11/13/2023 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

My second bottle of this great vermouth (not sure about the tasting/opening date, but likely late 2022 to early 2023), and I'll just repeat what I said before: This is a remarkable beverage, a vermouth that is deep and rich and best drunk neat with a chill (if not cold). It's strongly medicinal, to be sure, with quite a bit of bitterness building on the palate through the long finish, but the bitterness is fruity, like grapefruit and orange pith, and that bitter fruit goes well with the other, sweeter notes of apricot, caramel, honey, and licorice, all with a deep amber color and a silky texture just short of, say, Pedro Ximenez sherry. The bitterness is necessary, actually, lest the rest become cloying, and it all stays well in check, mostly, even if the bitterness is, in the end, a bit too strong.

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7/5/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

Per the style and method -- "re-passing" a young Valpolicella over the leftover skins and lees from Amarone wines -- Ripassos tend to be relatively thick and sweet, almost jammy, if often quite complex. And that can be fine, if not overdone. But this example from Bertani is a step above and possibly the best Ripasso I've ever tasted (and at $25 in Ontario it's a little above the norm but exceptional value given the quality). At first, the strongly Syrah-like aromas are right out of the Rhône, notably the dark berries, black pepper, and herbs (garrigue, if this weren't an Italian wine), but then, with time, it seems more like a French Syrah by way of Tuscan Sangiovese, with lighter fruit notes of raspberry and cherry, additional herbal notes like raspberry leaf, as well as twigs mild brown spice, with the sort of zesty acidity one expects in tomato-friendly Tuscan reds balanced by firm but accessible tannins. But of course it's still a Ripasso from northern Italy, such comparisons aside, and it does have that "baby Amarone" quality to it, however restrained. It's big and bold, but not too much so, and the restraint really allows the overall complexity and harmony to shine. 90-91.

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7/6/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 90 points

From Mendoza, this is a Chardonnay that surprised me quite a bit. Maybe it was the silly super-heavy bottle, or maybe just an initial expectation of over-ripeness and over-extraction, but it's actually a nicely lean and complex expression, a wine with a pronounced sense of being alive, very much within the idiom of higher-altitude Argentinean whites. It needs some time still to open up, and it's quite reserved in the fruity sense at the outset, but the initial savoury notes of nuts, minerals, and white pepper are joined ultimately by a wonderful array of fruit, such as lemon, peach, yellow plum, mango, apple, and pineapple, yet that fruit never overwhelms the savoury elements. It comes to remind me of a mix of great Chilean Chardonnay and a Campania white like Greco di Tufo, the aromas and flavours balanced, just like the sweetness and acidity on the palate, all leading to a dry, prolonged finish bathed in honey. I suspect it could use 2-3 more years for better integration overall, but it's still remarkably good even just a few years in. 90-91.

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5/30/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 88 points

I'll admit that I bought this mainly because of the Pink Floyd reference (plus some positive reviews), but it really is a very good wine. It's lush and decadent, thick and seductive, with ripe dark cherry and berry notes along with creamy chocolate, but it's not too jammy or confected, and what keeps it from the frequent excess of Aussie Shiraz is a solid countervailing complement of lively acidity at the core (along with soft tannins that build from the mid-palate towards the finish), and prevalent black pepper and brown spice that cut through the fruit. It's not terribly complex, to be sure, but it works really well for what it is, a hot (14.8% ABV) and powerful Clare Valley / Limestone Coast Shiraz that pushes the envelope but doesn't cross the line. And yes, it goes really well with chocolate, and perhaps also while listening to the greatest album of all time.

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5/29/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

D'aquéria is about as Tavel as Tavel gets. Or, at least, it's very much a benchmark for the region, a superb rosé that's also a solid value at $25 (in Ontario). Made with Grenache (45%), Clairette (20%), Cinsault (15%), Mourvèdre (8%), Syrah (6%), Bourboulenc (4%), and Picpoul (2%), it has the vibrant deep red, almost glittering colour of Tavel rosés, as dark as rosés get, from extended skin contact. And while the colour suggests confected sweetness, it's actually a quite dry and elegant wine showcasing fruit notes of raspberry, strawberry, cherry, redcurrant, and blood orange, mild sweetness offset by acidity and bitterness, all balanced, along with quite peppery black pepper spicing up the fruit and minerals and herbs adding background complexity. It's also really versatile, a medium-bodied and highly flavourful rosé that can be a refreshing aperitif or a complement to a broad range of dishes from a light brunch to a turkey dinner. 90-91.

