Category Archives: Red Wines

BERONIA ELABORACIÓN ESPECIAL TEMPRANILLO 2009, Rioja, Spain

05 Monday Sep 2011

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Beronia Elaboración Especial Tempranillo 2009, Doca Rioja Bottle

Cost: $17.95
Grape Variety: Tempranillo
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Gonzalez Byass & Co.
Alcohol: 14.0 %
Description:” Elaboración Especial (special production) refers to the barrel fermentation this wine undergoes over several months in new American oak. This ripe 100% Tempranillo boasts intense plum and licorice notes, with smoky mocha and cigar box characters imparted by the unique production style. Try it with grilled or smoked meats.”(LCBO) You will also find roasted red peppers on both the nose and taste. On the negative, too much heat from the high alcohol.

Tasted: 5 Sept 11

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:# 723643

LUCAS & LEWELLEN PINOT NOIR, 2007, Santa Barbara County, California

05 Monday Sep 2011

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Lucas & Lewellen Pinot Noir 2007, Santa Barbara County Bottle

Cost: $18.95
Grape Variety: Pinot noir
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: United States
Region: Santa Barbara
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards
Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Medium minus garnet in colour & intensity on the nose. The aromas & taste are classic Pinot with beets, rhubarb, Earth notes of fallen leaves, mushrooms & suede. The taste is dry, light tannins, medium acidity, light to medium body, medium length & balanced. Love this wine with pâté or roasted duck. This wine maybe understated in its complexity but definitely delivers on taste. Great price for a really good quality Pinot for under $20. Remember to chill it to 15 C. Drink now.

Best Buy

Tasted 4 Sept 11

Score: 9+/10, Value: 10/10, Score: 19+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

LCBO:# 127605

GEORGES DUBOEUF BEAUJOLAIS, BROUILLY, 2008, Brouilly, France,

04 Sunday Sep 2011

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VinGo Image

Cost: $17.05
Grape Variety: Gamay
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: LCBO General List
Country: France
Region: Brouilly
Format: 750 mL
Producer: George Duboeuf
Alcohol: 12.7% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Medium minus ruby with a slight purple note. Medium+ intensity showing classic Beaujolais notes of cherry, raspberry & bubble gum. The taste is dry, light tannins, medium minus body, medium acid, medium length and balanced.  The taste is as the nose. This wine is an upgrade to the Beaujolais village and should be drank now. Drink slightly chilled on its own or pair with BLT sandwich.

Tasted: 30 Aug 11

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 17.5/20

LCBO:# 70540

 

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

LA VALENTINA SPELT MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2005, Aburzzo, Italy

01 Thursday Sep 2011

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Cost: $28.95
Grape Variety: Montepulciano
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Italy
Region: Abruzzo
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Fattoria La Valentina
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Description: Medium minus intensity of garnet to ruby in colour with medium intensity in the nose. The nose shows light oak, sour cherry, mushroom, figs, expresso & light carnations. The taste is dry, medium+ tannins & acidity with medium length. The taste shows as nose with addition of cranberry, blueberry & blackberry. This wine needs food such as lasagna, but it worked well with beef tenderloin. Drink now. Tasted: 31 Aug 11

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 7/10, Score: 16.5/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

LCBO:# 19349

PIRRAMIMMA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008, McLaren Vale, Australia

25 Thursday Aug 2011

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Cost: $24.95
Grape Variety: Cabernet-Sauvignon
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: LCBO Vintages
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Format: 750 mL bottle
Producer: Malesco Wine Broker
Alcohol: 14.5 %
Description: I don’t recall ever having a Pirramimma that I didn’t like, and this one keeps the streak alive.

Dark almost opaque ruby in colour intensity with high intense nose. The nose shows a lot Zin characteristics such as raisin, prunes, dates, figs, mocha, cherry tobacco pipe smoke, cedar, vanilla, blackcurrants, white pepper, violets & eucalyptus. The taste is as complex as the nose. The taste is more skewed to what a Cab is. It’s dry, medium+ tannins & acidity, full body & powerful with long length, high alcohol but balanced. Notes show cedar, raisins, plum, dark cherry, blackcurrants, dates, mocha, turmeric, leather, vanilla, black & white pepper, eucalyptus & some pencil shavings. This is a smooth wine with a velvet touch on your tongue. Love this wine. There are only 2 negatives. 1) Even though I love the nose, I want my Cab to smell like a Cab, and 2) The high alcohol. Drink now on it’s own or with grilled steak. Tasted 24 Aug 11. Best Buy & Top Pick. Score: 9.5/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 9.5/10

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

LCBO:# 730374

TOP BENCH RED, 2009, VQA Niagara Peninsula

25 Thursday Aug 2011

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TOP BENCH RED VQA

Cost: $13.95
Grape Variety: Merlot, Syrah, Cab Sauvignon & Pinot Noir
Category: Wine
Appellation: LCBO
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery
Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Peninsula Ridge Winery has blended Merlot, Syrah, Cab Sauvignon & Pinot Noir. Pinot seems to dominate on site, nose & taste. I had a guest at Go Cooking (Hamilton Spectator), which I served this wine, and she said it so precisely describing this wine as “a lot going on, but it doesn’t know what direction it wants to go.” But she agreed that this is a good wine for the value.

