GINI Wine Tasting

It’s near Christmas and we’ve decided to go for something more ’special’ for the holidays. At the end we’ve picked 2 wine from Châteuneuf-du-Pape and the other 2 from Côtes du Rhône. This was an interesting tasting for me as I have always thought CdP is one of my favourite wine region [...]

AC: Had these two wine on consecutive nights last long weekend. I am officially spoiled with these great wine I’ve been having these couple months… I had the 04 Lascombes first and when I tasted it at the time, it just confuses me as to what makes a good vintage for these great estates! [...]

Tasted these wine 1 week ago. The order of tasting were: 1) 1998 Boisrenard CdP 2)1996 Haut-Brion 3)2001 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta. All three are extraordinary wine but of course, all attention were still pulled into the 1996 Haut Brion. Especially this was my first time having a sit-down dinner with a [...]

Tasted about 2 months ago but still remembered this wine (on the left in the pic) to be quite distinctive… now that I forgot about how it is different than the zind humbrecht whites which in my mind also possess a special character that stands out in aroma and taste among other whites. [...]

VW: Dark colored. Currant, black berries, pepper on the nose. Soft and velvet palate of lots of dark fruits and black pepper, strong tea finish. Dense and relatively good concentration for what it is. No shortage of flavours which will be a good match for the BBQ. Hard to believe it only costs $13 Canadian! A [...]

VW: Lots of tobacco on the nose, almost cigarette ash, cigar box. Strong sour cherry palate with spices. Good concentration and length. Unmistakably Bordeaux that is drinking well now. Just a little bit too acidic. 90 (June, 2009)

VW: Dark purple, looks young. Nose of deep currant, rather grapey, cedar and some leather. Creamy and smooth palate that is full of minerals. Tannins already integrated into a refined texture. Focused and pure, this Reysson is a great value from the 2003 Bordeaux. Taste good now but it will continue to improve for 2-3 [...]

VW: Not much on the nose, maybe just a little blackberry after lots of swirl. Strong black tea palate with some unidentifiable dark fruits. Quite balanced with some bitter chocolately tannins at the end. 90 (June, 2009)

AC: Despite having some good old-world element, this wine isn’t what I expected. Quite simple, I find this wine lack fruit to support… even bitter at times. This exact vintage is rated 92 by Antonio from Wine Advocate… maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention… 89
VW: I like it a little more than AC. Sweet sensation [...]

VW: Coming from Carinena in Spain. This is made up of Garnacha and Cabernet. Cherry on the nose with some minerals and spice overtone. Light to medium palate of bright cherry, strawberry, spring flowers which seems to be a perfect match for the season. Lighter in style but perfectly made. 90 (May, 2009)

VW: Clos Saint Jacques is a great premier cru in Gevrey Chambertin. The wine is usually quite masculine with good structure. But the best example would not simply sacrifice elegance for this. Jadot makes pretty good CSJ but this 1998 is probably a weaker example. Color is quite advanced, tawny ruby. Rather old looking for a 1998. [...]

VW: I was looking for a cheaper white wine for poaching pears and picked this one for $8.45. Liebfraumilch is a type of semi-sweet wine made in Germany. Most of the time Liebfraumilch is associated with low quality wine. Green apple and tangerine nose. Quite balanced sweet and sour note, but other than that, not much [...]

VW: A strange nose of fennel, some olives and spiciness, also quite alcoholic. Not much fruits on nose nor palate. Color is lighter ruby. Medium bodied with good acidity. This Campomaggio doesn’t have much character and disappointing given the good review from Wine Spectator. Maybe I got a bad bottle? 85 (May, 2009)

VW: ‎Calatayud is in southwest of Spain and this Manga del Brujo is made up of Garnacha, Syrah, Tempranillo, Monastrell and Mazuelo. No wonder it does smell and taste like a southern Rhone. Crushed cherry nose with some blood and a little match stick. Sweet cherry in the mouth that’s quite flavourful. Length is good but then this [...]

