What I`m drinking tonight has turned into `What I am Drinking this afternoon` - I decided to clean out the review buckets in my cellar and was tasting a number of Ontario reds for future reviews when I came across a cute little box from Black Hills Winery in British Columbia. Inside I found two tubes, not bottles, literally test tubes of 2008 Nota Bene - the 10th Anniversary edition of this wine (a blend of the three big Bordeaux reds: Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon and Merlot). Now, these test tubes were cute as a button and a great way to get wine to reviewers for tasting without having to waste a whole bottle ... only problem was getting into these tubes. Although they were sealed with a screw cap the first one I tried would not loosen it just twisted and twisted and twisted ... I finally ended up putting two holes through the cap and shaking the wine out of the tube. Glad I did, I`m sure this help aerate it a bit too (a lucky result of a bad beginning). The nose was sweet with blackberries that just wouldn`t give up. The palate had a lot more going for it: black cherry, cassis, cinnamon, vanilla and lots more - this was one sippable wine with complex flavours that came out with each additional sip, I would have loved to have spent more time with this wine, say a whole bottle`s worth, alas I have but one tube left and no time to fiddle with it, maybe later. As for the wine I did have, delicious (4+ stars) ... a real winner.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Torres 2008 Infinite (Spain)
Found this wine while wondering around a Sam's Club in Utica, Michigan on Christmas Eve day. I was going to bring it to the party that night but I had a beer recommended to me that I decided to give a go to instead. This bottle made it back to Canada with me on Christmas Day and was opened that night with the most traditional of all holiday meals, Chinese food. A blend of 85% Tempranillo with a 25% dash of Cabernet, the nose had lovely red and black fruit, a slight perfumed note and rich vanilla-spice. The palate showed some real promise of laying it down for 5+ years, but with the flavours the way they were I could see why that would be a problem (you'd want to open it now); nice full flavour of black- and rasp- berry along with some really good silky tannin structure ... delicious cold (right out of the car trunk) and as it warmed up, even better. The "Infitnite" on the label must be describing the finish, because it went on and on and on. This was an amazing bottle, especially when you consider I paid 6 bucks for it.
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (USA)
It's Christmas Eve and I am spending it in Michigan with my wife and her family, I have no idea what small town I find myself in, although I drove here I just took direction, hope my passenger doesn't get too drunk for the ride home - I guess that's why we brought along the GPS. The good news is that not too much was consumed this evening so getting home was no problem, but I was not going to risk my bottle of Torres wine on sub-par glass (just in case). Instead I took my wife's niece's suggestion on an interesting beer to try. So while those who sipped on the suds chose from the case of Coors Light, I sipped on this Cherry Wheat beer from Sam Adams. I have to admit I am not a Sam Adams Boston Lager fan, or any of the few others I have tried from this brewery, but this really intrigued me. While some who gave it a sip thought it tasted like cough syrup I thought it a little more delicate and easy than something as harsh as cough medicine. If you have tried a wheat beer before you know that it's light and refreshing, add to that a hint of (Michigan) cherries, which show up on the finish, and you have a delicious beer to bring in the festive season ... I had a couple at the party and a few in the hotel room, I thought them very tasty and recommend it highly for those who like a touch of cherry-sweet refreshment. I guess I should thank Erica's niece Danielle for the recommendation, she doesn't like wine but she's okay in my book for her beer of choice.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Coyote's Run 2009 Five Mile White (Ontario) and Something for Dessert (Portugal)
I reviewed this wine in the middle of November in the form of an audio Weekly Wine Note (http://ontariowinereview.libsyn.com/coyote-s-run-2009-five-mile-white-13-95) ... Tonight it was used for both cooking and drinking ... the onions found a new level of sweetness when the wine was used to saute them, then it found another life in the glass, next to the onions and a homemade burger patty. Doesn't sound like a classic combination, but it was very good. To finish off the evening I poured myself a sniff of a Ruby port I have had open on the "sideboard" for the last few months ... Feist Ruby was still lovely with bright red cherries and hints of spice. Don't let people rush a well-made bottle of port ... these "drink now" styles can last a few months resting comfortably "on the bar".
Cline 2006 Sonoma County Syrah (California)
I think I buy a bottle of this every year, maybe 2, one to drink immediately and the other to lie down in the cellar. First, it is a good bargain here in Ontario, a California Syrah of this quality for a mere 12.95, I know it used to be a buck cheaper but with inflation and the the difference in the dollar ... okay, so it must be inflation. Anyway, I think this is one of the great bargains of our time. This one is now 4 years from vintage date and still shows amazingly well. The fruit is most definitely still there on the nose, mostly blackberry and black pepper; on the palate there's a nice spicy flavour with wild raspberries and a sprinkling of pepper. Still a very nice wine, especially when you consider the price.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Domaine St. George 2004 Sonoma County Barrel Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Now I don't consider myself a very religious man, but if the good Lord don't want you to drink he can sure be very persuasive. This afternoon's lunch was going to be a little bbq from the other day, paired with some coleslaw and a bottle of something a little more robust to pair it all with ... but that was not to be. I spooned the slaw onto my plate, heated up the buns and then warmed up the pork ... everything tasted delicious, except for the wine. I thought I'd pour myself a glass and enjoy lunch in front of the football game of the day (seems I had a choice of 4) ... but this was just a god-awful wine. It's only 6 years from vintage date but the wine was bitter and sour and no amount of aeration could make this any better, it continued to be a nasty wine until half an hour later when I sadly disposed of it. As I said, the good Lord giveth (the bottle of wine) and the good Lord taketh away (a nasty, undrinkable beverage) ... that's why I decided on a bottle of Port Credit brewery's Amber Ale as an alternative, and it did the job quite nicely ... maybe I'll try opening something else for dinner.
Paul Anheuser 2008 Schlossbockelheimer Konigsfels Riesling Kabinett (Germany)
I'm not going to dwell on the length of the name on this wine, nor will I be speaking a long time here about the flavours and smells of this wine. What I want to say is that it is hard to argue about the German's choice of grape variety they hung their hat on, when they can do it so well. This was a well made, very tasty, very minerally Riesling, that hit all the high points of what the grape offers with none of the low points. And with only 8% alcohol you could drink this all day and all night with little in the way of side-effects. And now with the use of screwcaps these wines are even more fresh and fantastic. Great with Chinese food too - which is what I had for dinner.
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