11/24/2023 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is simply sumptuous. The value for money is beyond incredible and I regret that I didn't by more. This is a wine that reveals the wonderful qualities of Touriga Nacional, a grape that is so often under-rated but outshines ridiculously over-priced Cab Sauv. The nose immediately reveals the balance of this wine. Black fruits, chocolate, graphite, vanilla, with none of them dominating. The nose is true to the palate. It is incredibly well balanced with rounded tannins - nicely resolved, medium bodied, a full mouth feel and a deliciously long finish, that draws you into another sip, and another. I bought a bottle. I wish I'd bought a case. I've tasted $100 bottles that don't come close to this $22 bottle of Portuguese gold. Superb. If you find it, buy it.

11/3/2023 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A very pretty wine that shimmers in the glass with ruby, violet and purple hues. The aromatics are delicate and complex with notes of rose, red cherry and plum. The palate is fine, medium-bodied with a velvety mouth feel. Driven by red fruit- red cherries, cranberries , raspberries, which are laced with rose and violet floral notes and a hint of spice. Wonderfully balanced with resolved tannins, a long finish with tea and tobacco notes, it is wonderfully balanced and drinking well right now.

11/1/2023 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful example of a Carignan, Grenache blend produced by the Cave Cooperative of Mount Tauch in Tuchan, and amazing value at $18 (CDN). I opened it it, took my first sip and immediately wished I had bought a few more. The cépages is 40% carignan, 40% grénache and 20% syrah - a classic Languedoc-Rousillon blend. The nose is full and vibrant with blackberries, dark plum, garrigue and cedar. And the palate is true to the nose with the addition of chocolate oak and vanilla. Full bodied, with resolved but still chewy tannins, this is well-balanced and easily sipped on its own or a wonderful a companion to grilled beef or a classic blanquette de veau. This is a wine that shows what two wrongly maligned characters of southern French wine history - cooperatives and carignan - can produce.

10/7/2023 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A classic Barolo. Licorice, coffee and herbs on the nose. Tannins are still grippy and a delicious blend of rose, cherry mint, and tar in the mouth. Drank this with a delicious ribeye which cut the tannins. There's a lot of life left in this.

10/4/2023 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is a lovely Cabernet blend (Cab Franc/Cab Sauv) and a good example of what Ontario is capable of producing. The wine is still fruit forward with a wonderful complexity- black fruit and cassis dominate with leather, cloves and tobacco pushing through. Tannins are still grippy but softening. It's drinking well now but has life in it. I wish I had another bottle to try 5-10 years down the road ...

9/15/2023 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Intriguing and complex on the nose. Notes of tropical fruits - primarily pineapple and lychee, but also baked apple and caramel. Baked apple and caramel also on the palate. Sweet but not overly so for a late harvest. Would pair nicely with a creamy blue-veined cheese like Stilton, Mount Cashel or Fourme d'Ambert.

3/14/2023 - kmacd wrote:

Marc-Olivier is a dynamic young wine-maker in Pézanas working with 6 ha and low yields. Certified organic and working the vines biodynamically, this is his top cuvée. It is stellar Syrah with just a little Mourvedre added to spice things up. The nose is nicely complex with a mélange of cedar, raspberries, black cherry, cinnamon and dark chocolate. The mouth is true to the nose. It is medium bodied but is nicely round and extremely well-balanced with soft tannins and a long finish. This is the product of a wine-maker just heading into his game. He'll be doing amazing things in the years to come. Oh and his domaine was crowd-funded!

1/4/2022 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A surprisingly pleasing drink. Used it in a Coq au Vin and wish I'd reserved more to drink. Raspberry, bramble and chalk on the nose. Raspberry, strawberry, white pepper and a hint of graphite on the paplate. Medium bodied with a long finish. Great value at $25.

1/3/2022 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A very nice blend and good value at $25. Black fruits, cedar, pencil shavings and vanilla on the nose. Blackberry, cedar, graphite, tobacco and menthol on the palate. Long finish with very grippy tannins. Likely a few years in this yet for the tannins to soften.

11/18/2021 - kmacd Does not like this wine:

This is an uninspired wine. There is little on the nose - a hint of red fruit, cedar and graphite. On the palate it is thin with muted raspberry and currant that is overwhelmed by chalky (not chewy) tannins and a sour and bitter aftertaste. That's not a flaw, just a bad wine. It went down the sink.