VW: Owned by the famous Thienpont family and situated in Cotes de Francs, Puygueraud represents a value Bordeaux of classic quality. This 2005 opens with some toasty notes and orange rind. It’s not giving much on the nose at the moment. Great texture, very silky and full palate of dark fruits and mineral. The tannins [...]

VW: Bouquet of berries with a sour component, little tobacco. Creamy palate of dark fruits. Quite deep albeit one dimensional. Balanced with medium finish. Some extra time in the cellar can probably add complexity. But I won’t hesitate to enjoy it tonight. Nicely make. 91 (April, 2009)

VW: Once this wine hit my palate, I knew that I made the wrong decision……. to buy one of this only. The name is long but this wine is easy to understand and enjoy. Was on sales at Vintages for $13 Canadian only ! but too bad they are all gone by now.
Classic petrol, some rubber, [...]

AC: Quite frankly I had some expectation of this wine, not because of a 92 from RP but because of the price tag attached (C$40+). It’s not often that we hit a bordeaux over $40… or I should say not from a tasting event anyway. Not remembering the nose, I do remember the [...]

VW: After the last shiraz, I just wanted to have another mature Australian wine and what a surprise this one brought.
Complex on the nose, sweet dark berry, subtle vanilla oak, some tobacco ash… when you find complexity on nose, you know you are in for something special. Big, full and smooth palate saturated with dark fruits. Sweet [...]

VW: Recent vintages of Two Hands single vineyard bottlings have been somewhat disappointing because of their sweet, candied taste. I was quite impressed by this 2001 Sophie’s Garden Shiraz a few years back and now wonder if the older vintages were really better… or just my palate have changed.
Showing leather, plum, vanilla oak nose, which [...]

VW: Made of Prieto Picudo, which is probably my first time trying it. Quite an explosive nose, mostly cherry, flowers some wood.. high toned palate, spicy. Deeply flavoured with good grip. It tasted better earlier on than at the end of the dinner. Straight forward and tasty wine to be enjoyed now. 90 (April, 2009)

VW: This Spainish Tinto was on sales in Vintages. Cedar, dark berries nose which turned more alcoholic later on. Very smooth and fluid in the mouth that went down easily. At the same time the mid palate is somewhat hollow, lacking some concentration. Good now. 89 (April, 2009)

VW: This smell like a Southern Rhone on open… cherry, cola, kirsch. But this subsided after sitting in glass and the nose giving very little later on. Mostly sweet red cherry on the palate. Good amount of tannins but with a short and somewhat hot finish. I wonder what varietals went into this Petit Mars. 89 (April, 2009)

VW: On open, this was very closed.. giving very little on nose and palate. It continued to open for the 2 hours dinner showing dark berries nose. Same on the palate with smoke, quite spicy and some vanilla. Full and velvet, this opened up nicely to be very enjoyable. Quite grapey but with balanced acidity [...]

VW: Gromis barolo is owned by Gaja but much more affordable than their top black and white labels. Sweet dark cherry and flowers jumping from the glass. Quite tight with mouth coating tannis initially but well resolved after an hour of decant. The palate is well balanced, medium to full of sweet fruits. The inner mouth [...]

VW: Bastor-Lamontagne is a pretty good value from Sauternes. Nose is showing lots of boytritis with some dry figs and dry pineapples. Also a tiny bit of nail polish. Palate is very full, rather sweet with just enough acidity. This does seem a little too sweet after drinking more. Showing mostly boytritis now with little fruits, some [...]

VW: Lots of sweet red fruits coming from the glass. Some cola. High toned on the palate with high acidity and a long finish. Some strange soapiness initially but later on disappeared. Good concentration and some real depth. Not a bad wine but I found it to be a bit too alcoholic and aggressive. Maybe [...]

VW: Mostly sweet cherry on the nose. The palate is dense with sweet red fruits from grenache. The best thing about it is the velvet mouthfeel. Drinking nice now but can keep. Grenache and syrah, like a baby Chateauneuf. 90 (April, 2009)

AC: This night we had 4 cab blend: 2006 Stratus Red, 2003 Hess collection Cabernet Mt. Veeder Napa, 2003 Chateau Phelan Segur Saint Estephe, 2004 1707 Selection de Barricas Almansa Spain. The Hess Collection has easily become my favourite as I find good balance and finish in the wine. Its mouth-feel in the palate and [...]

