Saturday October 24, 2009 - Vintages Release

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I have gone to a stars rating system which appears at the end of each review; here’s how those stars break down:

5 = Outstanding … 4.5 = Excellent … 4 = Very Good … 3.5 = Good … 3 = Average

I’m always looking for good values and I’m not afraid to give or take away a half mark for it – I’ll let you know when I’ve done so.

This is the release that comes from a land down under (“where woman glow and men plunder”) … not much else to say after that except: here are my picks from this release …

Wines from the land Down Under …
Thorne-Clarke 2008 Shotfire Shiraz ($23.95 – #018796) - dark purple in colour with pepper on the nose, the palate really shines here: dark chocolate, plum, white pepper, a bit of grit on the tongue, but it’s mostly big fruit and bit pepper with finesse and a long finish. (*****)
Torbreck 2006 Old Vines Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre ($20.95 - #010223) – a nice mineral, coffee, woodsy, peppery, blackberry wine that delivers all that on the nose and as well as the palate. (****½)
Ben Glaetzer 2007 Wallace Shiraz/Grenache ($24.95 - #047605) plum and cherry fruit, easy going down. (****)
Gemtree Vineyards 2007 Uncut Shiraz ($24.95 - #627844) – this Shiraz is loaded with finesse and mineral; white pepper, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, with excellent mouth feel and length on the finish. Not your typical jammy Shiraz – over time this one evolves well. (****½)
Shaw & Smith 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($24.95 – #965335) – lemony-citrus with nice bracing acidity. (***½)
Tamar Ridge 2007 Pinot Noir, Kayena Vineyard ($26.95 - #962415) – What a gorgeous example of Pinot, from Tasmania no less. Soft fruit with cherry, raspberry and floral aromas; palate is fruit driven with a touch of earth and mineral – delicate and balanced, especially for a Pinot with such elevated alcohol (14%). (****½)
Tamar Ridge 2008 Devil’s Corner Riesling ($18.95) – from the same winery, this is a nice cool climate Riesling that has crisp acidity, petrol, apple, pear and peach; seems simple at first but develops nicely in the mouth. (****½)

Ports for All …
Croft Pink ($19.95 - #140871) – this one is for the youngsters who are not into Port wines, yet: sweet pink cherries (very Shirley Temple-esque) with a slight spice note; quite interesting. (****)
Quinta do Noval Tawny Port ($18.95 - #141119) – black cherry and chocolate with a light spice and delicious smoothness. (****)
Offley Barao de Forrester 10 Years Old Tawny Port ($24.95 - #260091) sweet marmalade, cherry and quite alcoholic; spiced cinnamon finish. (****)
Ferreira 2000 Late Bottled Vintage Port ($19.95 - #675751) – chocolaty rich, and smooth with lots of cherry and plum. (****½)
Sandeman Vau Vintage Port 2000 ($29.95 - #973768) – smooth dark fruit, plum, cherry, chocolate with a long finish; this is a great price for a vintage Port that’s easily a cellar candidate. (****½)

Argentina – Red …
Trivento 2007 Amado Sur ($16.95 - #037036) – spicy, toasty flavours with a mix of blackberry and pepper. (****)

Chile – White …
Casa Lapostelle 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($13.95 - #396994) – zesty and racy nose with a grapefruit, citrus palate, there’s good acidity backing this one up. (****)

Germany – White …
Dr. Loosen 2008 Dr. L Riesling ($13.95 - #599274) – this is always a good bargain of a wine: delicious apple, a touch of sweetness and some lemon lime on the finish. (****)
Max Ferd. Richter 1992 Riesling Spatlese ($23.95 - #140780) – this 17 year old wine still smells fresh, apple, peach and honeyed petrol notes with a long finish, yummy. (****½)

Italy – Red …
(Tuscany)
La Vite Lucente 2007 ($39.95 - #747030) – big acidity and tannins with lots of dark fruit and a long finish. (****)

South Africa – Red …
Café Culture 2009 Pinotage ($13.95 - #072710) – this is the coffee lovers wine, what it says on the label you get in the glass. (****)

Spain – Red …
Papa Luna 2007 ($16.95 - #039883) – last year’s was better but this one is still very good; black and red fruit, nice tannins, smoky and spicy with mocha notes on the finish; all at a great price. (****)

United States – Red …
(California)
Belle Glos 2007 Meiomi ($27.95 - #130138) – nice mix of flavours: earthy, black fruit, smoked-café with a smoky-earthy finish. (****)
Huntington 2007 California Series Cabernet Sauvignon ($18.95 - #994491) – smooth, juicy blackberry, nice tannins and easy drinking; there’s also a nice hint of chocolate on the finish. (****½)

Grape Guy Top 3 … what I’ll be lining up for on October 24, 2009:
Thorne-Clarke 2008 Shotfire Shiraz ($23.95 – #018796) – Australia
Max Ferd. Richter 1992 Riesling Spatlese ($23.95 - #140780) – Germany
Papa Luna 2007 ($16.95 - #039883) – Spain
BONUS: Gemtree Vineyards 2007 Uncut Shiraz ($24.95 - #627844) - Australia

Happy Shopping.

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For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.ontariowinereview.com,
while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.

Saturday October 10, 2009 - Vintages Release

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Have you missed me … I’d have to say I’ve missed you; and I’ve also missed tasting over 120 wines on a Friday morning and scrubbing my teeth with steel wool just to get them white again – but I’m not complaining, I like wine. And so do you or you would not be reading this.For this week’s release we’re going to Italy, to taste wines from that old world country, and we’ll also be making stops in France, New Zealand, Portugal and other countries around the world … but first let’s look in at what the LCBO Vintages buyer has brought back from It-aly.