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5/23/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 points

This is such superb value for quality sparkling wine, just $20 in Ontario, though that's hardly a surprise as Limoux is one of the best sources in the world for high-value bubbly, rivalled only, for me, by South Africa. Made in the traditional method (like Champagne), it's a fairly elegant wine, even if the mousse is a bit rough, with characteristic fruit notes of lemon-lime, apple, pear, and, towards the finish, grapefruit pith, plus some light bready-biscuity elements and complex minerality, including salty brine. The sweet-sour balance of the fruit, riding a wave of refreshing acidity, is balanced by the pithy bitterness, and overall there's good harmony, if not weighty seriousness here, making for a refined, easy-drinking bubbly that pairs well with all manner of brunch, for example.

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5/14/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 86 points

For an inexpensive, relatively generic wine, this isn't so bad. Made from Rivaner, a cross between Riesling and Madeleine Royale stemming from the 1880s and now one of the most planted varietals in Germany, it's more or less a light, sweet Riesling, reserved on the nose but quite thick and fleshy on the palate, aromas of lemon, peach, almond, and white flowers replayed on the palate along with other fruit like pear and apple. It's certainly too sweet and lacking in acidity, the fruit sort of muddled together, but there's actually some decent structure, notably on the finish, where lightly drying tannins put a stop to the sweetness just before it turns overly cloying. For what it is, generic and mass-produced, it's a well-made German wine that's easily quaffable in a spritzer, as a simple aperitif, or as a refreshing complement to a light dinner, at least if well-chilled.

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5/11/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 points

From "a landscape of 70 year old vines" (according to the website) at the La Carbonera winery (named after a vineyard in Labastida) in Rioja Alavesa, this is another fine example of the Torres family, one of my very favorite producers anywhere, expressing authenticity of both region and varietal in Spain. It's 100% Tempranillo, but it has very little of the manipulation, through oak and aging, of so much Rioja. There's a lactic buttery note on the nose, to be sure, as well as some brown spice, but no sandalwood or coconut. Instead, the fruit is at the fore, ripe and somewhat jammy but still quite lively, mostly dark berries and cherries, along with well-balanced dried fruit like raisin. With an ABV of 14.5%, it carries a lot of richness and thickness, but it isn't terribly hot, the alcohol also balanced. Time in the open lessens the freshness and brings a sort of syrupy caramel, even Bourbon, note, the fine-grained tannins also fading, but even then it remains a pleasantly lush and tasty wine, not to mention a good value at $20 (in Ontario). As always, Torres knows what it's doing. 88-89.

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5/10/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 88 points

It's hard to know what to make of this 8-year-old Clare Valley Riesling, from 50+-year-old vines. The aromas and flavours suggest nicely aged Riesling, with petrol, honey, and slate minerality leading the way, along with decently complex fruit notes of lemon-lime, apple, and peach-nectarine, the citrus acidity contrasting well with the sweeter, fleshier fruit. But unlike, say, really good Mosel Riesling, the balance here seems off, the elements not fully integrated, harmony lacking, notably on the mid-palate and then through the dry, overtly bitter finish. I doubt further aging would help all that much, but maybe a couple of years would tame the bitterness, though at the risk of the fruit receding even more.

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5/8/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 87 points

A rare find from Luxembourg, at least for Ontario, this is a decent if hardly exceptional bubbly that certainly delivers well for just a bit over $20. It's "produced" in Luxembourg, but, according to the label, it's made from "European Community's grapes," and so, well, who knows? It's a notch below the rosé, but there's still a lot to like. Neither terribly complex nor refined (the mousse is a bit rough), it's initially fruit-forward with apple and lemon notes (a pleasant sweet-sour balance), and with time it turns more savoury with raw almond on the nose and a nice mineral element entering on the palate, mostly a salty, briny character, maybe a touch of biscuit as well but not much. Again, it's decent, and quite enjoyable and refreshing as, say, an accompaniment to brunch.