AC: Once again the Vatican performances. With it’s fruit nose and palate, it has good balance with right acidity. Tiny bit of grass to the taste, this wine has good finish and right amount of tannins. Not sure if it’s that I had too many cab blend the night before, this CdP [...]

VW: Much more reserved on the nose than that on the palate. Packed with tropical fuits and bright acidity that almost gave a tingling feeling on the tongue. Full bodied, just lightly sweet with a long finish that’s loaded with minerals. This got better and better as the dinner progress. More time in the cellar [...]

AC: Drank this about 3 weeks ago but don’t remember how exactly it taste like. But I do remembered it as something similar to the Elderton’s and certainly gives me a good reason in paying more attention to the great Australian Shiraz again. 90
VW: Same as AC, I don’t quite remember any specifics but this [...]

VW: Recommended by someone on the 2003 version, so when the 2004 is released I decided to give it a try. Supposingly the best in last few years, this showed lots of plummy fruit. Floral perfume, very tasty yet truely Italian and show that beautiful Tuscan sun. I can see many people would appreciate the [...]

VW: I had this port more than 2 months ago while visiting relatives in Hong Kong and I still can’t get it out of my mind. But before talking about it I should first mention what I think about port.
For long, I find port a sweet, alcoholic drink with some medicinal taste. Most of them [...]

AC: Don’t know if it’s because I haven’t had a nice red for about 2 months, this terrific wine comes at a good price and in a good time. It is leathery and oaky in the palate, much like most of good old reds. Well balanced. It lacks the tannin a young wine usually has [...]

AC: Only our 2nd time to taste white wine in our GINI gatherings. This batch of Riesling are all made by Balthasar Ress. They are 82 Rudesheim Berg Rottland Spatlese, 82 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Kabinett, 90 Johannisberger Klaus Spatlese, and 98 Hattenheimer Wisselbrunnen Spatlese. Been quite a while since I tasted these so don’t remember [...]

AC: In GINI 19 we have tried the following 4 wine: 2004 EMILIO MORO VINO ROJO, 2004 ARROCAL SELECCIÓN, 2004 Finca Villacreces Tinto, 2004 TINTO PESQUERA RESERVA. At first it might seem a lot to drink for the evening… however these few wines have quite a lot in common that makes me want to drink [...]

VW: A dark pinot. Dense and sweet, lots of plummy fruits. Aromatically quite complex and floral. On the palate, this is showing the 14+% alcohol. Direct and pleasurable attack but fell off quickly in the mid-palate, relatively short finish for vineyard of this calibre. Good that the sweetish fruits are quite admirable without candied character. [...]

AC: I have tried a Duckhorn Merlot before and I don’t remmeber the vintage year, but this time I tried it it seems to be surprisingly better. Fruit doesn’t start to come out until after sitting for about half an hour. Earth-like aroma and taste even a bit like that as well. [...]

AC: I still remember there was a time that I tried a Crozes Hermitage. It wasn’t anything as ‘classic’ as I expect it to be. This time is quite different. This M. Chapoutier Hermitage brings me back to the arms of classic french wine. Without much fruit, yet this slightly concentrated wine has a very, [...]

AC: This old Saint Emillion confuses me whether what a ‘fruity’ wine should taste. New world (or younger) wine is usually easier to taste the fruits in the wine. But fruits in old world wine usually does not link up with the word ’sweet’ what-so-ever so makes it much harder to detect. [...]

AC: I’ve bought this wine long ago but never has that WANT to go drink it… probably because I think most Australian Shiraz are overrated, and that this wine is not that expensive ($24.95 for 2006 vintage) and can always be found in LCBO. Finally yesterday at dinner I decided to open this [...]

AC: Don’t exactly remember how this old world style wine tasted, but just checked the price on it and it wasn’t cheap! (Thanks Vincent) First couple of mouthful I can almost tasted the age of this wine, I always think old wine tastes quite flat in the beginning and only improve after a few taste [...]

