Tag Archives: 5 stars

Inniskillin Winemaker’s Series Montague Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir 2018, Niagara Peninsula, Canada

14 Monday Mar 2022

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When I was last in Quebec I bought a few bottles of this delicious Pinot.  Having enjoyed the 2017 Montague immensely I could hardly contain myself when I found this vintage.  It is a pale ruby in the glass as expected but has very thick legs- interesting considering it rolls in at 13% ABV.  The nose is quite intense- red cherry, strawberry coulis, cinnamon, clove, pomegranate, mocha and florals of violet and geranium.  The palate it dry and surprisingly tannic for this varietal.  The flavors are a bit less intense from the nose but I get strawberry as the lead component with the red cherry and pomegranate supporting.  The chocolate, spice and florals are present along with a touch of oak. The wine is medium (-) bodied with juicy acidity and a decent length finish.  This wine perplexes me- it’s a bit in-your-face at the get go, the tannins are quite persuasive yet it morphs into a seductive and soft Pinot as it transitions to the mid palate and finish.  It may need a bit of time.  Right now it is a 90 point wine that I see potential for.  At $32 CAD ($26) it’s worth looking for and cellaring.  5 Stars from me- I’m pairing it with roast Duck and Scalloped Potatoes.  Salut….

Quinta da Foz Reserva 2017, Douro, Portugal

12 Saturday Mar 2022

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I really enjoy Portuguese wines, from the sweet dessert Ports to the crisp white Alvarinos to the beautifully meshed red blends of the Douro.  Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) make up this wine that is a deep ruby in the glass.  The nose is awesome- black plum, blackberry, currants, charred wood, black cherry, licorice, vanilla and coconut.  The palate is delicious, tart with juicy acidity and dry.  The tannins are quite evident but they caress rather than attack the gums.  The astringency hits a bit later on the mid palate.  Pronounced flavors of black fruit, oak and licorice swirl across the palate and end up in a long finish that is quite tannic at this stage and definitely amazing.  Full bodied, this is a wine meant for the long haul and will pair nicely with my Beef Kebabs- spiced with a dry rub and served with salad.  93 points for this $30 wine makes it a 5 star effort to drink till 2030.  Salut….

Chateau Raymond-Lafon 2014, Sauternes, France

12 Saturday Mar 2022

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As I poured this medium gold colored elixir I couldn’t help but notice its viscosity.  The nose has delightful aromas of honey, apricot jam, geranium, hibiscus, citrus extract and a very unique burnt smell.  It may be from the sulfites??  The palate is sweet but not cloying.  The flavors are pronounced in strength and display textbook Botrytis notes of honey, apricot, florals, a touch of bread/yeast and nuts.  The acidity is medium and the body is full.  The honey component really shines on the mid palate along with the ripe stone fruit. The finish of this dessert wine is medium in length and really coats my mouth with sweet yummy goodness.  I love drinking this wine right now and am happy I have more bottles to watch the evolution.  It will drink well into 2030’s and gets 93 points from me.  I believe you can find a half bottle for around $30 making it a 5 star effort.  It cries for Blue cheese or Foie Gras.  Salut….

Bonacchi Podere Molino della Suga Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2016, Tuscany, Italy

11 Friday Mar 2022

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This Sangiovese is starting to mature- pale garnet in the glass with thick legs (14% ABV).  Pronounced aromas of cherry, leather and strawberry with hints of clove, rooibos tea, garigue and dried herb.  The palate is dry and quite tannic.  I get lovely crushed cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, strawberry coulis and earthy leather.  This wine has juicy acidity and a full body- it’s just now starting to become drinkable.  It is a very young wine with great structure and potential for aging that will allow tertiary flavor development.  Right now it is still relatively primal.  Delicious stuff that has a long finish and rather astringent mouthfeel right now.  It will drink beautifully till 2030 and pair well with Italian fare, grilled ribeye or game.  93 points from me for this $40 wine makes it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Domaine la Soumade Rasteau 2016, Rhone, France REVISITED

10 Thursday Mar 2022

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I last drank this wine three years ago and did not care for it- 88 points with the disclaimer to try again.  Well, I opened another bottle last night and was pleasantly surprised- and I figured out why.  It’s a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre.  That last component is what threw me initially.  Mourvedre has a meaty, gamey, herby flavor profile which sets it off from other varietals, especially when young.  I think it was not expected back when I first tasted it nor did I care for the flavor.  I have matured somewhat in tasting wine and definitely expanded my palate somewhat.

Inky and opaque, this wine is a deep purple color.  The nose has pronounced aromas of black fruit, game, green herbs, charred oak, licorice and white pepper.  The palate is dry, with gripping/young tannins.  The acidity is quite high in this full bodied wine. The bold, black fruit flavors are enveloped in searing tannins on the mid palate.  The oak influence and gamey notes play second fiddle to blackberry, black plum and graphite.  This is not a wine to serve to the uninitiated- it’s not a sipping wine either.  It needs a big, juicy hunk of meat, either beef or lamb to mellow out the tannins and complement the bold flavors.  I can see why the pros went upwards of 95 points on this $20+ wine.  I’m thinking 92.  It gets 5 stars technically, but like I said, be ready for a different beast with this one.  Drink till 2030.  Salut….

