Gourmet Food and Wine show...

Thursday night opening night was ostensibly the VIP night...but there was nothing exclusive about it; It was packed. The food wasn't particularly gourmet either; the risotto sucked, the pork on a bun sucked, but the prime rib on a bun was really good. I tasted quite a bit of wine as well but nothing really blew me away. Though to be fair I didn't spend $50 for a taste of the '06 Mouton Rothschild. The bottle costs $850, but still that's a bit steep.

here's a few wines I did like:

Domaine Du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf Du Pape 2007, $76.95

92 (now) - 92+? (later)
Like many great wines this is deceptively great. A novice could easily dismiss this wine because it has clearly shut down. But you can sense it's potential. Loads of flavour buried in tannin. I found it almost a bit thin on the palate which is weird because it's not (a gustatory illusion?). I suspect it's because it's nose it so closed & subtle right now. But take a mouthful and swish it around for a while, you'll taste all sorts of complexities dying to get out. I wouldn't touch this for at least 5 years..though 10-20 would be better.

Sigalas Santorini 2008, $21.95

90
From my favorite island comes a tight, flinty, serious Assyrtiko with a very clean, precise nose. Quite austere but in a refreshing sort of way. Like an angry mating of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Not as much of a crowd-pleaser or sipper as some softer Assyrtikos (like Boutari) but a wine made tailor made for Greek food: grilled squid, eggplant, caviar & garlic dips, lamb souvlaki. Heaven.

D'arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2007, $49.95

90 (now) - 92 (later)
Great nose on this; blackberries, herbal, a bit smokey. Classic Aussie Shiraz. Full bodied and well balanced, if a tad hot in spite of it's great concentration. Long finish. Still very young, needs several years at least, at which point I suspect I'd give it an extra point or two.

Hardys Bankside Shiraz (V) 2008, $13.95

88+
Another great value from Hardys. Medium-full bodied with plenty of Shiraz flavour without being over-extracted or having too much mass-produced sweetness as some inexpensive Aussie wines are prone. This was most excellent with prime rib on a bun. 


And these next two were great, i didn't try it at the show but the next day at dinner party, (pork tenderloin with proper mushroom rissoto)

Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru 1999, $26.99

 

90

This is a blend from many 1er Cru vineyards, but what it lacks in specific character it makes up in value.
'99 was a good year in Beaune. This would have spent about 12-18 months in wood before bottling so it has around 9 years of age on it.
Pale red with the pretty, telltale bricking of age. Young wines have aromas, aged wines develop a bouquet and even in this modest Burgundy you get a sense of that; sweet strawberries, earthy black truffles, leather...
Very little sediment (was this re-bottled?)
Sweet & savory, well balanced, smooth tannins, good finish.
Well worth the price.

De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2007, $29.95

 

95

Way to go Australia!
I'm a lover of dessert wines and this is great one. An after-dinner crowd-pleaser this is beautiful golden-yellow with a tinge of amber. Outstanding nose: loads of apricot, fresh peaches, lemon, honey and earthy notes. Just great. Thick, but not quite as mouth-coating as some icewines and Sauternes can be. Loads of complex flavours. Very sweet but with acidity and tang so it's not cloying. Very well balanced. I'd love to taste this in 10 years. A good value for a sweet Semillon of this quality, especially when compared it to similarly styled Sauternes at $10-$40+ more.

grab 'em if you can find 'em.

 

 

 

 

A few more reviews...

Tonight: Gourmet Wine and Food show...never been. Full report later.

In the mean time..a few more LCBO wine reviews

Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano D'abruzzo 2008, $12.95

87

A good, old fashioned Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo and, along with young Chianti, one of my go-to pizza & spaghetti on Wednesday wines.
Deep, bright red. Hot, spicy, fruity nose. Medium body. Hot & tangy. Sort of like a rustic Barbera with attitude and tannins. Boozy but plenty of flavour. Palate cleaning acidity and bright fruit make this a great Cheese-&-tomato-dish wine.
Drink this next Wednesday with a pizza and tell me it's not a perfect match.
Wine snobs take note: The best food wines are often inexpensive (and Italian)!
Drink young.

Masi Costasera Amarone 2006, $38.95

 91

Solid Amarone at a great price.
Dark purple. Rich nose of raisins, stewed plums, anise, some floral notes and a hint of smoke. Alcohol is pretty high but very well contained in full bodied, ripe, dense, dark fruit and flavours of Christmas cake, vanilla/oak and a touch of espresso. Good acidity and very well balanced tannins. Long finish.
Delicious now but will certainly cellar for another decade.

Seigneurs D'aiguilhe 2006, $19.95

87

Dark ruby red. Nice fresh nose of strawberries, vanilla and Greek oregano. Medium weight. Crisply acidic and fruity entry: tastes of cranberry & herbs. Very dry, some sweetness. Initially quite fruity with medium tannins but became a bit more austere the next day. Somewhat modern in style but still very French. I was told this is mostly Merlot but I clearly detect a good bit of Cabernet Franc in the mix which I suspect did not ripen as well as the Merlot and gave this a slightly unripened green and bitter edge.
Good overall. More of a food wine than a sipper. I doubt I'd buy more.

Hess Estate Chardonnay 2008, Napa Valley, $19.95

88

Medium-light straw yellow with a tinge of green. Nose initially a bit tight but opens: Green apple, fresh mown grass. Medium full bodied, quite plush on the tongue. Dry. The Alcohol is a bit high for my taste but the acidity and it's weight does balance it out to some extent. Not quite "buttery" but it is an interesting mix of a soft mid-palate and sharp, slightly bitter top end. Good finish. Heady wine.
Did the trick with (and in) my home-made saffron chicken pot pie.
Not sure I'd buy it again though. Something about Hess' regular labels that leaves me wanting.