VW: Jadot wines are often not rated high by major critics but I find them consistently delivering. The 96 version of this particular one let me understand how a good wine can be. Although there were better wine since then, it always has a special place in my mind. This 99 is at absolute peak [...]

VW: A traditionally styled chianti which went pretty well with the lamb. Medium bodied with red fruits dominating the nose and taste. Bright acidity gave perfect lift for the fat in the meat. It hides the heat of 2003 well without any jamminess. 90 (May 2005)
AC: Classic example of how good a Chianti can [...]

After a week back from my trip to Vegas, I still remember to blog about this Merlot that I tried at the Wine Cellar located in the RIO hotel. The 2003 Twomey stands out among the three in the Merlot flight that I’ve tried (the other two are Duckhorn 2005 and Casa Lapostolle. [...]

AC: The 2001 Scanvino was so good that after a bit more than a year, when we see this 03 available at LCBO, we immediately bought it and tasted it the same night. Opened with a fruity nose, this full bodied wine didn’t lack any fruit in the mid-palate. Concentrated, this new world-like wine certainly [...]

AC: I guess ever since I’ve tried that Paolo Scavino at Paese I’ve started to think Barolo might just be second to Bordeaux as far as old world quality wine goes… well, we’ve tried a couple of Barolo since then and doesn’t seem to bring back the memory of the Paolo, including this Mauro Molino… [...]

AC: I have always wanted to try a high scoring James Halliday wine and here it is, a wine that scores 95 from him. Nose of ripe fruits, you know what will be coming… quite concentrated and tasty, lots of ripe fruits in the palate. Very mouth filling and hint of burnt cedar. [...]

AC: I took a peek at celllartracker to see how this wine is rated before I drank this one and found out this wine is rated quite highly by others! The nose opened with lots of fruits which actually is the main theme of this wine. You will find lots of fruits from start to [...]

AC: Perhaps we shouldn’t drink this after the Almaviva… From the nose to the mid palate to the finish I tasted some odd herbs if not grass. There was little fruits but it was overwhelmed by the grass I tasted. Not difficult to tell the differences between good and not-so-good wine on this night. Oh, [...]

AC: Opened with a fruity nose, the fruits didn’t wait long to take over the midpalate as well. Turned out to be quite california-like. Not so concentrated, combining with a fair finish this has never showed itself as a ‘Rothschild’ wine throughout. Still, quite tasty and definitely not ‘disappointed’. 90
VW: Dark purple without age. Plum [...]

VW: Deep purple, looks very young with slightest aging rim. Typical bordeaux nose, currant, cedar and little leather. Young on the palate, just like a 5 years old. Fresh and vibrant but not densely fruit like the 96. More elegant and classy fine example. Turning just a little sweeter with time in glass. Can be [...]

VW: Dark with plum and black berries on the nose. Opulent palate with espresso, plums and different berries. Not difficult to see this is coming from a hot vintage. The fruits are sweet and low in acidity. Intensely flavoured giving lots of enjoyment already at this early stage. Tannins are ripe and soft. There is [...]

AC: The fourth Spanish we drank in a week. Start off with a fruity nose, this highly rated by Jay Miller[93] red from the Priorat region is quite California like. Black fruits in the mid-palate, this tasteful wine still has the right level of tannins. Probably more concentration and a stronger finish will make this [...]

VW: Definitely the wine I was most looking forward to and I was not disappointed. Black berries, currants plus that citrus oranges, lemons on the nose. Focused and fine palate. Good density and velvet. This is a cut above the rest in terms of class. Very young and has good potential, it should show it’s [...]

VW: Had this just few weeks ago and this bottle was not as good. It had the smell and taste of Chinese bamboo shoot or that of olives. That did dissipated some half way into the tasting to reveal more of the underlying black fruits. Overall not bad with good amount of fruits. Probably just [...]

VW: This one is very consistent with the 1995. Coming out of the same mold, this showed more fruits and tannins. Younger, more energy and less sweet than the 95. Drinking well today, the tannins will smooth out even more in couple years. This maybe marginally better than the 95 but really they are both as [...]

