|
Wine Type
|
Vintage
Name
Variety
Locale
|
Date
Posted
Score
Helpful
Comments
|
|
Red
|
2020 Covert Farms Family Estate Amicitia Red
Okanagan Valley VQA
Red Blend more
|
My first experience with this " Bordeaux " blend.
On nose: raisins, walnuts and prunes.
On palate: same notes, amplified, with tart lemon, mild tobacco, greenish plum skin, on a medium, overly acidic body....oak also evident ....not much bordelaise about this one...the blend sounded promising: 31% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot, 18% Cab Franc, 16%Malbec and 15% Petit Verdot.....after about an hour, the finish was rather chalky....overpriced in Vancouver at $32.00....will not buy again.....their white blend is better.
|
|
Red
|
2019 Antinori Villa Antinori Toscana IGT
SuperTuscan Blend more
|
Not normally a fan of Super Tuscan blends with their " French" intrusion....however:
On nose: mesquite charcoal, dried roses, some hay and blanched almonds.
On palate: above flavour notes present, with cherry pit, blueberry, plum skin, fresh tobacco , all displayed on a lean, freshly acidic body, with enough flesh from the Merlot to balance this wine, the Cabernet and Sangiovese harmonize well, in this most suitable food wine....proof with this lower priced wine, that Antinori is a fine producer.....ably played well with Prosciutto and arugula pizza tonight.
|
|
White
|
2017 Bodega Colomé Torrontés
Calchaquies
more
|
A wine that does not seem to age...
On nose and palate: lilac, Seville orange, ripe apricot, a ghost of fennel, white pepper, faint vanilla/ oak ...all displayed on a fresh acidic body, after a 30 minute decant, at 7 years of age.....showing all the best aspects of a good Sauvignon Blanc crossed with an Alsace Gewurztraminer.....best Torrontes producer in Argentina IMO....ably partnered Sockeye Salmon, basmati rice and veg medley....also great with south Asian curries.
|
|
Red
|
2016 Scali Syrah
Voor Paardeberg
more
|
So...bottle #2.
On nose and palate: all flavour notes intact from last month, with the 1st bottle, with more range, more vibrant acidity, and additonal notes of geranium flower, richer coffee notes, and less earth tones.
Blackberry and rosemary arrive on the finish, of this sleeker and more lively bottle, after a 2 hour decant.....I have one more bottle left....went as a good match for pasta puttanesca, this evening.
|
|
White
|
2020 Rodney Strong Chardonnay Chalk Hill
more
|
Better than the 2017 vintage sampled and reviewed 3 years ago.....
On nose: toasted french bread, a ghost of vanilla and golden apple.
On palate: all above flavour notes singing, with meyer lemon, stony minerality, hints of nougat and a clean chalky finish....all delivered on a medium , well focused body, at 4 years of age, after a 1 hour decant...old world meets new world, with a civilized 13.5% alcohol reading....may buy again.....I was surprised.
|
|
White
|
2021 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay
Columbia Valley
more
|
My week for Ch.Ste. Michelle wines.....
On nose: faint vanilla/ oak, and red apple.
On palate:above flavour notes enhanced, with bright minerality, some citrus peel, a ghost of baking spices, on a clean medium body......good foil for roast chicken tonight, decent value at $19.00 a bottle in Vancouver, can age over the next 5 years, but not beyond.
|
|
Red
|
2021 Trivento Malbec Golden Reserve
Lujan de Cuyo
more
|
On nose: oak gall, liquorice and boysenberries.
On palate: all above flavour notes singing, with Asian spices, mild coffee, cherry pit, all displayed on a sleek tannic body , after a 1 hour decant.
Very youthful at 3 years of age, can easily be cellar bound for best results.....good stuffing here.
|
|
White
|
2022 Burrowing Owl Sauvignon Blanc
Similkameen Valley VQA
more
|
Very similar to the 2021 vintage tasted and reviewed a year ago.
On nose and palate: All notes of peach skin, lime peel, hay, lemon curd, and fresh green herbs, displayed on a fairly full body, well tempered by clean acidity and a wisp of vanilla/ oak......a good foil, this evening for trout, basmati rice and cabbage / carrot medley....can age for a few years.
|
|
White
|
2022 Bodega Catena Zapata Chardonnay Catena High Mountain Vines
Mendoza
more
|
Very New World chardonnay.....
On nose: starchy note of green banana, and dry wisp of vanilla.