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5/3/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 points

From San Martin de Unx, a town just east of Tafalla in Baja Montaña, a sub-region of Navarra, this is a Garnacha very much unlike most Garnachas I've ever had, still quite tannic even at 11 years, and also quite lean and dusty, from limestone soils at an altitude around 700m. Despite this leanness, the aromas are perceptibly quite sweet and lush, with caramel, maple syrup, and milk chocolate swirling around herbs, cherries, and ripe berries (strawberry), and blood orange, while it turns leaner on the palate with less sweetness and more of the fruity acidity, leading to a dry and rather bitter finish. It doesn't have great length or depth, which keeps it below a 90, but it's close, and overall it's an intriguing expression of Garnacha, quite far from the more common soft, fruit-forward, easily-accessible ones. This one takes time, and even 11 years may not be enough (it may have 5-8 more years for prime drinking), though it still offers a lot now.

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5/1/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

This is quite the (Grand Cru) Gewürztraminer, thick and lush and syrupy, more a Gewürztraminer for people who love Gewürztraminers than any sort of accessible entry point to the varietal, a mega-Gewürztraminer of sorts. The texture is just short of ice wine, and it really needs to be chilled. It wasn't nearly cold enough when I first tasted it and it was just way too syrupy, way too flabby, the sweetness cloying. It remains sweet, but well-chilled it comes into relative (off-dry Riesling-like) balance, nicely structured, still thick but more varietally clear, with characteristic notes of lychee and rose, fruit complexity with guava, pineapple, mango, orange, and lemon-lime, warming ginger and nutmeg, and honey. It works well with suitable food that complements the sweetness, spiciness, florality, and tropical fruitiness (e.g., southeast Asian dishes), but it's even better on its own, almost like a dessert wine (hence also with dessert), if with a drier finish, as it has such great body and depth, not to mention highly impressive length. 90-91.

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4/28/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 90 points

This was my first wine from Montecucco, a region in southern Tuscany, and my first taste of Ciliegiolo, a lesser-known Italian varietal that makes up 10% of this wine along with 80% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. And it's excellent, very much like a quality Chianti mixed with a touch of Barbaresco. The Cabernet provides a sense of soft, lush juiciness, a roundness, but the core is earthy and dusty, with fine tannins and refreshing acidity. The nose is heavy with floral aromas (rose), along with herbs, red berries, cherries (Ciliegiolo means "little cherry"), and black pepper, all replayed on the palate, which turns quite dry and bitter (orange pith) on the finish. There's a really nice balance of fruity and savoury elements here, and it's just a really well-composed wine and a distinct expression of Tuscany.

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4/24/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 88 points

Like Cherubino's Cabernet-Merlot blend (I recently tasted the 2018), this is a soft, accessible, authentic red from Western Australia that's also a solid value ($20 here, compared to an even better $18 for the other). The Shiraz lacks the overall complexity of the Cab-Merlot, though interestingly the savoury qualities of that wine reminded me of French Syrah. This starts out even more like a French Syrah, led by a strong, and very appealing, note of freshly-cracked black pepper, along with ripe cherry and raspberry, herbs (a sense of garrigue), and creamy vanilla and caramel, quite strong at 14.5% ABV but not overly so. With time, the black pepperiness recedes a bit, leaving more of the juicy fruit, with just enough acidity (and also barely enough tannins, though the finish is rather gritty) to balance, almost, the softness, and thankfully there's none of the odd earthy funk that took over the Cab-Merlot. It's neither an overblown Aussie Shiraz nor a lean, savoury French Syrah, but that's not a bad thing. It's somewhere in between, and very enjoyable at that.

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4/17/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 90 points

This showed up at the LCBO in 2022, and it's awfully nice to experience an (almost) 11-year-old classical bubbly, a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) from South Africa, one of the absolute best sources of bubbly in the world for both quality and value (and this is indeed great value at $26). From Robertson, an inland region due east of Cape Town, it spent 36 months on the lees, and the result is a robust, yeasty, deeply-hued wine of orange and gold with a creamy texture, elegant mousse, and notes of apricot, apple, lime, green olive and brine, raw nuts, buttered toast, and biscuit, very dry but certainly not light and crisp. It seems slightly discombobulated at first, but it really comes together with some time in the open, the complex, intriguing flavours riding a wave of honey (even a mead-like character), some further citrus, of the orange variety, bringing much-needed tartness (if even a bit too much) to cut through the richness. 90-91.

