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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More...
Red

1999 Mount Mary Quintet

 Yarra Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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10/12/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 90 points

Rarely am I at a loss for words. On this wine I am.

Robust, crisp, fruity and balanced, yet a tremendous amount of oak and the large $ brings this down.

A good wine, but to be honest, there are many wines of similar quality that are 1/3rd the cost.

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Red

2001 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Costasera

 Corvina Blend, Corvina more
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5/5/2013 - bdg55 wrote: 94 points

still has 3-5 years of comfortable ageing left in. simply a fantastic wine, with great depth and complexity

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Red

2001 Alderbrook Zinfandel Reserve

 Dry Creek Valley more
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6/1/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 84 points

Soft and degraded, waited too long to consume, still, enjoyable!

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White - Sweet/Dessert

1997 Peller Estates Vidal Blanc Late Harvest Founder's Series

 Ontario VQA more
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12/9/2014 - bdg55 wrote: 50 points

too old to judge, dead by this age sadly, still fun to uncork and try

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Red

2004 Ojai Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard

 Santa Maria Valley more
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6/21/2014 - bdg55 wrote: 89 points

Anyone who travels through San Francisco airport (SFO) and has 30 minutes to kill has probably perused one of the wine stores that dot themselves throughout. This bottle was purchased on one of those days back in March of 2010. Like I am apt to do, I put this in the cellar and figured it would come out at some later date. So out it came last night after I returned from, surprise, California (with a few bottles of Petite Syrah from <a href="http://www.turleywinecellars.com/">Turley</a>, but that is for another day). Ojai is a small city just north of Los Angeles and only a few miles east of Santa Barbara. While not known as a foremost wine region, <a href="http://www.ojaivineyard.com/">Ojai Vineyards</a> has produced some great wines over the years. The vineyard produces up to 8 single vineyard Syrahs (depending on the year) and this one in particular comes from the Bien Nacido vineyard. Bien Nacido is much closer to the ocean (West of Ojai) than Ojai, this allows for both good summer heat and cooler winds than their more eastern vineyards. This type of climate allows the varietal to grow similar to old world Rhone Syrahs. So how does this taste? Read on.

This inky wine is showing hints of rust as it is now 10 years old. The nose is plum and smoke with hints of spice. The initial sips show good fruit and even tannins. As you get deeper into the wine the balance remains, the tannins are firm but not overwhelming and the fruit is constant. Plum and and sweet berries (raspberry and blueberry) are distinctive but there is a hint of pepper. Overall this wine is ready to go and if you have had the patience to cellar it till now I do recommend opening and enjoying it as this ready to go. A good solid wine worth the original $40 spent.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 89 out of 100.

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Red

2005 Hoffman Cellars Pinot Noir Block 16

 Russian River Valley more
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6/23/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 83 points

Soft, dull and muted. Jammy fruit and little finish. Overall a poor wine after 7 years, sad.

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Red

2004 Sumac Ridge Red Meritage Black Sage Vineyard

 Okanagan Valley VQA Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/22/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 79 points

soft and fruitless, well past its 'use by date'

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White

2003 Tawse Chardonnay Estate Vineyards

 Niagara Peninsula VQA more
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6/23/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 91 points

A wow bottle. Deep yellow, smoother than any chardonnay recently, muted fruit but honey and vanilla very present. Fantastic wine

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White

2006 Grgich Hills Chardonnay

 Napa Valley more
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7/31/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 88 points

With both another gorgeous summer night in the big smoke and a need to clear valuable cellar space it was time to drink. This wine, according to Cellartracker was a year overdue drinking, which I doubted was accurate, but still made it a prime candidate for consumption. This wine was purchased on one of my many jaunts through SFO airport on route home. The $55 was for sure excessive at the time, and some years later makes me question my sanity, but I bought it none the less. So here we are, a lovely southern Napa Valley Chardonnay uncorked and beckoning us to enjoy.

