Category: Wine Reviews

When it comes to juicy red wines, it is hard to beat a great Gamay Noir during the heat of the summer.

Cru Beaujolais, Beer Can Chicken (actually wine can – because that is how we roll around here…) and the patio are good friends.  This offering is a personal favourite from Marcel Lapierre – seductive cherry, cranberry, raspberry, violets and bramble.

True to Baujolais form this wine offers up plenty of carbonic masceration flavours of candied banana and bubble gum.

Unlike your basic Beaujolais however – this Cru Morgon offers up some solid tertiary notes sure to please the discerning palate.  A solid hit of barnyard, mushroom and spent hay on the nose linger past the fruit in this wine’s long finish. 

 Juicy and substantial, as Morgon should be, from this biodynamic producer. 
Best served lightly chilled and enjoyed with fantastic company!

Vietti’s Perbacco Nebbiolo is always a crowd pleaser. If it were possible to describe a bottle of Barolo as “feminine” this would be the bottle you would use.   Because of that it has always been a favourite go to wine for us to use to showcase the depth of Barolo to new wine enthusiasts, or to celebrate the beautiful flavours of Piemonte with a little instant gratification, and only an hour or two of decanting!

Perbacco is made from blending wines of 11 of Vietti’s 15 Cru Single Vineyard Barolo Sites.  In the winemaking process owner/winemaker Luca Currado carefully crafts his Continue reading “Vietti 2014 Perbacco Nebbiolo” →

This brief note does not do this wine justice…  I will dive more into the rich history of this vineyard in my upcoming Barolo blog.

An incredible wine that needs more time to soften, however the notes are incredibly intense with dried roses, violets, thyme, rosemary, sandalwood, oolong tea, dark wet slate, dried cherries, dried cranberries… I could spend hours picking it a part. It is stunning. High acid, high tannin, medium body, with a long finish of bold but refined flavours that layer beautifully upon eachother.

Do not rush with this wine… No matter when you drink it.

 I will be putting away two for when my kids get married – lol they are 6 and 4…  A wine that could be drunk now, but you are doing yourself a disservice in doing so, as this has all of the signs of stunning things to come!  

If you do crack it open early… Be sure to serve with a high fat, high protien dish such as braised beef ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce.  If you can be patient… A truffle risotto 15-20 years from now will be a pure heavenly experience.

Currently Retails for Approx $270 CAD at Bin905 Wine and Spirits

Pinot Noir Lover? Or feel that Pinot Noir is too light? I have a find for you!
Fabulous ripe style Pinot Noir for those that normally feel Pinot is too hollow!  
Medium plus nose of red cherry, thyme, smoke, cedar, unripe black plum, leather, and hint of earthy mushroom (brought out by the lamb loin pairing we had at Teatro during our latest tasting dinner) – this is on the menu by the glass at $24 or bottle at $120 or can be found through retailers in Alberta by searching Liquor Connect
For a Pinot Noir, this is intense on the palate. Dry, but with ripe fruit, medium fine tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, and a lovely lingering finish with flavours of cherries, moss, thyme, smoke, cedar, and black plum. Would be great with bbq, and was easily intense enough to stand up to our lamb loin stuffed with pine nuts and herbs!

Cheers!

FROM RAGS TO RICHES

There is nothing that I love more than a great underdog story.  The rags to riches kind.  It takes enormous dedication and talent to be a self taught professional Winemaker.  Even more to go on and win NUMEROUS Winemaker of the Year Awards.  Old school thinking would say it impossible… but that is exactly what Charles Smith of Charles Smith Wines has done, and his Kung Fu Girl Riesling is largely to thank.

Time and time again, this beauty manages to land in Wine Spectator Magazine’s Top 100 Wines.  This is unheard of for a wine that typically retails for $12USD or $20CAD.  But when you taste it, it will come as no surprise.  This is INSANELY good value. Continue reading “Review: Charles Smith Wines – 2014 Kung Fu Girl Riesling” →