On palate: above flavour notes prominent, with meyer lemon, green apple peel, faint oak gall, all displayed on a medium, mildly acidic body....pleasant, but not fully rounded up and developed yet( very young at 2 years of age).....give this time.
|
|
Red
|
2008 Villa Matilde Cecubo Roccamonfina IGT
Red Blend more
|
Very intriguing 16 year old southern Italian blend( 50% Primitivo, the remainder more obscure varietals)
On nose: after a 1 hour decant, dark herbal notes of rosemary, liquorice, dried figs, oak gall, a ghost of vanilla
On palate: all above flavour notes amplified, on a soft, full body , the tannins and acidity now becoming muted.
Further flavours of cherry pit and pipe tobacco, with a ghost of baking chocolate, complete the picture.....
Shared with a friend over dinner( from his cellar).
Went well with a pulled pork, roast potato and collard greens meal.
Reminded us both of what a bone dry variation of Zinfandel might taste like....with a salty aftertaste.
May last a few more years, but why wait?
|
|
Red
|
2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot
Columbia Valley
more
|
After last week's Cabernet....now the Merlot.
On nose: raspberries, toasted french bread and light roast coffee.
On palate: all above flavours well noted, and displayed on a sleek medium body, with muted tannins, vanilla/ oak, and a ghost of cinnamon.....popped& poured, with no decant.....pleasant food wine, with a civilized 13.5% alcohol....went well with pulled pork, roast potatoes and a carrot/ broccoli medley, for dinner.
|
|
Red
|
2014 Seven Stones Winery Merlot Speaking Rock Row 128
Similkameen Valley
more
|
Found an orphan bottle of this at my wine merchant..
On nose and palate: all notes from June 2023 happily repeated....coffee, ripe berries, tobacco....fine New World Merlot.
If anything this seems to have more staying power than the 2016 vintage, the tannins seem firmer.
|
|
White
|
2019 Starmont Chardonnay
Carneros
more
|
Very similar to the 2017 vintage tasted and reviewed 3 years ago.
On nose: red apple, nectarine and toasted French bread.
On palate: all above flavour notes focused and enhanced, with clean minerality, a touch of flint, lemon curd, and apricot pit....all displayed on a firm, elegant medium body, with a ghost of vanilla/ oak.....chanelling Old World Chablis.....excellent wine with salmon or roast chicken.....can age for a few more years, without effort.
|
|
White
|
2019 Château Argadens Blanc
Bordeaux
Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
|
This just evolves and improves...
On nose and palate: hay, tarragon, meyer lemon, subtle white flowers, light but present vanilla/ oak, as well as a crisp finish of sea salt and fresh thyme.....all displayed on a superbly balanced medium body with woven acidity, as a foil for the fuller flavour profile, at 5 years of age, after a 1 hour decant.
Last bottle, unfortunately.....time to source some of the 2020 vintage....very good value at around $24.00 .
|
|
Red
|
2018 Château du Beau Vallon
St. Émilion
Red Bordeaux Blend more
|
A 6 year old cru bourgeois, from St.Emilion.
On nose: shy notes of mesquite charcoal, dark vine fruit and a ghost of sandalwood.
On palate: all above flavours, more focused, with red currant, minerals, a ghost of damp eath, and light oak gall....a lighter bodied Bordeaux, displaying garnet red, with some translucence in glass.....almost Burgundian, with it's higher acidity....civilized 13.5% alcohol.
A good food wine if you like this style.
|
|
Red
|
2019 Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
more
|
A well priced, straight forward, New World food wine.
On nose: black currants, light roast coffee, and a ghost of pipe tobacco.
On palate: all above flavour notes singing, on a sleek medium body with present, but not intrusive vanilla/oak, a pleasant finish with notes of oregano and faint smoke.....after a 1 hour decant, this wine ably partnered a pasta puttanesca for dinner.....can age for a few more years, but ready now.
|
|
White
|
2021 Domaine de la Robinière / Vincent Raimbault Vouvray Sec Bel Air
Chenin Blanc more
|
So.....quite a different style from the last four vintages reviewed.
On nose: faint stony minerals, and a ghost of bread dough.