The colour is medium minus ruby to garnet & medium+ intensity on the nose. The nose shows light cedar, cherry, rhubarb, cranberry, black pepper, forest with hints if a smoldering campfire. Taste is dry, medium minus tannins, medium acidity, medium minus body, medium+ length & balanced. The taste shows notes of cherry, rhubarb, cranberry, leather, pepper, light cedar, blueberry, plum & slate. This wine is easy drinking on it’s own or pair it with roasted duck.

Tasted 21 Aug 11.

Score: 8/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 17.5/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3

LCBO: #226811

EMILIANA WINEMAKER’S SELECTION SYRAH 2009, D.O. Casablanca Valley, Chile

25 Thursday Aug 2011

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Cost: $18.95
Grape Variety: Syrah
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Chile
Region: Casablanca Valley
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Vinedos Emiliana S.A.
Alcohol: 14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Not impressed. Nothing negative, but nothing positive. That was what I thought when I first opened it 18 Aug 2011. I put the cork in the bottle & decided to open it the next day. The nose was like wooden fire in a clear cold snowy night with cherry kirsh, cola, blackberry, raspberry tea & chocolate mocha. The taste was just as good. It went from a score of 7/10 to 9+/10. Value: 9/10, Total: 18+/20.

Best Buy

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

LCBO:# 212407

ROSEMOUNT SHOW RESERVE GSM 2006, McLaren Vale, Australia

25 Thursday Aug 2011

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Rosemount Show Reserve Gsm 2006, Mclaren Vale, South Australia Bottle

Cost: $34.95
Grape Variety: Grenache/shiraz/mourvedre
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Australia
Region: McLaren Vale
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Foster’S Wine Estates Americas
Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: First off let me just say that I have not yet had a Rosemount Show Reserve wine that I didn’t like & this one doesn’t disappoint. Medium+ ruby in colour with a medium intensity on the nose. A complex nose that shows plums, dill, raspberry, blackberry, cherry, cedar, dark chocolate smoked bacon, black & white pepper & mocha. The taste is just as complex as the nose showing similar notes as the nose. Surprisingly with the high alcohol & being from Australia you would expect more prune or cooked fruit. However, the taste is old world, except for the heat. The taste is dry, medium+ tannins & acidity with a very long length. The wine has medium to full body & balanced. The wine is drinkable now but will age nicely for the next 5 years. Drink on it’s own or rack of lamb.

Tasted 17 Aug 11.

Top Pick

Score: 9.5/10, Value; 7/10, Total: 16.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

LCBO:# 583146

FATTORIA DEL CERRO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO, 2006 DOCG, Tuscany, Italy

25 Thursday Aug 2011

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Cost: $25.95
Grape Variety: Sangiovese
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Saiagricola S.P.A.
Alcohol: 13.5 %
Description: Medium ruby to garnet in colour with medium intensity. A pleasant nose that shows distinctive Sangiovese in cedar, oregano, sage, sour cherry, anise, lead pencil, milk chocolate & black peppercorn. The taste is dry, with medium+ tannins & acidity, & medium+ length. The notes on the taste are similar to the nose with addition of spinach leaf. The wine is very smooth & balanced. Nicely aged it’s drinkable now or for the next 2 years. Food friendly wine that will pair with any Italian dish with red sauce.

Tasted: 3 Aug 11

Score: 8.5+/10 Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

LCBO:# 180059

STLTO MERLOT-MALBEC, 2009, Abruzzo, Italy

23 Saturday Jul 2011

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Stlto Merlot Malbec 2009 Bottle

Cost: $11.95
Grape Variety:
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: LCBO General List
Country: Italy
Region: Abruzzo
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Feudi San Pio Inc.
Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: This wine surprised me considering the label that had to be done by a female. Oh wait it was! Usually these labels are designed as a quick pick-up marketing to get the consumer to buy, but not really a quality style wine. This one is! It has dark ruby in colour with medium intensity on the nose. The nose is pleasant with light oak, blackberry, cherry, raisins, blueberry & cola notes. The taste is also pleasant with similar notes as the nose. Medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium length & body. This wine is balanced & easy to drink on it’s own or try with chicken with rum & cola sauce or if you’re being more conventional it pairs well with BBQ lamb chops. Drink now or cellar for 1-2 years.

Best Buy. Good complexity & quality for a wine under $15.

Tasted 21 July 2011. Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 10/10, Score: 18.5+/20.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5