VW: The 4 GINI Spanish wines seemed to show a similar trait, which was some citrus fruits on the nose. Both this and the 1998 version of this wine showed oranges besides the more usual berries on the nose. Matured color, smell and taste, this is ready to drink. But it should not be falling [...]

VW: Although Stratus is famous for it’s blended bottlings, here is a Cabernet Franc from this high profile Niagara winery. Cherry and tea leaves on the nose. Again predominately cherry on palate with some leather and slight oak in the finish, crisp acidity. Good flavour but lean in style. Light tannis and lacking some intensity. [...]

VW: Very dark and young. Black fruits and little cedar, still quite grapy and primary on the nose. Rather dense on the palate with focused berries and leather. Ripe mouth coating tannis showing how young this is. The tannis does soften up towards the end of the dinner. Tightly knitted and quite fine. If it [...]

AC: Another solid proof of why Chilean belongs to the ‘good value’ group of red that competes head to head with the Californians. Terrunyo has a very powerful black fruit nose. Once in your mouth it attacks with tasty fruits and cedar, balanced off quickly with its acidity and alcohol. I do [...]

VW: Showing intense lychee on the nose, with some pineapple and honey in the background. The honeyed palate was very full, almost oily. Lots of tropical friuts with slight residual sweetness. Although low in acid, yet this feel very fresh. The bitter sweet finish was satisfyingly long. Fruity but much more than a fruit cocktail. [...]

VW: Showing both cedar and vanilla on the nose, plus dark fruits especially currants. On open, the palate is tight and tannic, high flavour intensity with berries, currants and plums. Long finish of dark berries and vanilla. After time in glass, the wine open up quickly. Some soya milk added to the nose, more plums. [...]

VW: This wine is difficult to access at this stage. Very little on the nose but with a huge palate. Very ripe, almost a salty sensation. Intense and still rather tannic but difficult to identify any particular flavour components. It may evolve into something amazing, but with such ripe fruit and low acidity, it is difficult [...]

VW: Medium bodied and length. Quite elegant although not much complexity. Not as good as a bottle I had a year ago. 89 (Nov, 2007)

VW: One of the previous gini tasting winner. Lots of sweet red fruits with bitter cherry finish. Little tannis and drinking very well now. Not difficult to see why most people enjoyed it. 90 (Nov, 2007)

VW: Read lots of good reviews about Kracher and this was my first taste. A celebrated producers from Burgenland in Austria. The ‘Number 9′ here destinates the sweetness level of their dessert wine. Higher the number, the sweeter it is. It can go up to around 13 for some years.
Color is amber gold. It poured [...]

VW: Tried this at Zest in Fonthill. Thirty Bench website says it is selling for $22 which represents very good value. Ripe and juicy. Chocolately palate that should be a crowd pleaser. Not exactly new world like California nor Australia. Not old world either given all the forward fruits. I would have guessed it to [...]

VW: Better than last time we tried in Gini tasting. Lots of sweet fruits, very Californian. Just a bit too sweet to my taste as it was lacking the needed acid. Good now. 89 (Nov 16, 2007)

VW: Cabernet sangiovese blend from Tuscany. On open, this has focused black fruits and cedar. Together with the silky palate, this was similar to a nice bordeaux. Good things stop here and the wine went downhill from there on. It became rather open knit after sitting in glass. The palate also seemed a little diluted, probably [...]

VW: Showing smoke and sweet black fruits. Tannis already smoothed out but still in great shape. Drinking well on 2nd day even. Good value. 91 (Nov 12, 2007)

VW: Pure blueberry, and lots of it. Still young and powerful with many years ahead of it. Conservative use of oak. Fresh and not showing the usual jammy fruitiness in many Australian Shiraz. This is in the same level as say Elderton Command or d’Arenberg Dead Arm. Will still improve for a few years. 93+ (Nov [...]