Cockburn’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2015, Portugal

08 Tuesday Mar 2022

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A deep shade of purple in the glass this opaque Port has got a pretty intense nose.  Aromas of cooked plum, stewed blackberry, raisins, mixed nuts and a fresh grape note- interesting.  The palate is lush with stewed black fruit, currant extract, a nutty component and that zingy fresh grape note I got on the nose.  The wine packs some heat- I can. feel the burn just ever so much.  Very smooth and integrated tannins balance out the medium (-) acidity.  The wine is obviously considered full-bodied- it simply coats the mouth with dark fruit lashings with a dryness from the structural tannins.  The finish is quite long and puckering.  Delicious stuff to sip with some stinky cheese or a chocolate dessert.  Reasonably priced at $20, this 91 point fortified wine needs to be in every bar.  It gets 5 stars from me.  Salut….

Beringer Vineyards Knights Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Sonoma County, California

08 Tuesday Mar 2022

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A deep ruby, bordering on ink in the glass.  I get pronounced aromas of blackberry, cassis, black plum, eucalyptus, oak, coffee and ripe blueberry jam.  The palate is super smooth, rich, warm and delightful.  Dry and slightly tannic, this full bodied wine has great flavors of ripe black and blue fruits, excellent barrel integration with coffee, oak and vanilla notes to go with medium acidity.  The finish is medium (+) in length and quite dry from the persistent yet integrated tannins.  A very well balanced wine with great mouthfeel that will drink beautifully till 2030 with wild game, grilled meats, rich cheese platters or just all by itself.  94 points from me make this $42 stunner a 5 star effort.  Glad I got a case.  Salut….

Castello Romitorio ‘Romitoro’ Toscana IGT 2019, Tuscany, Italy

28 Monday Feb 2022

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This Tuscan blend of Petit Verdot and Syrah is a deep shade of ruby, bordering on purple in the glass.  The nose has pronounced aromas of violet, black plum, cedar, a touch of fresh funk, spice box and maduro.  The palate is quite zippy and fresh.  Dry, with gentle tannins and medium acidity it has a medium weight body and yummy flavors.  Plum, cedar, spice, maduro ( a dark tobacco), blackberry and that funk- perhaps a mushroom scent?  The mouthfeel is staggeringly smooth and delicious.  This wine is seamless in its component makeup.  The tannins are very nicely integrated, the acidity is balanced and the depth of fruit is great.  The finish is medium to long.  My only concern is the funk that is very persistent.  It is ever present and distracting, knocking a point off the total.  Overall this is a very good wine that gets 91 points from me and at $19- 5 stars.  I am pairing with meatballs and red sauce.  Drink till 2026. Salut….

Tinto Pesquera Reserva Especial 2010, Ribera del Duero, Spain

27 Sunday Feb 2022

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Bottle #100 in the Virtual WIne Tasting group!  We concluded the 25th tasting with this Spanish Tempranillo.  The underlying lesson of the session was the use of oak.  Our first red was made using old oak, the second bottle seeing a mix of new and old whilst this bottle would hopefully show off lots of new oak being a Reserva.

In the glass this wine is deep ruby- opaque AF.  On the nose the lesson was quite obvious- Tar, smoky, coconut, chocolate, leather, charred oak barrel, dark berries, bramble, dust and a touch of heat from the alcohol (it blew away eventually).

On the palate this wine was a touch tart at the beginning with black cherry akin to Luxardos, dried black fruit compote, spice, clove, vanilla, cinnamon and a new one- ‘Nummy”.  High tannins, medium acidity, full body and a long finish made this my WOTN that scored 18 marks.  At $50 and 92 points it get 5 stars from me- delicious stuff that worked beautifully in my oak lesson.  This wine needs a juicy leg of lamb, grilled and served with au gratin and a side of asparagus.  At 12 years of age it is just now reaching maturity and will drink nicely till 2030.  Salut….

Franc Dusak Still Real Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Sonoma Valley, California

24 Thursday Feb 2022

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I am cooking a very complex and spice-laden dish for dinner- so no wimpy, thin wines tonight.  This Cabernet has been aged in Whiskey barrels and comes from Cali, so I am looking forward to some hearty and bold flavors to complement my Lamb Tagine which is loaded up with Ras-el-Hanout spice mix, honey, preserved lemons, dried apricots, peas and the ever present onions and garlic.  Side dish is pearled couscous mixed with peppers, garbanzos and red onion- drizzled with a lime/olive oil and honey dressing.

So- the wine itself is inky purple, as in opaque AF.  The nose is gorgeous.  Pronounced aromas of blackberry, black plum, caramel, smoke, vanilla- loads of oak influence there.  The palate is very smooth with what seems to be a touch of sweetness.  I doubt there is residual sugar, must be ripe fruit and perhaps the whiskey barrel influence?  Anyways I get delicious flavors of black berries and currants, plum, smoke, vanilla and the caramel.  The wine has beautifully integrated tannins that caress my gums from the beginning to the end.  Juicy acidity hits on the finish where I now sense the powerful 16.1% ABV.  Be careful out there, that’s quite high.  This full bodied wine is a treat that is going to pair beautifully with my exotic dinner.  I would drink this till 2026, it has some cellaring capacity but don’t let it get too long-it is drinking well now.  91 points for this $ 25 bottle makes it a 5 star effort.  Salut…..