This wine came out a few weeks ago at the LCBO ... I rushed out and picked up a few for a couple of reasons: I had tried a Paul Hobbs (owner) wine a few days previously and two, I was very impressed. Paul Hobbs is a winery owner in California who saw promise in Argentina (something many established wineries are discovering) - and he was right. Vina Cobos makes quite a few very delicious Malbecs, of which this is the entry level. The nose was so complex and reeled you right in: blackberry, chocolate, spicy-cinnamon, spiced-vanilla, mocha and a slight whiff of pepper. The palate was even more appealing, but instead of giving you the description of the tastes I thought it best to tell you about the feeling I got once the wine entered my mouth: lush, plush and very juicy. This wine is more about a feeling than just the berries and vanilla that seem to dominate the palate - this is a wine to sip, savour and totally enjoy. Now if you'll excuse me I have a glass of wine to finish.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Robert Mondavi 2005 Vinetta (California)
This (as far as I know) was the first vintage of this wine (if not the second) - a true Bordeaux blend using all five of the recognized grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec) from Mondavi. In their entire history they have never created such a beast ... hard to believe, but it's what I read, so it must be true. Anyway, I was lucky enough to grab a couple of bottles a couple of years ago while down in Michigan - turns out it's not available in Canada/Ontario and Mondavi's agent in Ontario at the time hadn't even heard about it (I'm sure they have by now, though it is still not available). The smell is a mix of red and black fruit, chocolate, raspberry and strawberry. The palate delivers mainly black fruit along with spices and herbs, creme de cacao and a dried blackberry finish.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Delicato 2004 Merlot (California)
Many moons ago I was a Delicato fan. I liked their Monterra series, was a huge supporter of the Gnarly Head Zin and liked the blue and white label that was a staple at the LCBO. But Gnarly Head has branched out into pretty standard (if not very affordable) wines, Monterra seems to have disappeared from the market and the Delicato blue and white, is as good as gone. But that doesn't stop me from having a few bottles of my favs in my cellar. Tonight I found my hand drawn to that familiar blue capsule of Delicato, and I yanked a bottle off my rack easily and readily. The nose was very interesting, at first offering up fruit, then chocolate - the fruit was strawberry, raspberry and sweet prune juice, hopefully you know what chocolate smells like. The palate showed more life than I was expecting - lots of plumy-chocolate along with black raspberry and black cherry. Quite full in the mouth, almost chewy in nature with zero tannins - making this wine a smooth, delectable Delicato wine.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Yalumba 2003 Shiraz & Viognier "Y-Series" (Australia)
When I got this wine the notion of putting Viognier into Shiraz was so foreign to Aussie Shiraz drinkers that they had to explain the process (and where it came from), to give it credibility, on the back label of the bottle. Today, we don't need the long-winded explanation of the Rhone and how they put a dollop of Viognier in to liven up the fruit flavours and smells of the wine. This one has a 5% dollop, and the back of the bottle instructs me that I should be drinking this by 2010 ... so I'm just catching it under the wire. The nose presented itself with pepper, dried red berries and alcohol - it seemed a little out of whack or out of balance and maybe a little too old. But not one to be daunted by smell I still took a sip. Turns out the smells fooled me, it smelled older then what I found on the palate: peppery, red berry, licorice, cherry and chocolate ... there was also some sweet dried plums - but not pruny, more like late harvested - to use a wine term. Delicious wine, and it paired well with the pulled-brisket soaked in BBQ sauce; the peppery of the wine matched with the smoky of the sauce.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Baron Philippe de Rothschild 2007 Carmenere Reserva (Chile)
Yup, that Baron Philippe de Rothschild. It seems that all the big French houses are realizing the potential of making wine in Chile, it's the old adage of "if you can't beat 'em join 'em. The colour of this this inw amazing - a great deep purple ... the nose is plum, blueberry, mint, chocolate and cinnamon; the palate is a little simple, but I take that to be it s jeunesse (must speak a little French in this review) - sweet plums and spiced-blackberry ... these flavours will expand with a little time in bottle - we'll check back in t afew years.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Kaiken 2007 Malbec (Argentina)
Just put on the shelves of the LCBO (in Ontario) this Easter weekend as part of their April 11 Vintages release. I have been waiting for this wine to come back in stock for, I guess a year or so. Last year the liquor giant had this wine at about 19 bucks - a decent price - but this year, with the tough economic times we find ourselves in, the boys and girls at the Liquor Board decided to give us a break. Now on for a measily $15 this wine is worth you picking up a bottle or three or even a case of. Blackberries, cherries and spice greet the nose with your first sniff - and you can feel yourself sinking into the glass, whafting away on a ocean of smells: cinnamons, chocolate, juicy black fruits and a hint of mint. Now it's time to get your nose out of the glass and touch it to your lips. Rich and full in the mouth, it literally fills the mouth with flavour ... the blackberries give way to cassis which turns into cinnamon then spice and finishes with a little cedar and fine tannins. Very nice ... now if you'll excuse me I don't have time to waste here, I have a wine to drink.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Cousino-Macul 2003 Antiguas Reservas Cabernet Sauvignon (Chile)
We took the long way round to get to this wine ... three bottles of dubious wines were opened, each with their own problems (I will not mention the producers of these bottles - their origins were not important), but I will say that the last bottle ended up being corked ... and that led me to the belief that we should stop tasting wines from a category and go for something we knew. What is with all the cryptic-secrecy? Well I hate painting a certain kind of wine with such a broad stroke, but let me just say the three wines were of the Kosher variety, a category I feel is almost as hit and miss as organic. But that debate is for another day. Let's move on to what I had here in this 6 year old Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose was big with mint and hints of dark chocolate; but the mint really took over here. On the palate it was the same thing, lots of mint, but instead of chocolate there was plenty of woodsy notes. So I decided a decanter might be in order. I can safely say the decanter softened the wine, but it was still very minty with lots of wood and a pseudo-black fruit quality to it. As it stayed open it never did kick the wood or the mint but the wine started to develop leather and black licorice while the pseudo-fruit disappeared into the wood work. Much better than what came before ... but really is that saying much? This wine was palateable and potable and after three bottles that weren't, it was exactly what we were looking for.
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