VW: Mix of tropical fruits like mango and some coconut on the nose. Some oak and grapefruit on the palate. Not too much fruit left. Finish was probably the best part with some strong minerals. Drink up. I’m still waiting to try a great Chablis past 10 years of age 90. (Nov 10, 2007)

AC: I have always liked CdP for its uniqueness in the red wine world. This one is no exception from the nose all the way to the finish it’s just… different than other red wine. Nicely concentrated but it doesn’t give you the ‘too powerful’ feeling. Nicely balanced and tannic with a good finish. My [...]

This is a very memorable tasting for several reasons… First tasting that I’ve been to alone (it’s nice to go to these tastings with someone to share the experience, and of course to talk about the wine you taste). It’s quite exciting for me this time since I’ve gained another year of wine-drinking [...]

AC: These bordeaux wine do need a longer time to decant. This fifth-growth from Pauillac has a nose of dark fruits and oak. Concentrated, it’s mid-palate is so enjoyable and balanced you almost don’t want to swallow… would be even greater if finish can last just a bit longer. I find it [...]

AC: This Grand Cru from Saint Emilion has a mix of leather, smokey nose. Quite enjoyable in the mid-palate but no surprise either. Tanin level is low telling me this is the time to drink this wine now.90

AC: Had this wine at a friend’s BBQ. It’s a very good Shiraz from 2002. Very comparable to the few Elderton Shiraz I’ve had before. Started with a very strong nose with hint of herb, this wine’s mid palate is all about fruit and good balance. Relatively weak tanin and finish [...]

GINI 14 wine#3 – VW: This is a strong year of Dead Arm. Dark, full bodied and highly concentrated. Lots of vanilla oak. Currently this taste like a currant liquor. High in alcohol and still quite aggressive. I am guessing this is easily 5 years away from peak. A loud wine that needs time to [...]

GINI 14 Wine#2 – VW: Balanced and showing just a little pepper. Medium bodied with nice concentration. This is very enjoyable now and over the next 3 years. 90 (August 11, 2007)
AC: This medium bodied wine everything it needs to call itself a good old world wine. It is this wine that we [...]

GINI 14 wine#1 – VW: Medium bodied cabernet franc. Some vegetal smell, maybe asparagus? Smokey palate which is quite high in acidity. Good now and easy to drink although not quite interesting next to the other 2 reds tasted together. 89 (August 11, 2007)

VW: Dark ruby with brownish tint. Explosive floral aromas literally jump out of the decanter 10 feet away when it is being decanted. A mix of flowers especially roses on top of some sweet fruits. Silky palate is in total balance and wrap up in a memorably long finish. It just tasted so young with [...]

VW: The smell was quite floral with some plums. Sweet and rather alcoholic on entry. Full bodied and offered immediate pleasure with the fruit laden attack. But finish was abrupt and short which detracted the experience. Drink now or sit a year to see if the alcohol settle.  88+

AC: Started off with quite an impressive nose with cherry and plum, hint of oak. Once in the palate this gives a very ordinary straight forward acidic taste. There is still some tanin remaining but just not enough fruit to balance off. If you still have this in your cellar, think about [...]

GINI 13 (July 14, 2007) wine# 1 – AC: Don’t think I’ve tried too many Australian Cab Sauv before. This is a special wine that I relate it to the old world style… not sweet and yet fruity enough to make you like it! Especially with the soya sauce nose, it does make you think [...]

GINI 13 (July 14, 2007) wine# 2 – AC: Definitely a new world wine from start to finish. It’s upfront fruit totally speaks the new world language especially after tasting this after wine#1 (The Australian Leeuwin Estate Art Series Cab Sauv). 89
VW: Matured. Mainly black fruits and some coffee. Nice but no suprise. 89 (July 14, [...]

GINI 13 (July 14, 2007) wine# 3 – AC: With a cedary taste, this well balanced wine is my favourite new world wine out of the 3 in today’s GINI tasting. Not too concentrated, this wine can give you a good taste of a well-developed new world wine. 91
VW: Lots of sediment. Some off stink [...]

GINI 13 (July 14, 2007) wine# 4 – AC: Nose of a non-sanitized basement washroom… NOT very pleasant. Herbal in the mid-palate and have a medium finish. Quite tannic. – 89
VW: Darkest of the 4 and also tasted the youngest. Still with good amount of tannins to last couple more years. Not giving as much [...]

