VEUVE AMBAL BRUT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE, NV, Burgundy, France

18 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Best Buys, Sparkling Wine

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Cost: $15.95
Grape Variety:
Category: Sparkling Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: France
Region: Burgundy
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Veuve Ambal
Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Gold in colour with fine mousse & plenty of them. Medium intensity showing classic champagne notes of baked apple, biscotti, pear, lemon & white flowers. The taste is dry, good acidity, long length, medium+ body and balanced. Taste shows lemon, apple, pink grapefruit & pear. The nose is more complex than the taste. This sparkler is refreshing to the taste & would pair with nicely with classic champagne dishes of caviar & oysters.

Best Buy.

Tasted 17 July 2011.

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:#209619

STONELEIGH, CHARDONNAY, 2009, Marlborough, New Zealand

18 Monday Jul 2011

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Stoneleigh Chardonnay 2009, Marlborough Bottle

Cost: $16.95
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: Still Table Wine
Appellation: LCBO, General List
Country: New Zealand
Region: Marlborough
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Pernod Ricard Pacific Pty Ltd
Alcohol: 14.0 %
Description: Bright gold in colour with medium intensity. Light oak & toast with lemon, apple, light honeysuckle, lemon grass & limestone. The taste is dry, good acidity, med body, long length & well balanced. Similar to the nose with a slight creaminess. Shows all signs of a cool climate weather Chard & could be confused with a mid level Burgundian wine. Pleasant surprise from New Zealand. Drink now, goes well with snow crab & drawn butter.

Tasted 15 July 2011.

Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 9+/10 Total: 18

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

LCBO:# 288795

CAVE DE RASTEAU LA DOMELIÈRE RASTEAU CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2009, Rhone, France

18 Monday Jul 2011

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Cost: $15.00
Grape Variety: Grenache/shiraz/mourvedre
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: France
Region: Rhone
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Cave Des Vignerons De Gigondas
Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: Med ruby to purple colour with medium intensity on the nose. Light oak with egg plant, plum, mushroom & fig. You can definitely make out the Grenache. Taste is dry, med+ tannins & acidity, long length & a bit austere. Taste is similar to nose. Wine Spectator gave this a 90, but they didn’t try this bottle. Needs to go with food like vegetable lasagna.

Tasted 14 July 2010.

Score: 6/10, value: 8/10, Total: 14/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 2.5

LCBO:#222927

SOUTHBROOK VINEYARDS TRIOMPHE, CHARDONNAY, 2008, Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario VQA

18 Monday Jul 2011

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Southbrook Vineyards Triomphe Chardonnay 2008, VQA Niagara On The Lake Bottle

Cost: $18.10
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Category: White Wine
Appellation: VINTAGES
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara-On-The-Lake
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Southbrook Vineyards
Alcohol: 12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Description: “LCBO Quality Assurance Laboratory has determined that this wine contains 28 mg/L of free sulphur.”

Bright gold in colour with medium+ intensity that shows medium minus oak & toast, lemon, fresh Macintosh apples, mango, pineapple, honeydew flower & fortune cookies. Taste is dry, medium+ acidity, med body, long length & balanced. The taste is more complexed than the nose as the flavours come in layers. The initial taste shows lemon & pink grapefruit, followed by apples & pineapple then you get hit by a wave of lemon meringue pie, finishing of with lemon zest. If you have different style of wine glasses such as Riedel, use cold climate Chard glasses instead of the big California Chard glasses. Drink now or in the next 2 years. Drink on it’s own or with Sea Bass infused with a Chardonnay sauce.

Best Buy.

Tasted 10 July 2011.

Score: 9/10, value: 9.5/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO:#172338

CLOSSON CHASE PINOT NOIR ROSÉ, 2010, Canada

02 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by in Canadian Wines, Non LCBO Wine, Rosés

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Cost: $19.95
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Category: Rosé Wine
Appellation: Closson Chase Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Prince Edward County
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Closson Chase
Alcohol: 12% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Salmon in colour with medium+ nose intensity. The nose shows Provence characteristics of strawberry, rhubarb, minerality and cherry. The taste is dry, medium+ acidity, light tannins, medium length, light+ body and balanced. The taste is like the nose. As this is unfiltered, and personally I don’t recall drinking an unfiltered Rosé, you will find sediment at the end of the bottle so decant first. This wine went perfect with French cut pork chops stuffed with Mozzarella and sundried tomatoes on a BBQ. Truly yummy. Unfortunately, this wine is sold at the winery only.