10/7/2021 - kmacd wrote:

A classic Brunello. The nose is alive with fruit - plum, strawberry with muted scents of tomato, pencil shavings, tobacco and oregano. Om the palate, the fruits are more muted and tomato, cherry, plum and oregano shine forth. The tannins are nicely integrated and it is drinking well now. It would be nice to try this again in a couple of years, but, alas, this is my last bottle.

9/14/2021 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A blend of dark chocolate, flint, black tea and dried cherries on the nose, opens to classic notes of strawberry, leather, anise and licorice on the palate. The tannins are nicely integrated and I don't think it has much longer to go.

5/14/2021 - kmacd wrote:

A year has improved this wine, which was already stellar. Tar, rose, cranberry and cherry on the nose, which carry through to the palate. A mouthfeel that combines delicacy and rusticity with gentle tannins appearing on the finish. Beautifully balanced.

2/26/2021 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is quite good, though better on the nose than the palate. The nose is very fruit forward with a melange of red fruits and jam. The fruit persists on the palate but is more muted, followed quickly by oak, eucalyptus (odd for an Ontario wine) and pencil shavings. Intriguing and reasonably well-balanced but I'm not sure why the winery chose to label this a 'reserve' given that there's no legal basis for a 'reserve' wine in Ontario. It certainly doesn't live up to the quality of a reserve wine in places where that has a legal definition.

2/17/2021 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is a lovely Morgon. Red fruit on the nose and a blend of red berries, cranberries and green tea on the palate, muted tannins. Nicely balanced with a medium mouth feel and a long enjoyable finish. Paired well with herbed roast chicken. Wish I had more. I do love a Morgon.

1/3/2021 - kmacd wrote:

This is an incredible wine but you wouldn't know it from the nose. Muted black fruits, ripe plums, and cedar. But it explodes in the mouth. Full-bodied, medium tannins. More complex than the nose gives away, the black fruits open to eucalyptus, graphite and cedar with an incredibly long finish that almost sticks to your gums.

12/30/2020 - kmacd wrote:

Cherry pie, raspberries, and marzipan on the nose. Red berries and marzipan carry through on the palate. Medium tannins, medium-bodied with a medium finish. A wonderful example of an Aglianico del Vulture at a great price. QPR is through the roof.

11/27/2020 - kmacd Does not like this wine:

Truly awful. Frizzante with the taste of cherry cola. I would like to say it's a flaw but it's not. It's just a bad wine. A classic indication that 'reserve' has no official meaning in the Ontario wine lexicon.

10/29/2020 - kmacd wrote:

A beautifully balanced wine. Lovely aroma of cedar, vanilla and baked cherries. On the palate, ripe plums, currants, black cherries, toast and licorice. The tannins are moderate but persist in the lingering aftertaste. Tannins and a slight acidity suggest that this has another 2 or 3 years in it.

10/22/2020 - kmacd wrote:

Agree with Drinking Tree's note. It's no better after another three years and doesn't really have much to keep it going. Also, the charred oak lingers as an after taste and not in a good way - almost as smoke taint.

3/29/2020 - kmacd wrote:

A wonderful Volnay. Cherry, vanilla and cinnamon on the nose and the palate follows through. Medium bodied, medium tannins with cherries, prunes, leather and spice.

3/20/2020 - kmacd Likes this wine:

The years have done wonders for this wine. On the nose black fruit, mushroom and forest floor. In the mouth this opens to black cherries, blackberries, leather and spice. This has evolved into a beautiful blend of tannin and and black fruit, which paired nicely with porcini steak and roasted root vegetables.

3/4/2020 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Acetone, stewed red fruit and a hint of chocolate on the nose. Full mouth feel, well-balanced thought it's still hot. Black fruit, prunes, leather, tobacco and pepper on the palate with a medium finish. Enjoyable on its own or with grilled meats. Drinking well right now.

2/22/2020 - kmacd wrote:

A lovely Priorat. Baked raspberry, liver and cacao on the nose. Slightly mineral on the palate with red and black fruits, pepper and cacao. Thetaniins and still grippy and the alcohol is present but not overwhelming. Very enjoyable and great QPR.