In this second installment of blogging my trip to Bordeaux in June.. Here’s Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot in Saint-Émilion, which was the first château in Saint-Émilion we visited on the first day. Château Beau-Séjour-Bécot is rated as Premiere Grand Cru Classé B in the St. Emilion Classification System of 2006.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevince/sets/72157600401189184/show/

Slide show of my Flickr set. [...]

Um.. while I am at it, I’ve created a group on Flickr for photos you may have taken during GINI meetings .. if you happened to post them on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/gini_wine_tasting/
If you happened to be a Flickr user do join the group!

Two weeks after returning from Bordeaux I finally have time to
1. GIMP my 10Gb of pictures and upload them to Flickr
2. Slowly annotate the pictures.
The first château that is ready for presentation is Château Lascombes, which was the first winery we visited on the 2nd day in Bordeaux:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevince/sets/72157600545741178/show/

Slide show of my Flickr set for Château [...]

AC: Light red in color, this CdP has a soya sauce nose. When drink without food the taste even has a bit of soya sauce in it! Having said that this Clos des Pape still maintains the style of a CdP which I think is still the most unique among red wines. Slightly heavy in [...]

AC: Quite a powerful nose with black fruits. Opened with lots of fruits and never ended making it a bit sweet in the mid palate. A good concentrated new world style wine for this price. Lacks a memorable finish. 89
VW: New oak, current, dark cherry nose. A morden fruit driven style that at the same [...]

2005 Delas Condrieu “La Galopine” Viognier: AC – probably first time drinking a Viognier from northern Rhone. Fresh apple and pear in the nose. Fruity but not sweet with a balanced acidity. It even has a very tiny bit of bitterness. An impressive structured, full-bodied white. 91
VW: Mainly sweet apple on the nose which is [...]

AC: This is yet another great Bordeaux from the 2003. There are just lots and lots of surprises from this vintage in this part of the world. Started off with a great fruity nose, the woody (oaky or cedary?) mouthfeel is a total pleasure. This medium-concentrated wine would get an extra point if the finish [...]

GINI 12 (June 1, 2007) wine# 3 – AC: I think I have forgotten about this wine already… From reading over my notes the only thing that triggered my memory was its short finish. Would this not appear tonight with the other strong competitors, this is definitely still a very drinkable food wine. 89
VW: Showed [...]

GINI 12 (June 1, 2007) wine# 4 – AC: This medium bobied wine has a soft tanin. Closing off with a reasonably long finish. It is a tiny bit overly sweet as this is something I’ve noticed in both this one and the previous La Court who are both produced by Michele Chiarlo. I [...]

GINI 11 (June 1, 2007) wine# 2 – AC: These italians appeared in GINI#12 all seem to have a pretty fruity nose even in my small wine glasses. This one I can even get a hint of vanilla in it. This sweeter wine is well balanced with a reasonable amount of acidity with quite a [...]

GINI 12 (June 1, 2007) wine# 1 – AC: One of the richer, more concentrated Chianti I’ve tried. It has quite a fruity nose with a hint of herbs. With such a delicious wine the finish lasted relatively short. Nevertheless a very well structured wine. BRAVO! 92
VW: Deep nose of ripe fruits, flowers and some leather. [...]

AC: This 100% Monastrell is probably one of the best value wine I’ve had for a while now. At C$15.99 you get a powerful, concentrated yet balanced wine. Nice fine tannin with a fair finish. Read that both old and new world lovers will like this wine and I cannot agree more. [...]

AC: Nice strong nose with leather. Medium to full body with a medium concentration. Definitely fruity but not sweet with all sorts of flavour which is really why I like a nice Bordeaux. The super long finish lasted even when I was eating a spicy Korean dish and when I was washing the decanter! 92
VW: [...]

VW: From old and low yielding vines of around 65 years old, this Douro red came from an acclaimed producer in Portugal. Ripe dark fruits on the nose with vanilla oak and a tad of sweet basil. Intensely flavoured with lots of blue berries and some leather, turning into vanilla filled oak finish. This medium-full bodied [...]

