10/9/2012 - CSM wrote:

Brought to ICI Bistro in Toronto on Saturday, October 6, 2012. Decanted for sediment and served immediately. All I can say is wow. The nose of this wine is specacular. A little barnyard, which I happen to enjoy, but mostly beautiful floral notes (my wife said vioelts) and notes of truffle, cedar, baking spice and ripe red berries. On the palate, mainly eplays from the nose, showing mostly red berries and spice, but the thing I noticed most was the texture - pure silk. This was absolutely spectacular tonight. I would say it's just entering its prime drinking window and should remain there for 10 or so years.

6/9/2012 - CSM wrote:

Served at cellar temperature and allowed to warm slowly over 2 hours. Initially notes of pineapple, banana, mango, white flowers and peach ton the nose. At about hour 1 nutty and mineral notes arise, mainly marzipan and almond and a note of Allen's apple juice emerges.

Rich and unctuous on the palate, showing pear, peach and butterscotch, with good acidity. Lovely balance in this wine with none of the noticeable heat of the last bottle. Outstanding!

Would think this will start to shut down over the near term so drink over the next 6 months or hold for 10 plus years.

5/21/2012 - CSM wrote:

Drank at ICI Bisto in Toronto. Decanted for approximately thirty minutes before first glass and then followed over 2 hours. Still youthful on the nose, with raspberry, fig, red liquorice, with a touch of earth. Very little secondary development on the nose. On the palate again showed mostly raspberry, with some cherry notes but pretty one-dimensional. Revisit in 2-3 years.

11/5/2011 - CSM wrote:

This has improved over the last six months. Grenache much more prevalent on the nose, which showed red licorice, kirsch, raspberry and vanilla. Predominantly red cherry and raspberry on the palate, with nice juicy acidity. Longish finish of around 40 seconds.

9/4/2011 - CSM wrote:

Decanted for around 45 minutes. Very intense nose showing truffle, cedar, mushroom, leather, spice and a core of sweet red fruit. Beautiful texture on the palate, showing cherry, fig and spice, with tannins fully resolved and a long finish.

4/24/2011 - CSM wrote:

Really beautiful nose of raspbery, truffle and garrigue with raspberry ganache and truffle on the palate. Slightly drying on the finish, which is the only thing that prevents this from scoring 90+. Screaming value at $15. I have a few more left and can't wait to see how they develop.

4/9/2011 - CSM wrote:

Served at cellar temperature, nose showed notes of banana, pineapple, caramel apples, fennl and honey. Palat not quite as iteresting as the nose, showing mainly pear and melon, with a nice bead of acidity. May be starting to shut down, but still a very nice showing from this wine. Important not to serve this wine much colder than cellar temperature because the colder it got, the less interesting it got.

3/26/2011 - CSM wrote:

Decanted for 45 minutes to one hour. Very inviting nose of blackberry, dark chocolate, cedar and smoke. Plush mouthfeel with nice acidity and repeats of flavours from the nose. Deducted 2 points for the slightly drying finish, but would imagine this will be gon in a year or so and there's plenty of fruit left to wait for it to do so. Certainly didn't get many grenache notes on either the nose or the palate (the cab is very dominant right now), but a delicious wine and a superb value at $29 from the local monopoly.

3/9/2011 - CSM wrote:

Very disappointing and did not live up to previous bottles. Had a big green streak on the palate (hopefully just an off bottle, so rating withheld).

2/13/2011 - CSM wrote:

Decanted for around an hour at home and then poured back into the bottle and decanted a further hour and a half at the Restaurant Didier in Toronto. Nose showed notes of red licorice, red cherry, cigar smoke, truffle and lots of sweet cedar. In the mouth, lots of red fruits, sweet tannins that were mostly resolved, and very nice acidity. Very, very nice showing from this wine. Drink now to 2015.

