Cost: $19.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: United States of America Region: North Coast Format: 750 mL Producer: William Hill Estate Winery Alcohol: 13.8% Alcohol/Vol.
Disappointed at this Cali Chard as it’s flabby & one dimensional. Typical commercial Cali Cab under $20. Score: Below 80/100
Tasting Note: Gold in colour with below average acidity, a medium+ intense nose & an average length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon curd, golden apples, pineapples, butterscotch & vanilla.
Cost: $19.95 Grape: Pinot Noir Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: United States of America Region: Oregon Format: 750 mL Producer: Badger Mountain Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
This is bad, reminds me of burnt plastic. Score: Not worth being rated
Tasting Note: Medium dark ruby to garnet in colour with good acidity, a medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: I couldn’t get through the burnt plastic taste to figure out what it has.
Cost: $19.95 Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: United States of America Region: California Format: 750 mL Producer: Tom Gore Vineyards Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
On the plus side it’s under 14% alcohol, but on the negative side it’s your standard sweet mass-produced Cab. Score: Below 80/100.
Tasting Note: Deep ruby in colour with average acidity, medium+ intense nose, soft tannin & an average length on the finish. This wine features: Kirsch, plum, raisins, blackcurrant, mocha, figs & tomato leaves.
Negatives: Too sweet for my taste.
Pairings: Drink this now or in next 3-4 years on its own or pair it with Korean BBQ ribs.
Cost: $19.95 (Sale price: $17.95 until May 23, 2021) Grape: Pinot Noir Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO General List Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough Format: 750 mL Producer: Stoneleigh Vineyards Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Awful; like eating rotten beets. Score: Not worth scoring.
Cost: $13.95 Grape: Grenache Noir and Syrah Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO General List Country: France Region: Côtes Du Rhône Format: 750 mL Producer: Cellier Des Dauphins Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
A simple wine with ripe fruits & spice. Taste more like an Australian Shiraz. Score: 79/100
Tasting Note: Medium ruby in colour with good acidity, mild tannin, a medium intense nose & an average length on the finish. This wine features: dried prunes, ripe tamarins, cloves, white pepper, sage & eucalyptus.
Negatives: Some heat coming from the listed 13.5% alcohol, plus too much ripeness.
Interesting Point: Use Bordeaux style wine stemware as when I tried with Syrah style one, the wine showed a lot of jammy cooked notes.
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next couple of years on its own or pair it with Lamb Steak in Mint Sauce
Cost: $19.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: Australia Region: Margaret River Format: 750 mL Producer: Robert Oakley Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
As 2017 was a great vintage, 2018 is very bad. Over ripened fruits across the board. 75/100
Tasting Note: Light gold in colour with good acidity, a medium+ intense nose & an average length on the finish. This wine features: marzipan, over ripened orange, over ripened papaya & over ripened banana.
Cost: $13.95 Grape: Viognier Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: South Africa Region: Western Cape Format: 750 mL Producer: Alvi’s Drift Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Crisp & very dry not typical of what you would expect or want from a Viognier. Score: 85 /100
Tasting Note: Bright gold in colour with good acidity, an intense nose, & a fairly long length on the finish. This wine features: lemon-lime, grapefruit & orange pith.
Negatives: Too much bitterness & very dry
Interesting Point: The bottle has a gold label on it “2019 Gold Wine Award in Excellent Wine at the Price”. All tasting is very subjective, but this one doesn’t even touch taste just price.
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next couple of years & pair it with Southeast Asian Grapefruit & Shrimp Salad.
Cost: $19.95 Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Petit Verdot Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: United States of America Region: California Format: 750 mL Producer: Cycles Gladiator Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
This is a simple but an intense, in your face Cab blend. However, the wine doesn’t know what it wants to be & therefore not worth the price point. Score: 84/100
Tasting Note: Dark ruby in colour with good acidity, an intense nose, smooth tannin & a long length on the finish. Wine features blackcurrants, raspberry, plum, black candy licorice & dates.
Negatives: A little too intense for me in a negative way as its emphasis the black licorice & sweetness that I don’t like
Interesting Point: “Inspired by the women’s suffrage movement, we drew our name from the 19th century French bicycle manufacturer, the Gladiator Company, and honor their iconic art on our wine label. The red-haired maiden soaring through the sky on her bicycle symbolized the new liberation of women from their homes after centuries of repression. Bicycles, as Susan B. Anthony praised, literally emancipated women from domesticity, allowing them to travel outside their households to work and vote.” Cycles Gladiator
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next 3-5 years & pair it with Blackstrap Molasses BBQ Beef Ribs
Cost: $13.95 Grape: Petite Syrah, Zinfandel Category: Red Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: Mexico Region: Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California Format: 750 mL Producer: L.A. Cetto Alcohol: 14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
I always like to find the positive in everything, no matter how bad it is, so this wine is better than turpentine. Score: Not worth scoring. Not Recommended
Cost: $15.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: Spain Region: Costers Del Segre Format: 750 mL Producer: Raimat Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Lots of orange pith makes this very linear. Score: 84/100
Tasting Note: Yellow gold in colour with high acidity, a medium intense nose & a good length on the finish. Wine features orange pith, lemon & green apples.
Negatives: Too sour
Interesting Point: Organic wine
Pairings: Drink this now or in the next couple of years & pair it with grilled shrimp.
Twilight Wines 