A brilliant straw colour greeted us with almost a smile. Serving it between 15c & 16c allowed the nose to be ready on pouring. Floral notes and soft tree fruits like peach and apricots start your senses. The wine is soft but still fruity with hints of honey and lemon. Elegant is a very good way to describe this. Elegant and polished. Maybe this was fifty-five well spent dollars afterwards. Unlike most of its Californian brethren, this wine was not buttery as malolactic fermentation was not allowed. Overall this was a pleasure, and even with the cost worth every penny.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 88 out of 100.

http://www.canadianwineguy.com

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Red

2006 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon

 Coonawarra more
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5/4/2014 - bdg55 wrote: 90 points

Still young, yet a very solid well rounded wine. Great fruit, bold tannins, incredibly sound wine.

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White

2007 Henry of Pelham Riesling Speck Family Reserve

 Short Hills Bench VQA more
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6/23/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 88 points

Excellent alsatian style riesling, crisp fruit, well balanced with a long solid finish

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White

2006 The Hess Collection Chardonnay Hess Select Monterey

 more
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6/5/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 86 points

Drank upon seeing the CT "past due" and consume it now. First off the wine has lots of life in it and could still be cellared for 3-5 years.

Pear and apple on the nose, buttery, average finish that lingered longer than expected. Soft but still paired well with a selection of cheese. Did not disappear at all amongst some of the more pungent ones.

Do not serve too cold, allow it to get to a warmer temperature and you will get a more aromatic and exciting wine.

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White

2006 Angels Gate Winery Chardonnay Old Vines

 Beamsville Bench VQA more
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7/30/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 86 points

With space extremely limited in the CWG cellars (well 115% capacity reached and counting) it was time to thin the herd. Where better to start then a 6 year old Beamsville Bench Chardonnay. Angels Gate winery may be known more for its amazing restaurant and scenic overlook of the lower bowl leading to Lake Ontario than for its wine, but this is one of the nice whites that annually come out of the picturesque vineyard. With The bench becoming more and more renown for its cooler climate Chardonnays it is a great time to get interested in them if you are not already. Great growing conditions, stronger and stronger winemakers and vines reaching their maturity have led to some amazing Burgundy style wines lately from the subregion. On to this wine that comes from 30 year old vines that was barrel fermented and allowed to age on its lees!

A beautiful yellow wine flows from the bottle as light floral notes tickle your nose. The first few sips yield a full bodied Chardonnay with a great amount of vanilla and caramel. Hints of melons, pineapples and other citrus linger but never overwhelm. The finish is neither long nor is it short, seems to just slowly tail off, almost like butter… The acidity is fresh and one could describe this as crisp. The wine overall opens up nicely but take care to serve it in the correct stemware (Chardonnay/Burgundy) as this wine will not give you much when consumed from narrow or deep glasses. Not a classic but a wine worth a nod to your host that serves it, or the guest that brings it.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 86 out of 100

www.canadianwineguy.com

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Red

2007 Henry of Pelham Pinot Noir Speck Family Reserve

 Short Hills Bench VQA more
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8/7/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 87 points

Henry of Pelham remains one of the most overlooked Niagara region wineries. Despite the consistency that most vineyards long for, its location and lack of ‘cache’ tend to put them on the forgotten list. The Speck family make good wine and a visit to their property is always recommended. Their top end label has some of the best priced first growths on the escarpment, this is one of them at $36.

This wines rusty colour was the first indication that five years of aging was probably enough. A sure sign of an aged red is that rust/orange hue for those not aware. This pinot has hints of wild red fruit with undertones of leather. The first few sips present red cherry and some earthiness. The body is still rich with tannins with a medium length finish. While fruit is still present I would avoid laying this wine down much longer than a year or two at most. Any longer and I fear you’d lose the fruit and have something much less complex. Overall a good Pinot Noir, though not great enough to put it top 5 in a fantastic producing region.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 87 out of 100.

Http://www.canadianwineguy.com

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Red

2007 Château des Charmes Equuleus Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard

 St. David's Bench VQA Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/13/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 91 points

A quick review today, the first of at least 4 consecutive Canadian Bordeaux style blends. This is the Chateau des Charmes flagship red, the Equuleus (if you want my take on the 2002 click here).

First of 6 out of the cellar, this wine is still big and strong. Solid tannins, a well-balanced and hardy Bordeaux style blend with a long finish. Fruit is still very apparent with cassis and blackberry evident; while spices like vanilla and chocolate make their appearance.