Tasted: 30 June 2011

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

ROSEWOOD ESTATES MERLOT 2008, Beansville Bench, Ontario VQA

01 Friday Jul 2011

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Cost: $20.00 (on sale $14.05)
Grape Variety: Merlot
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Vintages
Country: Canada
Region: Beamsville Bench
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Rosewood Estates
Alcohol: 13% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium dark ruby with a medium intense nose. Pleasant nose with no notes that over state the others. Light oak with raspberry, wild flowers, coco, vanilla notes, sweet cherry and Christmas cake. The taste is dry, medium tannins and acid, medium length, medium to light body and well balanced. Taste is similar to the nose. This wine is easy drinking and can be paired with an array of different food due to the easiness of the fruits, medium tannins and medium acidity. This wine is nice to drink beside the pool and enjoy during the summer days or night. For the sale price it’s a best buy, for regular price it’s a good buy. If it’s sold out at the LCBO, please visit the winery.

Tasted: 29 June 2011

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3.5

LCBO#211896

SAN GREGORIO MANGA DEL BRUJO GRENACHE BLEND, 2008, Spain, Calatayud

01 Friday Jul 2011

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Cost: $15.95
Grape Variety: 65% Grenache, Tempranillo, Mazuelo & Monastrell
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Vintages
Country: Spain
Region: Calatayud
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Bodega San Gregorio
Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium+ dark ruby with a medium intense nose. This pleasant, and not overbearing nose, shows classic Grenache notes of medium oak tones, black currants, white pepper, spicy notes, raspberry, clove and liquorice. The taste is dry with medium tannins and medium acidity, long length, medium body and well balanced. The taste is similar to the nose having a juicy feel to it. Drink on its own or with lamb.  Drink now. Best Buy

Tasted: 1 July 2011

Score: 9/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

LCBO#15073

SOELLNER TONI GRÜNER VELTLINER 2009 , Austria

26 Sunday Jun 2011

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Cost: $14.95 (on sale for $10.55)
Grape Variety: Grüner Veltliner
Category: White Wine
Appellation: Vintages
Country: Austria
Region: Lower Austra
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Weingut Soellner
Alcohol: 12% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Gold in the colour, with medium+ intensity. The nose shows citric flavours, grapefruit, melon, tangerines, light smokiness and some pepperness. The taste is dry, good acidy, med length, medium minus body and balanced. The taste is expressive, showing the same notes as the nose. This organically grown wine is a good representative of what a Grüner is and at the price it’s a Best Buy. This is a great wine to sip on a patio during the summer or to have with Sushi.

Best Buy wine.

Tasted: 26 June 2011

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

LCBO#184085

SANTA MARGHERITA BRUT VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE, Veneto, Italy

25 Saturday Jun 2011

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Cost: $17.95
Grape Variety: Prosecco
Category: Sparkling Wine
Appellation: General Listing
Country: Italy
Region: Veneto
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  Santa Margherita
Alcohol: 11.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Normally I wouldn’t quote another wine critic verbatim but I must admit Steve Thurlow hit it on the nose for me, so this is his review: “A simple fresh Prosecco but I was expecting more from a wine at this price. The nose is fresh with hints of apple blossom, peach with mineral tones. The palate is fine and dry but I missed the explosion of flavour that one expects. Good length. Correct but not exciting.”

Tasted: 24 June 2011

Score: 8/10, Value: 8/10, Total: 16/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3

LCBO#687582

RODNEY STRONG ESTATE PINOT NOIR, 2009, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

23 Thursday Jun 2011

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Cost: $24.95 (on sale for $21.95)
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: LCBO
Country: USA           
Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Format: 750 mL
Producer: Rodney Strong Estate
Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Always one of my favourite Pinot’s, but this one is not as good as previous vintages. The colour is medium minus garnet, with medium + intensity. The nose shows light cherry wood, rhubarb, slight jammy raspberry, cola cherry, smoked Montreal meat & some mushrooms to give it that earthy Pinot smell and taste. The taste is dry, med minus tannins, med minus body, good acidity, balanced, with long length. The taste is similar to the nose, but you will notice the hot finish due to the 14.5% alcohol. Drink on its own or pair with traditional Pinot dishes like roast duck. Normally this would be a best buy, and for the sale price that I got it for it is, but not for the regular price. Still I enjoyed the wine. Drink now.

Tasted: 22 May 2011

Score: 9/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

LCBO#: 00954834