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8/9/2021 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

This is a remarkable beverage, a vermouth that is deep and rich and best drunk neat with a chill (if not cold). Remarkably, too, while I tasted this in August 2021, there was some left a year later, in the fridge, and... it was still remarkably good. It's strongly medicinal, to be sure, with quite a bit of bitterness building on the palate through the long finish, and the extra year made it seem even more medicinal, strangely, but the bitterness is fruity, like grapefruit and orange pith, and that bitter fruit goes well with the other, sweeter notes of apricot, caramel, honey, and licorice, all with a deep amber color and a silky texture just short of, say, Pedro Ximenez sherry. The bitterness is necessary, actually, lest the rest become cloying, and it all stays well in check, mostly, even if the bitterness is, in the end, a bit too strong.

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4/15/2022 - mjwstickings wrote: 85 points

Is this a table wine or a port wine? That is, is it a "normal" dinner / food wine or a dessert / after-dinner wine? Well, it's both, sort of, and yet neither. Whatever the case, it's a ridiculous, over-the-top wine that is way too much to be a suitable table wine yet not nearly rich and deep enough to be a serious port. A blend of mostly Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Zinfandel, it brings an ABV of 15.5%, part of the ridiculousness, dominant notes of baking spice (clove, cinnamon), sweet dried fruit (raisin, date, prune), and oak-derived vanilla caramel, and a soft, jammy texture with almost no tannic structure (except for a somewhat dusty finish) and acidity. There are also background dark berry fruit notes, but the fruit just seems overly ripe, sweet, and over-cooked. Wines like this are often described as "sexy," even "hedonistic," but I find such descriptors as ridiculous (and stupid) as the wines, as if it's somehow sexy to be a puddle of goo. Plus, there's absolutely no sense of place here -- no terroir. It could be from anywhere, even if the "style" is certainly Californian, in a bad way. Okay, if I'm being generous, this is fine for what it is, if you like this sort of thing. I'd much rather have a wine that has a sense of balance and expresses terroir, especially for the price (a stupid and ridiculous $28 in Ontario), or a real dessert wine. This, again, is neither. 85-86.

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4/9/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 90 points

This may not be quite at the level of Margreid's "Punggl," which may the best Pinot Grigio I've ever tasted, but it's wonderful nonetheless (and a superb value at $20 in Ontario, compared to $32 for the Punggl, which, to be fair, is also superb value). Showing white flowers immediately on the nose, it's a complex white with aromas of lemon, nuts, white pepper, herbs and Asian spice (especially ginger), all nicely replayed on the palate, where peach, apricot, apple, and pear add to the fruit mix and the texture becomes almost creamy, a certain fruity fleshiness combining with the zesty, acidic citrus, and it really does seem like sweet-sour fruit bathed in, and almost baked with, a balanced array of spicy, savoury flavours. Pinot Grigio doesn't exactly have a great reputation as a varietal for serious wines, as so many are crisp, light, and simply forgettable, but Margreid once again proves otherwise.

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4/8/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 91 points

I first tasted this exceptional wine -- a blend of 42% Shiraz, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot -- in November 2015. Back then, it was a 91, "a tightrope blend of two distinct French styles -- elegant, Cab-based Bordeaux meeting rustic, Syrah-based Midi -- and in that blend it achieves remarkable balance and complexity. Cassis, blackberry, raspberry, tobacco, graphite, smoke, black pepper, roast meat," "supported by impressive structure and enlivening acidity, the intensity building throughout," with impressive depth and length." Seven years later, it's still fantastic. (And still an amazing value at just $20 in Ontario.) The structure is softer but still holding up nicely, while the aromas and flavours have shifted towards the savoury, with more prominent notes of smoked and roasted meat along with some dried and baked fruit character, though the other notes are still there, including tobacco and ripe dark berries and currants. It's still walking that tightrope, and it still has quite a few years left of its prime.