Overall this is a tremendous wine and you would be hard pressed to put this next to a solid Bordeaux Grand Cru or Napa institution without ranking it high on your list. At $40 (the usual price for the Equuleus) it is a steal.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 91 out of 100.

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Red

2005 Pettavel Southern ÉMIGRÉ Shiraz Viognier Strathmore

 Geelong Shiraz Blend, Syrah more
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2/19/2014 - bdg55 wrote: NR

2005 SOUTHERN ÉMIGRÉ SHIRAZ VIOGNIER
Alcohol: 14.5%, Closure: Screw cap
Blend Shiraz 95% Viognier 5%
The warm dry 2005 vintage produced fully ripe and concentrated Shiraz grapes, with the oldest vineyards on our Strathmore vineyard producing the most intensely flavoured grapes. These ripe grapes from 20 year old vines were destemmed and crushed to 5 tonne open fermenters along with lightly pressed Viognier skins fresh from the press. After four days of pre-fermentation cold maceration, yeast was added and the co-fermentation of Shiraz and Viognier began. The fermenting wine emitted a complex array of perfumed fruit aromas over the seven day fermentation period as the characters of both varieties were extracted from the grape skins at high fermentation temperatures. Following the completion of alcoholic fermentation the wine was macerated for an additional 15 days before being pressed to new tight grain French oak barrels. Aged for a total of 18 months in oak the wine developed further layers of complexity during maturation as the tannins softened and fruit flavours entwined. Final barrel selection and blending ensured balance, complexity and subtle tannin structure before the wine was bottled with minimal filtration.
The 2005 Southern Émigré Shiraz Viognier captures the fragrance of the perfumed Viognier aromas displayed with white pepper spice, ripe red plum and blackberry fruit flavours. The full bodied palate demonstrates the impact that the addition of Viognier skins has on the tannin structure of a wine, the silky smooth finish adds a degree of accessibility during the wines youth without detracting from the long term cellaring potential of the blend. Enjoy now with rich red meat and game dishes or cellar for further integration and softening of the Viognier characters as the Shiraz characters become more evident along with increased complexity.

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Red

2007 Stratus Red

 Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/21/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 86 points

I am a bit time constraint but I wanted to get out review of another 2007 Niagara Bordeaux style blend. With four recent reviews from the same vintage it would be a disservice to the readers not to cover the finer points of this bottle from Stratus Vineyards. This wine falls into a very similar price point of 3 of the 4 recent wines at $44; while this seems normal it should be noted that I find Stratus wines to be consistently overpriced. Take away the fancy cellar door and very slick labeling/marketing and I still find these well crafted wines to be 10-20% higher then similar peers. This wine however is considered their “signature” red wine, so the price when compared to other “top end” wines is not truly out of whack. I know, I was just a bit wishy washy about price, if I had been talking to you in person I would simply shrug my shoulders at this stage and quickly change the subject!

The wine, yes enough blabber, the wine looks almost exactly like the past four Bordeaux-esque wines we have reviewed, inky red with good purple to it. The nose is muted, or better put the nose is nothing overwhelming. The first few sips yield a softer than expected wine with medium tannins and a quick finish. The fruit is a tad muted and overall the wine is nice but not overwhelming. After experiencing their Petit Verdot I was expecting much more of everything: longer finish, bold fruit, and strong tannins. This is a drink now wine and if you have only one do not wait or forget about it or else you may find it disappearing on you.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 86 out 100.

http://www.canadianwineguy.com

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Red

2007 Hillebrand Trius Grand Red

 Four Mile Creek VQA Red Bordeaux Blend more
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6/3/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 91 points

Solid tannins, good fruit, red tree fruit on the nose with hints of leather. Overall a great Bordeau style blend from a warm 2007 vintage

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Red

2008 Hillebrand Trius Grand Red

 Four Mile Creek VQA Red Bordeaux Blend more
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10/8/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 93 points

outstanding, ready to drink now

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Red

2007 Henry of Pelham Cabernet-Merlot Speck Family Reserve

 Short Hills Bench VQA Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/14/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 89 points

Another night, another 2007 Niagara Bordeaux blend and another concise review.