Mocali Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, $46.95

89

This decent BdM is surprisingly lightweight for is type and vintage. Tightish nose opens with some swirling/decanting: prunes/raisins/dried fruit, herbs, vanilla, tobacco. Not much concentration on the palate, though overall it is fairly well balanced. Medium bodied, but a bit thin really.
Honestly it does the name 'Brunello' no favours. Not that this is a bad wine, it's not, it's a good wine. But anyone trying Brunello for the first time (and spending $50 bucks for the "privilege") may be underwhelmed and wonder what all the fuss is about.

 

Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2006, VQA Okanagan Valley, $45.00

92

Welcome to Bordeaux Columbia!
This is an old school blend but a new school wine. Quite open nose: Dark fruits, cedary-oak, vanilla, mocha, menthol. Good dark-red colour, full bodied. Well balanced, good concentration of fruit, not too much oak, fairly ripe, smooth tannin. Much more forward than an equivalent French blend. Drinking well now (give it a vigorous decanting) but will certainly improve over a few more years, probably peaking around 2013 but will likely last for some years beyond. Well done.

That's it for now...hopefully I'll taste all sorts of good stuff tonight at the wine and food show.

 

 

 

 

Back to the Blog

Took a short break from the blog for a while...(is 6 months short?).

Toronto Wine Guy is back...here's a few recent reviews, see links for LCBO availability:

Ornellaia (Tenuta Dell'ornellaia) 2007, Doc Bolgheri Superiore

94

Tuscany, Italy
$179.95 Supertuscan superstar. Yeah this is a pretty great wine...and a price to match.
Super-ripe, very concentrated, uber-complex, endless finish.
Nose is still a bit tight; spicy, woody, coffee, a bit flowery and smoky, (almost like a a tar and roses Barolo thing!).
Full bodied....lots going on here, like a perfect after dinner course: cherries jubilee, espresso, cognac, cigar. In this case all mixed together!
You can taste it the next day.
A tad hot at 14.5%., in Bordeaux this would be more like 13.5% (blame the Tuscan sun!) but that's nitpicking, the density of everything else holds it in check just fine.
A big wine but also quite subtle.

Red Hill Estate Pinot Noir 2007, Mornington Peninsula

90

Australia
$19.95 This is one of the better Pinot noirs I've had at this price range. In fact it's as good as many I've had at double the price. (I'm looking at you Clos Jordan)
Clear bright red, fresh nose of cranberry & mint. Medium-light body, sweet/tart raspberry on the palate, bright acidity, smooth tannin. Not especially concentrated but well balanced.
It'll keep for a couple of years but there's no point in cellaring this wine, it will only lose it's freshness. A fine drink that's good to go. Was great with Thanksgiving dinner.

Bodegas Lan Reserva 2004, Doca Rioja

88-89

Spain
$19.95 Good wine, well made, but not as good as I had hoped. It's medium body was lighter than I expected.
Has an olivey, briney thing going on. A bit of anise-floral-tar (which reminded me almost like a hint of barolo...ok...neat.)
A bit of heat and wood on the finish...slightly sour.
Yeah this was pretty good, but not a "stunning value".  If this cost $40, I'd be annoyed.
"good", "nice"...yeah...not great.
$20 for an "89" ain't saying that much these days.

 

Château Larose Trintaudon 2006, Ac Haut Médoc

88

Bordeaux, France
$26.95 Not bad, not great, but not bad.
Nice nose; earthy, herbal, fruity.
Tastes ok too: medium body, decent concentration of fruit, pretty good balance especially for a fairly young haut-medoc which are often quite austere. Certainly no fruit-bomb but a bit of a modern touch here.
i won't be rushing out to buy a case but it's a good all-round Bordeaux, if overpriced. At this level you really are paying an extra $5-$10 for the region name alone, in this case "haut medoc".

Château Haut Vigneau 2006, Ac Pessac Léognan

87

Bordeaux, France
$24.95 Yet another mediocre no-name Bordeaux.
A good, if typical, nose. Medium body. On the palate: Fruit is there but a bit thin, dark berries, a bit woody, some minerality, not too much tannin.
decent, but why bother...
$25 bucks should buy you more than average.

That's about it for now....oh wait, new releases of the following wines are out now, I've really enjoyed previous vintages so it might be worthwhile checking them out, these are my eviews from previous years...

'07 is out now..this is my review of the '06

Antinori Pèppoli Chianti Classico 2006, Docg

Tuscany, Italy
$19.95 90
A darn fine Chianti.
Not quite "full" bodied, but almost. Dense, dark (but fading fast) fruits, nice fine tannin. Savory, with a slightly sweet, fruity undertone.
Not much life left though I fear...the tannins are holding strong while the fruit lays underneath. If the fruit can survive a year or two in the cellar this could evolve spendidly. Not sure it has the stuffing...the tannins might be too strong and the fruit may already be fading. Drink now. But worth a shot at 1 or 2 years aging. You might even find some cute little half bottles.

'07s are out now...reviews on this are mixed but the price is right...worth a shot.

Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano D'abruzzo 2006, Doc

87

Abruzzo, Italy
$13.95 Jam and pepper. Sweet and spicy. Thick and juicy with some heat. (Welches grape juice & vodka jello shooters?) Reminds me of some Cali Zins I've had only thicker. I loved this. My wife? Not so much, though she enjoyed it more the next day. Great Price to quality ratio.

ok so that's it for now....gourmet wine show coming up, i think I've snagged free tickets to the VIP opening night, I hope so. Though this time I'll be drinking alone, I'll drag Mimi along but with another bun in the oven she'll have to settle for appreciating some fine bouquets.