take cherries and plums, add raspberry and fig, kick in some vanilla and voila, you have really tasty wine. (*** ½+)
South Africa …
White –
Dornier Donatus White 2009 ($18.95 - #0597278) – there is some real pleasantness in the glass worth a sip or two. (*** ½) - Easter
Spain …
Red -
Vinas Elias Mora 2008 ($18.95 - #0209650) – palate delivers chocolate an black cherry with hints of spice and something nice. (*** ½) - Easter
United States …
Red – (California)
Cambria 2008 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir ($29.95 - #0980482) – fat and fruity Pinot Noir with plum and cherry with a touch of vanilla and smoke. (*** ½+) – Easter
Caymus 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ($69.95 - #0222877) – chocolate, plum, blackberry and sweet licorice, finish is long and persistent; delicious and decadent. (**** ½)
Ironstone 2009 Old Vine Zinfandel ($16.95 - #0951889) – pour this one for your friends who think Zin is pink and watch their eyes bug out of their head. This should open a few minds about Zins other side. (*** ½+)
Kendall-Jackson 2008 Vintner’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($21.95 - #0331603) – smooth supple with almost sweet, fruit of cherry throughout with hints of cocoa. (*** ½+)
Napa Ridge 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ($19.95 - #0067934) – nose of sweet plum, vanilla and cherry, these move to the palate and replay on the tongue; summer BBQ red. (****)
Robert Mondavi 2006 Merlot ($29.95 - #0953562) – smooth supple and black cherry, plum and vanilla, very tasty. (****)
Rodney Strong 2008 Knotty Vines Zinfandel ($22.95 - #0363358) – cola, cherry nose with vanilla, plum, sweet flavours, nicely balanced and easy to enjoy. (****)
White - (California)
Blackstone 2007 Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay ($22.95 - #0128926) – this has the goods, but what are these goods? Buttery caramel, baked apple, caramel apple … yup that’s it, really mouth-filling … a real bruiser at 14.5%. (****)
Grape Guy Top 3 … what I’ll be lining up for on April 16, 2011:
Thorn-Clarke 2008 Shotfire Quartage ($21.95 - #0024091) – Australia
Perrin & Fils 2008 L’Andeol Rasteau ($19.95 - #0976845) – France
Messias 2005 Late Bottled Vintage Port ($16.95 - #0140863) – Portugal
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