Henry of Pelham’s Gold Medal Winner from the 2009 International Food & Beverage Forum Wine Awards is a quietly great wine. It is a dark inky wine with a very subtle nose. The first few sips reveal a solid amount of red fruit as well as a good amount of tannins. As the wine settles and you get further into it the complexity the long finish and good fruit will keep you entranced. At $45 this is starting to get up there in terms of price and it may be a reason to look at alternatives. Still this is a very good wine son enjoy it now or leave it cellared for two to five years.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 89 out of 100.

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Red

2007 Calamus Estate Winery Meritage

 Niagara Peninsula Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/15/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 88 points

Having subconsciously slipped into a 2007 Niagara Meritage drinking spree I thought there was no time like the present to continue this whirlwind tour of that fantastic vintage of Bordeaux style blends. Calamus Estate Winery has been covered a few times before but it bears repeating that this husband and wife team are a Niagara hidden gem. Tough to find and with little to no fan fare they are proving that the love of wine can produce some excellent product. This is one of those.

The 2007 vintage has a chance to go down as the best single year ever for Niagara wine making, with the reds especially being blessed. This one is no different then the past few Meritage reviews with it’s deep dark red colour and red tree fruit nose. The wine yields red berries and vanilla on the first few sips with young firm tannins gripping your tongue easily. As you settle into the drinking experience you will start to get an abundance of cassis with a smattering of pepper on your palate. All the while this wine will stay with you as the finish is long and smooth. No doubt this can continue to rest for 2 to 5 years and improve. Drinking now or laying down this is a tremendous value at $27.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 88 out of 100.

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White

2007 Strewn Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Terroir

 Niagara Peninsula more
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6/21/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 86 points

Californian style Chardonnay with distinct buttery texture. Hints of butterscotch, light floral and citrus. Nice wine, but ensure it is at room temperature.

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Red

2008 Ravine Vineyard Cabernet Franc Reserve

 St. David's Bench VQA more
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5/17/2014 - bdg55 wrote: 89 points

A funny start to this wine which was purchased in August of 2011: after uncorking, the flow out of the bottle was unusually slow, upon closer inspection, the neck had significant sediment built up that it was actually slowing the flow, not sure I have ever had that before.

Ever since the first visit to the vineyard , Ravine has remained a quirky favourite of mine. I love their restaurant and I believe their wines show great promise. This is NOT a cheap wine to be thinking 'promise', you can buy some very good, nay great, wines in the $50-59 range that this one falls into. Ravine Vineyards, like many Ontario wineries, often have a hard time selling their higher end wines at prices which are priced according to effort, labour and love. Rightfully or wrongfully, the market is saturated with wines from the 'old worlds' in the price range that will all but guarantee you an excellent drinking experience. So why take a risk with Canadian wines in the same price range? Because you can be rewarded with something worth well and above the price tag, all while ignoring the easy reasons: supporting a dedicated and professional industry. So how does this $55 Ontario Cabernet Franc do? Read on!

The colour and nose show good age with a nice brown hue and earthy notes. The first few sips are odd, they have a light start and strong finish indicating that maybe a decant was needed. The fruit is instant with raspberries consuming you. Slight hints of licorice and pepper are evident. Past the initial reaction the wine actually settles down wonderfully. Acid levels are calm while tannins are firm but not overwhelming. The fruit is consistent but not overwhelming and the pepper, spice and smokiness compliment what turns out to be a very even keeled wine. The finish is nice and long without being a nuisance. This cabernet franc is excellent, it is complex enough to satisfy those who want something big for their money, yet subtle enough to please the more discerning pallet looking for nuances in every sip. A solid offering from a 'promising' vineyard.

The CWG Subjective Rating is 89 out of 100.

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White

2009 Ravine Vineyard Riesling

 St. David's Bench VQA more
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6/20/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 87 points

Fruity with a floral nose, a sweetness of 2, ready to drink now, overall a good Canadian Riesling.

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Red

2008 Tawse Merlot David's Block

 Twenty Mile Bench VQA more
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10/17/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 88 points

Very good Canadian merlot with tannins softer than expected for the youthful wine. Fruit is solid and the oak is not overwhelming.

Worth drinking now and for a few more years (2-4)

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  • Tasting notes: 34 notes on 34 wines

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