3/27/22, 2:13 PM - I say the wine turned into an amazing 95 pointer with a few more years in the bottle. Your insights were spot on.
12/28/22, 10:25 PM - That's great news that the wine is continuing to improve over time!
3/29/22, 9:17 PM - I love your CellarTracker's longest-ever tasting note ... hilarious. We're all waiting for the answer since I also enjoyed Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay tonight (Tue)!
3/27/22, 3:38 PM - While it's not quite the bargoon that you got from the private store closeout, magnums are still available for $40 CAD (- 5% discount + 15% taxes) from Everything Wine: https://www.everythingwine.ca/castello-di-gabbiano-bellezza-2012-chianti-classico-gran-selezione-1-5lI just bought four (4) 1.5L bottles as part of a curated delivery recently but don't know if EW ships beyond parts of Western Canada. However, if you're in British Columbia, this is a pretty good deal for essentially two (2) bottles of nice wine for the equivalent of $20 CAD each. That's great QPR!Cheers 🍷db
3/13/22, 9:27 PM - I can't add anything more to Ajbergren's great detailed review. We enjoyed this Chablis with a sesame-crusted seared tuna from the meal-kit delivery company FreshPrep [https://www.freshprep.ca/?r=x67lcwcb~1a59rnq2]. It was a perfect pairing. Sometimes a bottle of wine and food dish just work beautifully together. Cheers.🥂
3/13/22, 3:39 PM - Great review of a very nice prosecco that our family tried for the first time on March 12, 2022. It is indeed one of the smoothest and silkiest proseccos we've enjoyed ... and we drink a lot of different styles of this favourite Italian aperitif. It deserves 90 points and Double Gold. We'll be adding it to our cellar for future consumption. Cheers. 🥂
2/20/22, 1:12 AM - I was several years late finally cracking open this bottle - best between 2015-2017 - so missed its peak. I enjoyed your review ... my experience was grey shadows of what could have been with this wine. I'm reluctant to add a score and tasting notes since it's probably not reflective of the wine at its best. Cheers. 🍷
8/29/21, 5:08 AM - So far in my hunt for 2016 unicorns, I'm 3-for-3 on this trip to wineries in the Okanagan.My first was the pair of double magnums of the 2016 Clos du Soleil Signature; second was a magnum of the 2016 Burrowing Owl Merlot; and finally were seven (7) bottles of 2016 Blind Creek Collective Cabernet Sauvignon on my visit yesterday to Road 13 Winery. I apprecaite your heads up on the various wines. I'm looking forward to cracking open the first bottle of my latest find tonight.Cheers. db
9/2/21, 8:24 AM - Ouch ... the MRSP on each bottle was $102 CAD ... discounted by 10% because I joined the Road 13 Wine Club. I would have gladly paid $56@bottle at Save-On. If there are more out there to pick up at that price from retailers, it would be a smart thing to buy what's still available. After my purchase of seven (7) bottles, the winery only has 29 bottles of the 2016 Blind Creek Collective Cabernet Sauvignon left in stock. I guess they felt okay jacking the price due to limited supply and ongoing demand. Hopefully, the QPR still holds up. Cheers. db
7/7/21, 6:02 PM - Thanks Canoehead ... I'll dig into my search a bit more. Sadly the Mission SuperStore only had 2015s but maybe Langley or Surrey might have the 'unicorn' bottles I'm seeking. In the meantime, I'll check out your other recommendations. Cheers!
8/25/21, 8:40 AM - So Canoehead, I finally found the 'unicorns' ... at the winery itself. Fortunately, we were driving right by on our way to Osoyoos so dropped in for a tasting. Clos du Soleil didn't have any 2016 bottles in 750ml formats (apparently, even the winemaker couldn't get their hands on a bottle since it sold out immediately upon release) so I had to 'settle' for a couple of double magnums instead. Both (2/12 & 8/12) are signed by the winemaker himself and of course safely ensconced in wine boxes. I'm serving one tonight at a family and friends barbecue overlooking the lake. It seems like a perfect setting to open and pour the first bottle. There should be plenty of great wine to go around. dbPS. I did taste the 2018 Signature and would give it a pass - picked up a lot of smoke from the wildfires that year.
8/25/21, 10:57 AM - 😔 yes I feel bad for the winemakers who already need all the help they can get. The last thing they want is smokiness. But Mother Nature always calls the shots. db
5/11/21, 12:03 AM - Every bottle of wine is like a snowflake - unique in its own way. This is why writing reviews can be a bit challenging since they represent just one bottle during a singular snapshot in time that is influenced by a wide range of factors. My first tasting of the 2007 Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz Ebenezer got a rating of 93 so it's certainly possible my second bottle was corked - given its steep decline barely a year after the first bottle.I always appreciate any feedback from fellow CTers, so I'm glad your bottles are still drinking well TooFine.Cheers. 🍷
2/4/21, 10:26 PM - Thanks for taking the time to offer more insights into this particular wine and its origins. My wine consultant suggested this bottle is definitely something different - but encouraged me to try it anyway. Now I know a little bit more why it's unusual. Cheers.
