La Chevalière Rasteau 2022 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is an excellent Grenache-based blend from Rasteau that arrived at the LCBO earlier this month as part of the October 5 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.The La Chevalière label is a joint product between Les Grandes Serres and Rémy Ferbras. Both producers are based in the Rhône Valley and known for their expertise in crafting high-quality wines...

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Rhonéa Tradition Rasteau 2021 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a delicious Southern Rhône Valley red from the Cru Rasteau appellation that is arriving at the LCBO this weekend as part of the June 8th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection - and is available in many stores already.It is produced by Cave de Rasteau - Rhonéa (formerly Ortas), a co-operative winery that was formed after the merger of two historic...

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Emerging California Master Class (Apr. 2022)

Last month was California Wine Month and one afternoon in April I had the pleasure of attending a virtual zoom Master Class on "Emerging California". This master class was put on by California Wines and led by leading wine critic, journalist, and educator Elaine Chukan Brown.Winegrowing activities in California began in the mid-1800's. Since that time, California has emerged...

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M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem 2018 (Roussillon) - Wine Review

After enjoying the excellent 2017 M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem around this time last year, tonight's red wine review is the latest vintage of this perennially lovely wine from Roussillon that arrived at the LCBO last weekend as part of the LCBO VINTAGES Release on April 30th.It is produced by Maison M. Chapoutier, one of the iconic names in northern Rhône Valley...

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M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem 2017 (Roussillon) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this excellent red blend from the village of Latour-de-France within the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages appellation that returned to the LCBO over the weekend as part of the April 3rd LCBO VINTAGES Release.The roots of M. Chapoutier go back to 1808 when Calvet et Compagnie was created in the Rue de l’Hermitage in Tain, northern Rhône. Marius Chapoutier...

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La Chevalière Rasteau 2017 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely red wine from Rasteau, a Cru of the Southern Rhône Valley. It is brand new to the LCBO and will be widely available across Ontario as Wine of the Month from the upcoming March 6, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release.It is produced by Les Grandes Serres, a negociant firm based in the Southern Rhône Valley, using grapes sourced from the village of Rasteau,...

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Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2016 (France) - Wine Review (Feb. 2021)

Tonight's wine review is a lovely Côtes-du-Rhône Villages red wine that is widely available at LCBO outlets across Ontario as it is a General List product.Château d'Aigueville is the Southern Rhône project of Burgundian producer Henri de Villamont. The estate is located on a plateau between the villages of Sérignan and Uchaux, just north of Orange, and has exceptional terroir...

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Indómita Old Vines Dry Farmed Gran Reserva Carignan 2018 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Carignan from Chile. It is new to the LCBO and arrived on shelves across Ontario last weekend as part of the January 23, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release.It is produced by Viña Indómita, a relatively young winery located on a hillside in Casablanca with a gorgeous view of the valley, 64 km northwest of Santiago and just 18 km from the Pacific...

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Hecht & Bannier Côtes du Roussillon-Villages 2010 (France) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this lovely 2010 Roussillon-Villages red wine that I purchased back in 2013 when it came through LCBO VINTAGES on February 2nd. I had the pleasure of tasting this wine with co-founder Gregory Hecht at the Halpern Enterprises portfolio tasting later that same year, and was pleasantly surprised to see it return to LCBO VINTAGES on March 1, 2014. Although...

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M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila-Haut L'Esquerda 2018 (Roussillon) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this lovely red wine from the highly-acclaimed house of M. Chapoutier. While this is the 2018 vintage, the 2017 vintage will arrive on shelves at the LCBO as part of the October 26th LCBO VINTAGES Release. The story of M. Chapoutier begins in 1808, when Calvet et Compagnie was created in the Rue de l’Hermitage in Tain. In 1855, ownership was transferred...

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CVNE (Spain) Wine Tasting with Maria Larrea

On a fine Sunday morning in May, I had the pleasure of tasting a few wines from Spain's historic CVNE wine company with winemaker María Larrea at George Restaurant in downtown Toronto. CVNE is actually an abbreviation of Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España, which translates to the Northern Spanish Wine Company. It was founded in 1879 by two brothers in the town of Haro...

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Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2016 (France) - Wine Review (Bottle 2)

I enjoyed the 2016 Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages in April 2018, and tonight I am delighted to open another bottle of the same vintage and see how it has evolved over the past year. Surprisingly, this vintage is still available for purchase at the LCBO and is currently on promotion -  earn 5 Air Miles reward miles June 22. It is produced by the Burgundian...

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Château Maucoil 2016 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely red wine from Rhône and will be arriving in LCBO VINTAGES on March 30th. Château Maucoil is a historic property in Châteauneuf-du-Pape where vines have been cultivated since the 17th century. Ancient documents indicate that the site's first occupants were the Romans and that they set up a base here for Caesar's legions. Several winegrowing...

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Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages 2016 (France) - Wine Review

I had the pleasure of tasting the 2015 Château d'Aigueville Côtes-du-Rhône Villages last Spring, so I was delighted to try the latest vintage of this red wine tonight. Château d'Aigueville is the Rhône property of Burgundian producer Henri de Villamont. It is located on a plateau between the villages of Sérignan and Uchaux, close to Orange. The estate benefits from exceptional...

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Celebrating 40 Years of Roussillon

This year marks 40 years of recognition of the AOC status of Côtes du Roussillon and Côtes du Roussillon Villages. Although winemaking in the region goes back hundreds of years, it was only in 1977 when this southern France wine region was formally recognized as an AOP by the INAO. Moreover, it only achieved this status because of the 40+ years of work by Roussillon producers...

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Hecht & Bannier Côtes du Roussillon-Villages 2008 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine to end a busy Summer is this red wine blend from one of my favourite producers in the Languedoc - Hecht & Bannier. I had the pleasure of meeting one of the founders of this winery, Gregory Hecht, a few years ago and will likely meet him again this Fall. This wine was purchased from a VINTAGES Release in March 2012. Newer vintages have periodically shown...

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Claude Gros La Condamine Paulignan Minervois 2013 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a new wine that will be released into LCBO VINTAGES on Saturday, July 22, 2017. This red wine is produced by Select Vins, which is a collaboration between Château de la Négly owner, Jean Paux-Rosset, and his consulting winemaker, Claude Gros. Together, they have assembled some of the best grape growers from across the appellations of the Languedoc,...

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Château de Fontenelles Renaissance Corbières 2013 (Midi) - Wine Review

On Monday night, I opened up this delicious red wine that will be available at the LCBO as part of the upcoming May 13 VINTAGES Release. This red wine is produced by Château de Fontenelles, a winery located in the north-westerly commune of Douzens in Corbières. The Domaine, with over 40 hectares of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre, has been part of the family for...

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Domaine Galaman Fitou 2013 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is included as part of the LCBO VINTAGES Release on October 15. This red wine comes from Langeudoc's Fitou appellation in southern France, bordering the Mediterranean sea. Fitou is one of the oldest wine sub-appellations in the Languedoc-Roussillon and the primary grapes grown in the region are Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Syrah. Domaine Galaman is produced...

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Domaine de l'Alba l'Ermite 2013 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a sneak preview of a red wine blend that is new to the LCBO and will be on shelves as part of the VINTAGES Release on June 25th. This wine is produced by Select Vins - a collaboration between Jean Paux-Rosset (owner of Château de la Négly) and his consulting winemaker, Claude Gros. Together, they have assembled some of the best grape growers across the...

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