On palate: above flavours accounted for, with lemon peel, light oak gall, and some green apple, after a 1 hour decant....aaand, that's it....displayed on a lean mildly acidic body, it reminds one more of a wine made with the Melon grape( cannot remember the name of the actual wine, dammit) ....and a surprising drop in alcohol level, down to 12.5% from 14.5% in previous vintages, robs the Chenin of its stuffing.....new winemaker here?
|
|
Red
|
2016 Seven Stones Winery Merlot Speaking Rock Row 128
Similkameen Valley
more
|
Quite a revelation here....
Bottle #3 ....from the same case lot as yesterday's questionable bottle....talk about bottle variation!
On nose and palate: all the familair notes of light tobacco, clean tannins, vanilla/ oak and sun warmed berries found in bottle #1, from Sept 2023.....very pleased.
|
|
Red
|
2016 Seven Stones Winery Merlot Speaking Rock Row 128
Similkameen Valley
more
|
So....clearly bottle variation with this wine.
On nose and palate:coffee beans, damp earth, milk chocolate, an underscoring of oak gall, and maraschino cherries, on a low acid, fullish body.....tastes as though stored in an overly warm space....drinkable, but only that......unbalanced, too soft for a dinner wine....not full and sweet enough for a dessert wine....8 years old...going on 25.
|
|
White
|
2020 Azienda Agraria Chiorri Grechetto Umbria Titus
more
|
So....bottle # 2.
On nose and palate: very similar notes to yesterday's tasting....however, the granny smith apple notes, are not at all bruised, but crisp and vibrant, and there are more notes of stony minerality to accompany the sea salt and blanched almond notes, with deceptive amber/ orange colouring displayed in the glass.....played well with seafood pie, and pasta salad.
|
|
White
|
2020 Azienda Agraria Chiorri Grechetto Umbria Titus
more
|
On nose: hazlenuts and faint grapefruit pith.
On palate: above flavour notes focused and present, with bruised granny smith apple, yellow plum,sea salt, and a slight bitter, blanched almond finish....delivered on a lean, lightly fleshy, brightly acidic body.....would accompany trout or roast chicken very well.
The first time in all my years that I have tasted a Grechetto....
Warning: the wine in decanter has the colour of light orange marmalade!.....however at only 4 years of age, is clearly not oxidized....probably best drunk young though.
Curiously, of all vintages of this property from 2016- 2022.....no one has seen fit to review this wine....until now.
|
|
Red
|
2016 Colombera & Garella Bramaterra Cascina Cottignano
Nebbiolo Blend, Nebbiolo more
|
On nose and palate: savoury, fennel, and a ghost of dandelion leaf, with hay, tart cherries, green tea and dried rose and raspberry leaf, all displayed on a vibrant , lean, acidic body .
After a 2 hour decant , this wine showed a light garnet red, with a silver/ orange rim in glass.
Ready now at 8 years of age, but can hold for another decade.
Great food wine for game birds, and spicy pasta dishes.
about 60% Nebbiolo, and the remainder two more obscure varietals.
|
|
Red
|
2016 Scali Syrah
Voor Paardeberg
more
|
An 8 year old South African Syrah......
On nose: light coffee, faint damp earth, blackberries and a ghost of soy sauce.
On palate: all above notes enhanced, with a wisp of rosemary, a ghost of raw beef, and plum skin, on a moderately full body, with muted tannins and acidity, the 14.5% alcohol is well woven, with the light oak.....a full figured earlier maturing wine, but may last a couple more years....went well with roast Chicken dinner, this evening.
|
|
Red
|
2020 MontGras Cabernet Sauvignon Intriga
Maipo Valley
more
|
On nose and palate: black currants, smoke, oak, pipe tobacco , black pepper, a ghost of Asian spices, and dark chocolate, all displayed on a bold full bodied frame, with lively tannins, showing promise with more aging for this 4 year old wine, after a two hour decant......a consistent product, more well knit even, than the 2017, and 2018 reviewed a few years back....fine steak wine.
|
|
Red
|
2017 Littorai Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
more
|
My first California Pinot Noir , in several years, due to overblown high alcohol encounters from various producers.
On nose green herbs, a ghost of eucalyptus and cherry pits.
On palate: all above flavour notes accounted for, with light , damp earth, tart cherry fruit and mild Kona coffee on a clean, fresh acidic backbone ....notes of allspice chime in on the finish....after a two hour decant, this New world wine displays some Old world class, with a civilized 12.9% alcohol reading ....at 7 years of age, can age a bit further, but ready now.
Ably partnered a leg of lamb, jasmine rice and vegetable medley, this evening.
|