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4/3/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 88 points

At 10 years of age, this old vines Garnacha is right about at its peak. It's not terribly complex, but the balance and integration are both excellent, the structure holding up with fine-grained tannins that are still fairly firm and lingering acidity that cuts through the ripe fruit, plus a solid core of minerality that, along with some pepper spice and herbal character, provides a nice savoury core and counterfoil to the dark cherry and berries. Aged for six months in American and French oak, it's seemingly both rich/deep and lightly vibrant, as well as both mature and youthful, and it probably has another 3-5 years of development left within its peak for the tannins to soften a bit more. It's a solid, serious Garnacha from Navarra, a decent value at $24 in Ontario, and just a really nice red entering its maturity. 88-89.

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3/29/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 points

Cabernet Franc is one of my favourite varietals, if not my favourite red one, and I generally really like wines from the Loire, but here's one that's just not ready yet. Not even close. Still so tight and wound up, the tannins are puckeringly firm, utterly dominating the highly astringent late palate and finish, while the acids are cuttingly sharp. Even by the third day, the acidity softening a bit, the tannins, with a certain woody character, remain unrelenting. That said, I would tend to give wines from Chinon, from a top producer, the benefit of the doubt, and I'd give this 3-5 years, and it may well be at or near its peak through the end of the decade. I say this because there's a lot to like even now, and a lot for which to be hopeful. It's authentic, to be sure, though rather powerful at 14.5% ABV. Notes of blackberry, black pepper, green pepper, herbs, earth, and graphite, along with a hint of tobacco that may develop over time, express both region and varietal in a deeply savoury way, and certainly with patience now it's possible to get a sense of what may be coming once it unwinds. It's hard to score it, but it could end up between 88 and 91, I'd say, as even if not hugely appealing now it still shows enough to warrant an 89 with significant upside if all goes well.

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3/17/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 88 points

From my experience, Mastroberardino is a benchmark producer of benchmark wines in Campania, a producer of authentic expressions of both red and white local varietals. This Aglianico, the key red varietal grown in Irpinia, a region directly east of Naples and south of Sannio, is no exception. At this youthful stage, however, it clearly needs more time. Even by the second day, after significant aeration, it hasn't come together. The tannins are still quite firm and bitter (dominating the finish), the acidity still quite sharp (dominating the palate), and the combination overwhelms the rest, even though the rest suggests quality and authenticity with notes of dark berries, dried fruit / pot pourri, brown spice, earth, and minerals, all quite dense and rough but still very much in line with Aglianico. These notes are apparent on the really nice nose, along with a buttery quality, but they disperse pretty much right away on the palate. So what is it? There's a lot of potential here, clearly, but that means 88 at this point, with upside to 90, still a benchmark wine but not there yet, and with hope and assumption that such a lofty level is attainable, maybe in 2-3 years, maybe as many as five.

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3/6/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 points

I tend to recoil from wines made in the general Bordeaux appellation, as they tend to be cheap, generic, and created for the broad international market, but this blend of 80% Merlot and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, made by a team that includes (as the label says, no doubt to emphasize the credibility of this "Bordeaux") the co-owner of Château Angélus (a Saint-Émilion grand cru classé), is a counterpoint to any such stereotype. To be sure, it lacks anything like sub-regional distinction. It's a solid, general Merlot-dominant red, if still, to its credit, distinctively Bordeaux -- and for $20, that's pretty good. From one of the best vintages of the century so far, it's now somewhat past its prime but still a nicely aged expression of the broader region, certainly still holding together with its soft tannins and still-puckering acidity, and it's also surprisingly juicy and round (even a bit syrupy), even if the juice is now about super-ripe, stewed, and dried fruit, a combination of dark berries, cherries, plums, raisins, and prunes. There's also some earth and general umami character, as well as mild forest floor, purple flower, and licorice / herbal notes, all of which are regionally authentic and contribute to the overall complexity. It still seems too... general/generic, but it's pretty impressive for "Bordeaux."

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4/18/2022 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 87 points

Back when I reviewed the 2011, I called this wine "a bit odd," and "hardly distinct either regionally or varietally." "With all the heavy, sweet oak here, coming through in notes of caramel, vanilla, and spice, you wouldn't really think this is Tuscan wine... t's an untraditional wine from the start, a sort of inexpensive... 'Super Tuscan.' And yet it works pretty well, with notes of blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, and dark cherry, as well as an earthy-meaty-leathery-bretty quality, to balance the oakiness, along with enlivening acidity to counter the general heaviness." It's very much the same with the 2017, which showcases a tobacco note, has a lot of funky brett, and, with food, is fine overall.