Getting Chinese food always means pulling out a Riesling - and this has become one of my favourites over the years, and continues to be excellent value. The 2007 seems a touch sweeter than past vintages, but the citrus, talc, apple and floral nose seems inviting enough to take multiple sips. The palate remains crisp with a green apple finish. ... Now, time to eat.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Albert Bichot 2006 Beaujolais-Villages (France)
In typical French wine style this wine has no back label, but I have a story to tell about how it finally got to my table. Way back when I went to an Albert Bichot dinner and tasting (May 22, 2008), this wine turned out to be one of my favourites of the evening and so, Dean Tudor (fellow wine writer) and I decided to split a case. We were told that it was a private order wine and might take some time to land on our shores - we thought it was a good enough wine to wait, and at $15.95 a bottle, a steal for the quality therein. Well I finally got the wine on Friday (October 24, 2008) a little over five months to the day that I ordered it. In truth I couldn't remember what it tasted like, so I decided to open one tonight and see (and taste) whether it was worth the wait ... I am happy to report it was. Beautiful bright nose of ripe fresh cherries and a palate to match - yummy. I had it with meatloaf and salad, but as far as I'm concerned it would have gone with just about anything ... 5 months may seem a long time to wait, and it was, but when a wine is this delicious, it's well worth it.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Canyon Oaks 2007 Zinfandel (California)
A few weeks ago, in preperation for getting yet another few bottles of ZInfandel, I opened a bottle of the 2006 Canyon Oaks Zin. I had just ordered a half case thinking it was going to be the 2007 version of this wine, but found out it was going to be the 2006 - so I thought I'd best try the '06 again to make sure I liked it enough to get another 6 bottles (I did). Well wasn't I surprised, when I picked up my bottles, to find out that it was indeed the 2007 vintage ... hence I just had to open a bottle "toot suite" (as the French would say). Rich plum was the hallmark of this wine, from the nose clean through to the palate ... plumy, rich, succulent even more so than the '06; there was also black cherry, cola and vanilla notes - very enjoyable, and also very gone - did I really finish the whole bottle?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Juniper Crossing 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot (Australia)
I have quite the backlog of Australian wine, back from when Australia was the value priced region - these days it is Chile or Argentina that has taken over that mantle. This Juniper Crossing cost me $15.95 when I bought it a few years ago and today is probably over twenty. The nose is blackberry, plum with a hint of prune, some licorice and a touch of cracked pepper. The palate has a cedary quality to it, not overpowering but definitely there. Some tannins come out to play along with a drying black berry and cassis note ... you can also find the hints of licorice. Pleasant and enjoyable, I'm glad I didn't wait much longer to enjoy this wine, but enjoy it I will.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Clos LaChance 2005 Ruby Throated Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
This is a straight forward, very likeable Cabernet Sauvignon (which get blend with little bits of other Bordeaux varietal). The nose is sweet smelling with black cherry and plum along with a hint of mint chocolate that makes you take continuous smells just to make sure you really are smelling what you smelt (not smelt as in the fish, just smelt as in smelled, but I like the word so I am keeping it in there). The taste is even more appealing, it's juicy with lots of red cherry, chocolate and cinnamon. It finishes off nicely, almost sweetly, in the mouth with a drying finish. I really enjoyed this bottle from beginning to end. By the way the Ruby Throat is not just in reference to the colour of the wine, it has to do with the humingbirds that flock to these vineyard in San Martin, California ... the wine is part of the Hummingbird Series and the Ruby Throated Hummingbird adorns the label.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Fitz Riesling NV Extra Trocken Sekt (German)
This wine has a story - my story. I ordered this wine from Vinexx agency back in the spring; actually my fellow wine writer Dean Tudor and I ordered some, well to keep the story straight, Dean liked this wine so much that he ordered 3 cases of it and I said I would take 6 bottles off his hands. The price, a mere $13.95 - what a deal for this bottle of sparkling. But the wine had to be specially ordered from Germany and between the time it was ordered and the time it landed on our shores the Euro had shot up in value and the $13.95 price tag was now $17.95 ... still excellent value for a sparkling wine - but not three cases excellent; so Dean and I split a case.
Sekt is the most fun you can have with a legitimate wine word ... it sounds like "sex" with a "t" at the end, and if you say it to a good looking wine merchant, as I did in B.C. you have the chance to get slapped, unless you clarify, "I am looking for some sekt ... um, German sparkling wine?" You can see the dilemma. Anyway, this sekt truly is yummy; made from the Rielsing grape it has all the things you expect, a little apple, a little peach, nice fruitiness with a touch of citrus-toasty-yeasty goodness. And although it says "Extra Trocken", which means "extra dry", there was an apparent sweetnes that made this wine go down very nicely. Good thing it was only 11.5% alcohol, cause at the speed it went down I could have been in trouble the next morning.
Sekt is the most fun you can have with a legitimate wine word ... it sounds like "sex" with a "t" at the end, and if you say it to a good looking wine merchant, as I did in B.C. you have the chance to get slapped, unless you clarify, "I am looking for some sekt ... um, German sparkling wine?" You can see the dilemma. Anyway, this sekt truly is yummy; made from the Rielsing grape it has all the things you expect, a little apple, a little peach, nice fruitiness with a touch of citrus-toasty-yeasty goodness. And although it says "Extra Trocken", which means "extra dry", there was an apparent sweetnes that made this wine go down very nicely. Good thing it was only 11.5% alcohol, cause at the speed it went down I could have been in trouble the next morning.
Fabre Montmayou 2006 Gran Reserva Malbec (Argentina)
This wine has great deep blackish purple colour and the nose is rich in black fruit and herbs, I couldn't wait to tip the glass and try it. But the taste let me down, it was hollow and tinny on the finish ... with time, thankfully this dissipated enough to drink it, and it was better the next day after a stay overnight in the fridge and an appropriate period the next evening to allow it to warm a bit (leaving just a hint of a chill); but what the palate may not notice the memory never forgets - through the black fruit and pepper I still recalled the tin.
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