1/23/2011 - CSM wrote:

This was rather disappointing tonight. 2 hour decant. Initially, if served blind I would have sworn this was a Niagara red from a warm year. The nose was all smoke and green pepper (would have sworn it was underripe Cab Franc). Poured one glasss and finally, at around the two hour mark, some red fruit started to emerge, but that green pepper note never went away. In the mouth, tannic and lacking some fruit, but there was some really nice acidity that makes me think this is simply going through an awkward phase and needs. No rating due to the disjointed nature of ths bottle, but this was night and day from the last bottle I had which I really enjoyed.

12/7/2010 - CSM wrote:

I think others are being a little harsh with this wine. While certainly not a complex wine, it's certainly enjoyable. Nose is all chocolate, red fruit and vanilla (shows new oak, but not excessive). Palate is a little one-dimensional, showing mostly raspberry, with some licorice. Finish is a touch hot but has some nice length.

7/23/2010 - CSM wrote:

This wine is not ready yet, but it still was pretty outstanding. The nose showed mostly sweet black cherries with some, cola, sassafrass and baking spice. The palate showed black cherry, spice and vanilla. There was some warmth and some astringency on the finish, which prevents this from scoring higher. Revisit in 2-3 years and it should be a 93 point wine.

11/7/2009 - CSM wrote:

Initially showed no fruit at all, so I decanted for 2 hours. Nose showed red currant, raspberry, cedar and bittersweet chocolate. Palate showed raspberry, red currant, smoke and a bit of dark chocolate. Finish was a bit hot and tannic which prevented this from scoring higher, but that should come together in time, so this should improve.

8/30/2009 - CSM wrote:

Nose of buttered popcorn, pineapple, pear, vanilla oak and bananas. On the palate showed a lot of pear with some other tropical fruits and vanilla. Nice acidity on the long finish. Should age for several more years.

8/15/2009 - CSM wrote:

Popped and poured. Nose of candied cherry, strawberry, red licorice, evergreen forest and some earthiness. Palate is silky smooth, no discernible tannins, tasting of sour cherry, rhubarb and raspberry, with a touch of heat on the finish.

8/12/2009 - CSM wrote:

Popped (well cracked I guess given that this is bottled under screwcap) and poured. Lovely nose of black cherry, bacon fat, violets, cola and chocolate. Silky smooth on the palate, showing pretty much exclusively black cherry on the palate, with a hint of caramel. Dusty tannins and a long finish. Don't see it improving over time. Drink now through 2012.

7/18/2009 - CSM wrote:

Good, but rather simple. Nose of rhubarb, strawberry and a hint of vanilla. On the palate mostly strawberry and cranberry, with some lesser notes of spice. Short finish. Drink now.

7/2/2009 - CSM wrote:

I love this!

Nose of honey, pear, jasmine, lime, mineral and a nutty aroma that I couldn't quite place. Initially on the palate this was all apple and minerals, but as it warmed up, notes of roasted almonds and honey came to the forefront. Unctuous through and through, with a long finish of pear and almods 45 seconds plus.

6/13/2009 - CSM wrote:

Popped and tasted, then decanted for 2 hours prior to drinking. Initially the nose was very bretty and showed only smoke and the wine was all tanins. After time, showed a nose of cigar smoke, tar, flowers cardamom, anise, blackberry and plum and tasted of black fruit, and spice. Firm tannins and a long finish. Really, really good now, but will ony get better. Won't touch another for at least 3 years.

6/6/2009 - CSM wrote:

Very nice wine. Nose of sour cherry, cranberry and spice. On the palate, all cherry and spice, with a hint of strawberry. Nice acidity. Slight driness on the finish prevents it from scoring 90+. Don't see this getting much better so drink up.

5/27/2009 - CSM wrote:

Wow, this has really improved. Golden colour, nose of apple, apricot, almond, but no noticeable peach notes anymore. Palate has become unctuous, showing apricot, pineapple and apple, with a medium-length, almond-tinged finish. Really very good stuff.

