I apologize in advance to you Sherry purist out there, but I like my Sherry on the sweet side, which is why I like Cream Sherries, Pedro Ximinez based Sherries and ones like this Gonzalez Byass 1847. The story behind this sherry is that the original Solera was started in 1847. For those who understand the way that sherry is made I'll wait while you 1) read that again and 2) whistle your amazement. Anyway, the theory is that somewhere in this beverage is some sherry from 1847 ... by now we're talking a very minuscule amount, but it theoretically should be in there. It makes interesting talk around the table, but by the time you are ready to drink this I would suggest you find a nice cozy couch and curl up with a glass. The nose is candied orange peel, roasted almonds and burnt caramel; the palate is just as intriguing with honey roasted almonds, a nuts and raisins trail mix of sorts, all soaked in a caramel-booze base, and of course there's a great long finish ... this is one to sip and savour.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Mission Hill 2006 Compendium (British Columbia)
The first thing you'll notice about this bottle of wine is in fact the bottle - this is not environmentally friendly packaging (it's heavy), but then top tier wines from most wineries aren't because cool is not a plastic bottle. The nice thing about a heavy bottle is there a thousand and one uses for it after the wine is long gone: a doorstop, paperweight, a bud vase or weapon ... just to name a few - but I can guarantee you're going to like what's in the bottle before you get to that point. "Compendium" is the what the folks at Mission Hil have termed "a super second" to its flagship Oculuse. It's a new Bordeaux-styled blend which has Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot (the only thing missing is Malbec). The propaganda that accompanies the bottle compares it to Oculus by saying: "[Compendium] is crafted in a different style and may be enjoyed immeditaely, while Oculus benefits from time in the cellar." So after all that preamble I am sure you are wondering what the wine in the bottle tastes like. I can tell you that this is an ever changing bottle of wine. It starts with a hit of blackberry and spice on the nose, then turns into spiced plum about 15 to 20 minutes in if you give it some time to sit around and aerate. While I cooked dinner I placed the glass a few feet away from me (within arms length at all times) and I could smell it quite plainly when I was as far as 2-3 feet away, so I would say the nose is very powerful, and the colour is also beautiful. But I guess I have kept you in suspense long enough - the palate is just as advertised, hefty enough that you could lie it down for a few years, but gentle enough that you could easily drink it now, and by decanting you help it along even further. There's hints of pepper, blackberry, spiced plum, vanillin and a gentle smoothness across the tongue. I have been informed that this is a new release for Mission Hill, and since that is the case I suppose I should give it some kind of mark just in case you are looking to get yourself a bottle - I'd say 4 1/2 stars (Excellent).
Monday, September 21, 2009
Torres 2007 San Valentin (Spain)
This is a bottle of 100% Grenacha from Spain with a cutesy little cupid (complete with arrow) hanging from the neck. But while the bottle is cutesy, what's inside is far from it. The nose is vanilla, sweet blackberry and red licorice. At first the palate seemed a little bitter and too acidic, but give it 45 minutes to come out of its doldrums and you have one heck of a flavour profile here. Sweet vanilla oak and blackberry, a nice fruit to tannin ratio with a lingering dry finish complete with stoney mineral, black fruit and smoke.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Juan Gil 2006 Monastrell (Spain)
Just the other day I was extolling the virtues of Juan Gil, well tonight I decided to once again give one of his wines a go around. This is the Monastrell aged four months in American and French oak and has "de cepas viejas" written on the bottom of the label. Again its another stunning and drinkable wine from this producer. The nose was incredibly inviting with plum, spice, blackberry, black cherry and chocolate notes long with hints of vanilla. The high alcohol (14.5%) heat was the first thing to grab the nose, but this settled in about 15 minutes after opening, leaving behind black fruit, spice cocoa and a little bit of a warming sensation on the way down ... perfect wine for a cold winter night; unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your outlook) we're in the midst of an Indian Summer in this part of Ontario, so I have to instead take solace in the fact that the wine went great with the burger I consumed for dinner.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Juan Gill 2007 Gos (Spain)
Juan Gil is one of my favourite wineries from Spain, they never fail to impress. The wines I have tried from this bodega, in the region of Jumila, have been all 100% Monastrell (red) and each one delicious in their own right. This is a simple wine, but simple does not mean bland or boring, it has great flavours and smells that I have come to expect from this winery. The nose was black fruited with herbs, vanilla and a subtle minerality. On the palate there was the black fruit and herbs, some sweet vanilla nuances and a steady seam of acidity that makes this wine refreshing as well as tasty.
Wirra Wirra 2002 Scrubby Rise (Australia)
After sipping on a little rosé (13%) I needed something with a higher octane to go with dinner; this 14.5% Aussie bruiser should do the trick, a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The wine offered-up a very spicy nose with pepper, plum and cassis. there was also an odd smell that appeared too, banana skin - not the fresh ripe kind, the browned up version of the peel, not unpleasant and very interesting. The flavour did not offer such oddity, instead it was pepper, plum, spice and lots of big black fruit; cocoa and hints of cinnamon were also present. A lovely wine 7 years from vintage date and one that really hit the spot. It was interesting to also note how this wine was sealed, with a screwcap, but the inner lining was very spongy, puffy even, like a small pillow, spongier than usual for those who check out these kind of things - I have heard it said that the thickness of the inner lining can be changed to suit the winemaking need, depending on the seal you are looking for and the transfer of air you wish into the bottle. When I took off the screwcap the lining was actually stuck to the top, so I'd say the seal was pretty tight on this one ... an interesting wine all around.
Ogier 2008 Cote du Ventoux Rosé (France)
Yesterday I went to a tasting at the LCBO; me and some of my fellow wine writers sampled approximately two dozen wines. When it was all over I wondered into the store and bought two bottles of this rosé from the Rhone Valley ($11.95). Made from a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault this wine has a beautiful salmon colour. The nose is cherry and raspberry, while the palate is fresh cherry with a dry raspberry finish - or so said my notes from the afternoon tasting. This evening before dinner I decided to crack a bottle (well, actually I pulled the cork - cracking is what you do with a screwcap wine), poured myself a glass and sipped on it for a bit. While doing so I made a few notes: "cherry and raspberry on the nose, cherry palate, raspberry and dry on the finish". Seems pretty consistent if you ask me. I love a wine that tastes the same at home as it does in a tasting room.
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