I have gone to a stars rating system which appears at the end of each review; here’s how those stars break down:

5 = Outstanding … 4.5 = Excellent … 4 = Very Good … 3.5 = Good … 3 = Average

I’m always looking for good values and I’m not afraid to give or take away a half mark for it – I’ll let you know when I’ve done so.

You and me in Italy …
We’ll start our tour of Italy with one of my favourite styles of white, a nice fizzy Asti: Enrico Serafino 2008 Moscato D’asti ($16.95 - #0134833) with its pleasant grapy flavour, hints of grapefruit and a gentle fizz, delicious (****). Another popular Italian white is Soave, and there’s a nice one of those in this release too: Tedeschi Capitel Tenda 2008 Soave Classico ($15.95 - #0730903), this is not the light white your father grew up with – instead it’s tropical fruit flavours with real mouth presence. Moving on to the reds there’s a nice Terra D’Aligi Tatone 2005 Montepulciano D’Abruzzo ($15.95 - #0994616), this one has some real fleshy fruit, but there’s this drawback of an alcohol smell on the nose, but all is forgiven once it hits the mouth, cause this one’s big on flavour with sweet fruit on the mid-palate and weighty tannins at the back end – nice price too (****½). I have reviewed the Cantine due Palme 2005 Primitivo ($15.95 - #0658351) before, it’s jammy and very Zin-like, I love the pluminess of this wine (****). The Volpaia 2007 Citto ($13.95 - #0134817) is a nice blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon; earthy, black pepper and blackberry on the nose, good mouth feel, nice acidity with good follow through from the nose – this one gets an extra half point for value (****). One of my favourite red styles of wine comes from Italy, it’s the Ripasso method that combines Amarone heft with Valpolicella fruitiness: Remo Farina 2005 Ripasso Valpolicella Classico Superiore ($16.95 - #0999946), rich plumy fruit with nice chocolate-cherry notes; a nice long dried cherry finish polishes this one off nicely (****). Looking for a sweet treat, don’t pass up the Antolini 2006 Recioto Della Valpolicella Classico ($29.95 / 500ml - #0135533), grapy and raisiny with milk chocolate cherries on the back palate (****).

Argentina – Red …
Finca El Origen 2007 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon ($14.95 - #0128991) – just might be one of the better wines of the release. Nice red fruit nose which follows in the mouth with licorice and chocolate flavours. Juicy with great acidity and a spicy long finish. (*****)
Trapiche Broquel 2007 Bonarda ($15.95 - #0055558) – this rarely seen grape variety offers great value for those who like a wine that’s spicy and plumy with black fruit and vanilla, oh, and there’s a nice long finish too. (****½)

Australia – Red …
Bishop By Ben Glaetzer 2007 Shiraz ($29.95 - #0627869) – as this wine hits the glass you’ll notice it’s almost black in colour; on the palate it has sweet chocolate, white pepper, black fruit, vanilla, licorice and mocha. (****½)
Tait 2005 Basked Pressed Shiraz ($49.95 - #0138339) – big fruit, chocolate, a touch of pepper with vanilla and caramel notes on the finish. (****)

Canada – White …
(British Columbia)
Burrowing Owl 2007 Pinot Gris ($30.95 - #0585745) – a tad pricey for a Pinot Gris but there’s good fruit, nice acidity and a long finish – look for lemon and nectarine here. (****)
(Ontario)
Henry of Pelham 2007 Gamay ($14.95 - #0291112)
Malivoire 2008 Ladybug Rosé ($15.95 - #0559088)

France – Red …
(Bordeaux)
Chateau Thebot ($16.95 - #0138792) – this is a big wine: big black fruit, big plum, big tannins, big on the vanilla and black cherry notes, good ageability that could see this one go 5-10 years. (****½)

France – White …
(Loire)
Domaine Bonnard 2008 Sancerre ($22.95 - #0140525) – a wine that makes you stand up and take notice; grassy, citrus and mineral notes, it all hits the mouth with nice biting acidity – this would have been a great summer wine, to bad it’s the middle of autumn. (****½)

New Zealand – White …
Twin Islands 2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($14.95 - #0903625) – this is exactly what you expect from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, it won’t surprise on either the nose or the taste; it’s the price that’s really surprising … good value. (****)

Portugal – Dessert …
Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port ($22.95 - #0208405) – chocolate entry, cocoa middle, raspberry-cherry finish with a touch of tannins and spice. (****)

Portugal – Red …
Aragones de Sao Miguel Dos Descobridores 2007 ($17.95 - #0131847) – spicy blackberry and herbs; there’s a dash of cocoa and vanilla-toast with a gritty mouth feel. (****)

Spain – Red …
Miguel Torres Mas La Plana 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($44.95 - #0129676) – coffee, cocoa, red fruit, blackberry, and cassis; tasty and still quite ageworthy. (****)

United States – Red …
(California)
Glass Mountain 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon ($13.95 - #0727511) – smooth and simple, easy on the palate, hardly any sign of tannin just nice red fruit; add an extra half mark for the price. (****)
Leese-Fitch 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($17.95 - #0135285) – nicely balanced wine with juicy fruit, vanilla and a nice weighted mouth feel. (****½)

United States – White …
(California)
Chateau St. Jean 2007 Chardonnay ($19.95 - #0421644) – generous fruit with a nice delicate use of oak, look for peach and tropical notes. (****)

Grape Guy Top 3 … what I’ll be lining up for on October 10, 2009:
Finca El Origen 2007 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon ($14.95 - #0128991) – Argentina
Domaine Bonnard 2008 Sancerre ($22.95 - #0140525) – France
Bishop By Ben Glaetzer 2007 Shiraz ($29.95 - #0627869) – Australia

Happy Shopping.

To print this article click here for the PDF version.

For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.ontariowinereview.com,
while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.