5/2/2009 - CSM wrote:

Not as good as previous bottle. Nose of peaches, honey and lime, palate much the same. Not as unctuous as one would expect from a Condrieu. medium finish.

4/25/2009 - CSM wrote:

Decided to pop the cork on one of these early. Decanted for 1.5 hours prior to pouring first glass. Nose of raspbery ganache, figs, cigar, smoke, red licorice and garigue. Palate showed cocoa powder, raspbery and red licorice. Firm tannins that need time to smooth out. Longish finish that is somewhat bitter and that prevents this from scoring higher. Won't touch another for at least 3 years.

4/18/2009 - CSM wrote:

Nose of blackberry, raspberry, plum and garigue. Palate shows raspberry and blackberry. Hot finish. Really good stuff for the price.

4/15/2009 - CSM wrote:

Nose of strawbery and rhubarb. Delicious palate showing strawberry, raspberry and rhubarb. Acidity and sweetness in excellent harmony. Really good stuff.

4/10/2009 - CSM wrote:

Truly amazing. Initially, little fruit on the nose, showing honey, hazelnut and some juniper berry. Over time showed more tropical fruit like passionfruit, pineapple, banana, apricot and some apple. Unctuous on the palate, showing honeyed apple, apricot, pear and passionfruit. Finish goes on and on. I'm so happy to have five more of these, because this has the stuff to go for quite a while and will get nothing but better.

3/28/2009 - CSM wrote:

Three hour decant. This wine is a beast right now. Overwhelming nose of cigar and olive tapenade, some black fruit hiding in the background. On the palate, quite thin and tight, with some black fruit and firm tannins. Hot finish. Not very well balanced right now, but there plenty of potential and should develop into something special. A steal at $20. Can't wait to see how this progressses.

3/28/2009 - CSM wrote:

Notes of rhubarb, tea, and rasberry. Simple, but nice tasting. Short finish. Good value though. Would buy again.

3/20/2009 - CSM wrote:

Initially a nose of brambly fruit, but with time became more port-like, showing some prune and raisin notes. Lush and velvety on the palate, with only a hint of tannin. Tasted, mostly of blackberry and prune. Very good.

3/15/2009 - CSM wrote:

Nose of beeswax, apricot, honey and some baking spice (nose was that of a 90+ point wine). Palate was sweet (almost excessively), showing honey, candied apple, appricot, though it was watery and had a somewhat dissapointingly short finish.

3/15/2009 - CSM wrote:

Decanted for approximately 1.5 hours before first taste.

On the nose beautiful scents of violets, tar, dark chocolate, smoke and blackberry. Initially very thin on the palate, showing little fruit and only acidity. After 2-2.5 hours in the decanter, this really came around, showing raspberry, currant and chocolate, with some spice. Long finish of 40+ seconds. Think this needs more time to really show its stuff.

3/7/2009 - CSM wrote:

Overwhelming nose of licorice, with some blackberry fruit and some spice, mostly blackberries on the palate, hollow midpalate, a touch short on the finish.

1/25/2009 - CSM wrote:

Initially very closed showing only smoke and spice. After 4+ hour decant, fruit started to emerge, showing nice raspberry, red currant, fig paste and hot stone on the nose, with raspberry, red currant and chocolate on the palate. Medium finish, but was a tad hot, which prevented the wine from scoring 90+. Great QPR and will revisit in 3-5 years.

2/14/2009 - CSM wrote:

Classic Condrieu. Honeyed nose with peach and apricot and floral notes as well. Creamy texture, showing peach, honey, nice minerality and acidity. Intense. Medium finish. Very nice.

2/14/2009 - CSM wrote:

Dark inky purple colour. Beautiful nose of of currant, tar, dark chocolate and crushed flowers. Nice black fruit, vanilla, spice and chocolate on the palate. Medium-long finish 30-45 seconds. Tannins still a bit firm on the finish, so wait a year to give more time to integrate. Will last for 5+ years.