2/22/2020 - kmacd wrote:

Took this out of the cellar last night and was so pleasantly surprised. Blackberry jam, plum, dark chocolate and cassis on the nose. An incredibly full mouthfeel. Blackberries forward on the palate with raspberry and chocolate on the mid-palate. The alcohol is still there but the tannins are so beautifully rounded that they have almost fully integrated leaving just a hint of chalk. An incredible value when you think the CdP costs almost twice the price.

2/19/2020 - kmacd wrote:

Classic Sangiovese. The bouquet of sour cherry, tomato and oregano carries through to the palate, with the addition of red currants and espresso. Not sure there's much left on this. Drink up if you got 'em.

11/6/2019 - kmacd wrote:

This is a wonderful wine. The nose is all charcoal, wood and pepper. I was worried that the charcoal would dominate but in the mouth it is wonderfully complex but balanced. Full and fruit forward at first with blackberries, cassis, plum; and notes of tobacco, cedar and spice in the long finish. Then mouthfeel is velvety, but the chewy tannins come through in the end. Add food, though, and they recede altogether. This still has some life in it and I wish I had a couple of bottles left to see what it’s like another 2 or 3 years when the tannins are more muted. If you like a good Pinotage, you will like this wine. At $22 CDN, this is incredible quality for value.

10/27/2019 - kmacd wrote:

Delicious. Blackberry jam on the nose. Chewy but with muted tannins. Pruneau d'Agen dominates the palate with a slight hint of pepper and casis. Incredible value for money, but I wouldn't hold on to it any longer. Drinking at its peak right now.

10/27/2019 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is a wine that demonstrates the potential of Carignan. Long a derided varietal of Languedoc, Carignan is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance in southern France (check out "Make Carignan Great Again" on Google). Set aside for a few years, it shows how vinification and skill makes a difference. If in the 50s Carignan was feeding the needs of the industrial north, this shows how Carignan can play a central part in the rise of Languedoc. While the nose starts off funky and mellows into tar, it is incredibly well-balanced, with well-integrated tannins. The fruit still shines through, dominated by black cherry and notes of chocolate and spice. I'd be intrigued by what people who sampled this in 2014 think of this wine in 2019. Carignan is a varietal that needs time to come its its own.

10/27/2019 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is a wonderful example of what happens to a Faugeres when you let it sit in the cellar for just a while. The tannins are wonderfully integrated without muting any of the fruit. This wine remains fruit forward, with an infusion of vanilla, spice, and leather. This is definitely not a wine for drinking around the pool on a warm July day. But here we are almost in November and it's perfect. Full-bodied and dry with a spiciness that lingers. Buy it if you have the chance, but don't waste it on a vegetarian, says my vegetarian friend.

10/17/2019 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is an odd blend for Cabardes - 50% Syrah, 30% Merlot, 20% Carignan, but it works so well. I brought this bottle back in 2014 and popped it last week. It was good in 2014, it was great 5 years later. A funky aroma gave way to a full mouth feel, with a soft opening followed quickly by an intense flavour of sweet cherry, tapenade and chocolate. The tannins are muted and it has excellent length. We sipped on this with a lovely pecorino and rillettes de canard to accompany - just a wonderful pairing.

7/17/2019 - kmacd wrote:

This is a questionable wine. Far from a classic Chardonnay, the aroma of petrol transfers to the palate. This is not a desirable quality like it is in a pinotage, and it's 'complemented' by an aftertaste of bitter almond. This is easily the worst wine I've had from Vineland Estates, and I'm a member of their wine club. To call this a 'Reserve' is a serious stretch.

7/27/2018 - kmacd wrote:

How far Ontario Baco Noir has come over the past 25 years. This is a superb example. Smoke, vanilla, and almond on the nose. It's nicely balanced with the tannins well-rounded. Blackberry and cassis dominates the palate with pepper and vanilla pushing through in a lingering aftertaste. Delicious. Ontario can do red!

7/12/2018 - kmacd wrote:

Muted fruit on the nose - blackberry and black cherry. Medium bodied spice forward, black pepper and cinnamon with still chewy tannins.

6/21/2018 - kmacd Likes this wine:

4 years in the cellar was good for this left bank Bordeaux. The tannins have softened and the fruit is well-integrated. On the nose,- cedar, and pencil shavings. On the tongue - black fruits (cherry, blackberry, cassis), with herbal notes and black pepper. Dry and savoury. Nicely balanced with a long finish. Paired wonderfully with a salt and pepper crusted Magret de Canard.