1/12/21, 9:46 PM - Thanks CanoeHead for your comments on the 2015 and 2016 vintages. I will definitely go looking for these new bottles. I also appreciate the tips on the other BC wines - will try to find those as well. Cheers.
10/13/20, 10:58 PM - Your right!
4/19/20, 4:57 PM - Thanks Rich for your question. Alcohol is generally more expensive in Canada due to high 'vice' taxes. So the cost of a bottle here is $48 CAD plus 17% = $56 CAD. With the current exchange that means it's the equivalent of $39 USD. For that QPR, I was expecting something more. Cheers.
10/21/17, 2:22 PM - This is very fair comment indeed. My friend and I bought 14 cases back when the first release came out a decade ago (btw we returned every bottle of the second release!!!). The dozen or so bottles that we have left definitely need a longer decanting (2-3 hours) to return to a shadow of its original self. It's still a great wine but we should have probably drank it all about two years ago.
12/27/13, 4:06 PM - Thanks for filling in the details Geppetto - I'm glad that Matt is back on CT and discovered my little diatribe about Schild. Hopefully a few more members will discover they actually have the good stuff in their cellar(s). Cheers ...
9/25/13, 9:35 PM - You were right - although I didn't get a chance to taste this wine in its relative youth, spending the past five years in the bottle has made it a wonderfully complex and enjoyable white wine.
9/25/13, 9:20 PM - I agree that it's difficult to beat Blue Eyed Boy - although I love all the MD wines - BEB is my favourite.
9/25/13, 9:16 PM - MD is a great brand - people who don't like speed shouldn't drive Ferraris!
8/31/13, 11:45 AM - It's unfortunate that many people might miss the opportunity to enjoy one of the original 2008 vintages because of Schild Estate's idiocy. I treasure the remaining bottles that I've cellared ... so I might in fact be able to enjoy at least one or two of them in 2018!
9/12/13, 6:08 PM - Thanks for your response to my comment - I tried to post to your profile but you're not accepting public messages so I will add my response here. A friend and I both bought several cases of the 2010 Schild Estate Shiraz, in response to the WS scoring and our positive experience with the original 2008 vintage. Sadly it was truly undrinkable after several attempts. I even did a blind tasting with friends - there was really no contest. We returned everything except the three bottles we attempted to drink. I don't know if the shipment to Canada might have spoiled but there was a bitter aftertaste that made me question the veracity of the WS rankings. At this point, I'm slowly finishing the remaining 2008 bottles I have cellared after attempting to drink both the Second Blend and 2010 vintages then returning those cases.
8/31/13, 11:40 AM - Excellent points on the general reviewing of wines! In fact, our family loved the original 2008 so we did blind taste tests with the 'second blend' and subsequent 2010 vintages. Based solely on wine (not knowing which bottle it came from), we loved the original and found the other two vintages undrinkable (there was a bitterness to both that made it harsh to swallow).
8/31/13, 11:34 AM - It's unfortunate that many people might miss the opportunity to enjoy one of the original 2008 vintages because of Schild Estate's idiocy. The same thing happened with Vermont Castings - they marketed an inferior product through the box stores but didn't change the branding at all from their high-end offerings. I thought I was buying a quality name-brand barbecue - it was piece of crap that didn't last two years. The BBQ-maker ultimately went bankrupt (deservedly). Sadly, in the same vein, Schild just doesn't seem the same to me after they pulled off this stunt. I still enjoy the remaining 2008 bottles I have cellared but returned the 2010 cases I bought (they were undrinkable).
8/31/13, 11:26 AM - It's too bad you experienced so much variation between bottles. I cellared five cases and have little more than half left. Every bottle has been consistently great ... I treasure the ones I have remaining and will be sad when they're all gone in several years.
8/31/13, 11:20 AM - I have three cases left and savour every bottle we pull out to enjoy monthly on special occasions. I will be sad when it's all gone in several years.
8/31/13, 11:02 AM - I am treasuring the 38 bottles I have left ... enjoying at least one a month on special occasions.
8/29/13, 1:04 AM - I might not give it 73 pts but certainly not much higher. I did leave my bottle open for a couple of days - it did NOT improve! Virtually undrinkable - I bought a bottle to try given the high praise of others (not just on CT) but was very disappointed in this wine.
8/26/13, 10:49 PM - I usually leave the whites to my wife but your review got me interested in this particular wine. I'm glad I tried it - will definitely add a few more bottles to my small collection. Thanks.
7/7/13, 10:18 AM - Fair comment Geppetto! We were excited taste a bottle so we took one with us to Purple in Seattle (great corkage policy - FREE if they don't have a bottle). I did my initial assessment waaaay too quickly ... since the wine opened up beautifully as it decanted. I've since amended the score to 89 where it finished as the evening progressed. I truly appreciate Frank's hard work and meant no harm by this premature review. This wine will definitely age well and become the 90+ pointer that all of us believe will happen over the next couple of years.
6/8/13, 5:55 PM - I'm hoping this was just a bad bottle. This is certainly one of Australia's better wineries - one of my brother's favourites (he lives in Adelaide and can choose almost any of them)- so it's unfortunate that your experience was marred. I would try another one for sure.
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