AC: Lots of dark fruits in the nose. Typical California upfront fruit but not overly sweet. Medium body but love the long finish. The amazing thing is, this wine gets better after 2-3 hours after opened. The cedary taste comes right at you at this time with hint of chocolate. [...]

AC: Another typical Bordeaux wine experience. Carrying a floral tone, you cannot complain about its aroma. One great thing about Bordeaux wine is that you usually don’t have to guess how much attention it tries to get from you in the beginning but you can expect the result to be satisfying. This medium-bodied wine is [...]

GINI 11 (May 5, 2007) wine# 4 – AC: You can tell this is a late harvest with its nose. This wine lacks character and is a straight forward sweet with little finish. 88
VW: Typical petrol, some grapefruit. This tasted rather flat with mainly mango. Lacking acidity which made it taste a little syrupy. Nonetheless, [...]

GINI 11 (May 5, 2007) wine #3 – AC: My first dry Riesling which has caught me off guard. Nice fresh green apple aroma… once in mouth its driness took over and I can hardly taste the fruit from start to finish. 89
VW: Elegant nose to tangerine, mineral and some flowers. Powerful on the palate [...]

GINI 11 (May 5, 2007) wine #2 – AC: Nevertheless a off dry Chardonnay. Slow starting with nose of herbs. Well concentration with well balanced earthy tones on the palate. 90
VW: Very reserved nose, showing hints of mineral with lots of swirling.  Great concentration but only showing little at the moment. Focused minerals with lemon [...]

GINI 11 (May 5, 2007) wine #1 – AC: medium gold colored with greenish touch. Fruity nose gives a good prelude to the entrance. A bit sweet for chardonnay but gets very balanced and oaky near the end. 90
VW: With hazelnut, oak and a slight dash of peach aromas. Opened with mix of fruits and [...]

Strawberry and wet earth nose. Medium body of nice cherry mixed with beet. Finished with some bell peppers. The best thing about it was that the excess sweetness in many of the new world pinots does not present here. The nose was not as deep, nor as floral as the first time I tasted this half a [...]

About 20+% off from LCBO which made this become a sub-35 barolo from a well known producer. Some truffle, impression of tea. Moderately tannic but it was rather acidic. Nice oak finish. This traditionally styled barolo needs more fruit to stand up to all the acidity. It would have worked better with a fatty cut [...]

AC: With RP giving it a 93 for a non-Australian Shiraz it’s hard not to come taste this Spanish with some expectation. Transparent purple color. This 100% Tempranillo has a fruitier nose than its taste. This is a simple straight forward wine. Not much fruit to catch your attention and it doesn’t give you the [...]

VW: One of my aussie favorite is Elderton’s Command. It often able to deliver deep flavours with proper balance… and so is this one. Nose of new oak, abundant black fruits. Very velvet, full and plump mouthfeel. Dense, with palate coating flavours… like melting milk chocolate. Resolved tannins that showed rather smooth at this point. [...]

After a day of tasting … actually more like couple hours to be correct…we went to Tony de Luca restaurant in Niagara-on-the-lake downtown for dinner. After an unsuccessful attemp to find Tony under a Bell Canada’s broadcast antenna, we finally found him a block down the road in the Oban inn. Expectation was high as [...]

Lots of sediment. Look still dark and young. There was certain solvent like plastic smell on decanting which luckily dissipated quickly. Black fruits and new oak…smell rather nice and complex.. but i can also smell the alcohol. The alcohol definitely show on the palate together with good amount of sweet currant but not jammy. Full [...]

Browing rim. Sweet but reserved on the nose. The palate was simply fantastic… sweet entry, balanced, medium full. The flavour keep building and ever evolving. Still going strong to the last drop for the whole dinner. There are enough tannins to keep it in shape for few more years … but wonderful now. 1998 was [...]

Medium purple. Already showing good amount of black berry, toasty oak and tobacco. Initial entry is quite tannic but it did soften a bit over time. Open knit and controlled alcohol, it doesn’t show any overripe character from this hot vintage. Tannic medimum finish which can use couple of years. Overall pretty nice except the [...]