6/14/2018 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Medium -bodied and fruit forward. Red fruits - raspberries and blackberries but with a nice edge of black pepper and chewy tannins. A few years in the cellar has done this wine good, though I wouldn't wait much longer to rink it. It's nicely integrated right now.

6/11/2018 - kmacd wrote:

years in the cellar did wonders for this wine. The mouthfeel is unctuous, almost velvety.The tannins have receded and the fruits are still present, primarily blackberry and cassis, but beautifully integrated. Outstanding.

6/9/2018 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Fruity and structured. Red fruits forward - Cranberries, raspberries, gentle tanins, medium acidity and well balanced. Drinking very nicely right now. Paired wonderfully with lightly seasoned, grilled salmon filet.

1/18/2017 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is an excellent wine. Time in the bottle has rewarded it and dividends will likely be paid for another 2 or 3 years. But it is drinking well now. The complexity is not revealed immediately. But savoring the wine leads to a subtle but notable blend of cherry, blackberry and leather. Tannins are muted but present. Wholly enjoyable and wish I had more.

6/24/2016 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Muted berry fruits on the nose. Spice and leather on the palate with a bitter, acidic aftertaste. Tannins are still grippy. Perhaps better in two or three years, but I doubt it.

6/9/2016 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Spice and licorice on the nose. Slightly tannic, with muted berry fruit, tobacco, spice and vanilla. Enjoy on its own or with red meat off the grill. Wish I had more.

8/25/2015 - kmacd wrote:

Well-balanced. Nice to sip on its own but also a lovely accompaniment to various meats. Berry fruit on the nose and on the palate, dominated by raspberry. Mild tannins with a full mouthfeel. Wish I had another bottle. And at 16.95 (CDN), excellent QPR.
The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry and raspberry. It tastes like blackberry and raspberry.

4/30/2015 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Delicious. Wonderful nose of cassis and spice with some floral notes. The alcohol (15%) definitely comes through on the nose but is well-balanced on the palate. Incredibly well-balanced with blackberry and spice. Slightly sweet but nicely evened out by herbaceous, vanilla, tobacco notes.

4/17/2015 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A nondescript Shiraz. Notes of sour cherry and blackberry, persistent tannins. Good not great.
The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, cherry and toast. It tastes like blackberry, cherry and toast. The body is medium/full. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.

4/15/2015 - kmacd wrote:

Slightly acidic which masks the fruit. A hint of potential in the first taste but it doesn't follow through. Overly sour for a cab with moderate tannins. Previous vintages were much better.

9/20/2014 - kmacd wrote:

Lovely deep purple hue, black in the core. Decanted for 30 min. Aroma full spice, baked cherry, chocolate, and vanilla. On the palate, spice, dominated by pepper, dark cherry and chocolate. Tannins are well balanced.
The wine looks inky colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like forest floor, black pepper and pistachio. It tastes like black pepper, alcohol/hot, meaty and forest floor. The body is full. The wine has leathery texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.

9/19/2014 - kmacd Likes this wine:

A lovely aroma of dark chocolate and spice. Full-bodied, the chocolate holds on the palate, complimented by spice and blackberry. A wonderful wine. Has been in the cellar 3 years and I wish I had another to see what it's like in another 2.

8/14/2014 - kmacd wrote:

A lovely blend of spice blackberry and garrigue. Classic style with well-integrated tannins. Took it out of the cellar after two years, decanted, and left it for an hour. Simply delicious. My wife was pouring the drips out of the decanter.

8/2/2014 - kmacd Likes this wine:

This is a lively Rosé which took me by surprise as I'm generally suspicious of Ontario Rosés. A pleasant bouquet blending strawberries honey suggests a cloying sweetness. But a moderate acidity cuts the sweetness and results in a note of fresh strawberry in an elegant, but not delicate, wine. Chilled, it's just the thing at the close of a hot summer afternoon.

7/12/2014 - kmacd Likes this wine:

Enjoying this in Cabardes right now. Bold aroma of oak, spice and herbs, indicative of the terrain and perhaps where it takes its name. This is not a shy wine. There's no fruitiness here. Strong taste of herbs and spice with very chewy tannins, but it descends the throat as an angel might descend a chimney, wing tips gently brushing the rough imbricated stone. Drink it now.