Château Ampélia 2005 (Bordeaux) - Bottle 2 of 3 Wine Review

Ordered this red wine back in February 2006, in lots of 3 bottles from the Vintages Bordeaux Futures program and arrived at my doorstep in March of 2008. The intent was to experience the evolution of a wine at various stages as it ages in the bottle. The 2005 Bordeaux's were remarked as possibly greatest vintage ever!

The first bottle was, ironically, opened on my wife's birthday in June of 2010 and based on my notes it looks like I did enjoy it. The second bottle was opened this evening, and here is my review...

CHÂTEAU AMPÉLIA 2005 - Côtes de Castillon, Bordeaux, France (#500330) (XD) - $20

Tasting Note:
Some oak resin aromas from cork. Earthy, cedar, dark fruit, and some plum aromas. Fairly straightforward on the palate with dark and red fruits, finishing with pepper and some mocha notes. Full bodied wine. Tannins integrating nicely, but still need more time. This should drink well for at least another 4-5 years. Will be enjoying this with homemade Chicken Enchiladas.

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Hinterbrook Riesling 2010 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Purchased this white wine from the 'Smart Buys' release back in January. This Riesling is made in an off-dry style and is definitely a smart buy if you like wines on the sweet side.

HINTERBROOK RIESLING 2010 - VQA Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario, Canada (#270512) (MD) - $17.95

Tasting Note:
Screw-top. Aromas: tropical fruit, lemon citrus, stone fruits, mineral and petrol. Tropical fruit, lemon-citrus, slightly tangy on the palate. Finishes with honey and some mineral notes. Deliciously medium-dry. Very good wine to sip on its own or pair with mild-cheeses.

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Mar. 3 Wine Picks: Made in France + Carmenère

The next LCBO Vintages release is on March 3 and there are lots of great buys. I am big fan of French wines, and the major feature in this release focuses on 13 benchmark-setting grapes from wines Made in France.

Of the French wines that made my list, the Moulin-à-Vent is made using the Gamay grape, which you see quite commonly planted here in Ontario, but is actually not planted widely anywhere else. The Crozes-Hermitage is a fabulous Rhône-style Syrah (a.k.a Shiraz), while the Vacqueyras is a blend of mostly Grenache and some Syrah.

The secondary wine feature of this release is on a grape varietal that is a favourite of mine - Carmenère. Chile does this grape better than anyone else and two wines emerged from this release that are worth tasting: Concha y Toro Terrunyo Block 27 Carmenère 2008 (#562892, $29.95) and the Misiones de Rengo Gran Reserva Cuvée Carmenère 2010 (#264937, $19.95).

Also featured in this release, and just in time for St. Patrick's Day, are a selection of fine Irish Whiskies which you can peruse at your leisure from the magazine here. Enjoy my picks for this week!


Red Wine:

• DELAS FRÈRES LES LAUNES CROZES-HERMITAGE 2009 - AC, Rhône, France (#701359) (XD) - $20.95
• DOMAINE DES AILES MOULIN-À-VENT 2010 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#183442) (XD) - $16.95
• PERRIN & FILS LES CHRISTINS VACQUEYRAS 2009 - AC, Rhône, France (#973453) (XD) - $23.95
• CHÂTEAU LA BRIE PRESTIGE 2009 - AC Bergerac, Southwest, France (#061994) (XD) - $13.95
• THE WATCHER SHIRAZ 2008 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#219196) (XD) - $19.95
• THE GRINDER PINOTAGE 2010 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#269076) (XD) - $14.95

White Wine:

• JOSEPH CATTIN HATSCHBOURG PINOT GRIS 2009 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#260240) (M) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU PERRON BLANC 2009 - AC Graves, Bordeaux, France (#226126) (XD) - $17.95
• GRAY MONK RIESLING 2009 - VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#273466) (D) - $18.95
• STONEY RIDGE WARREN CLASSIC CHARDONNAY 2009 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#224113) (XD) - $16.95

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Concha y Toro Winemaker's Lot 54 Syrah 2008 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine was purchased from the October 29 Vintages release and opened tonight with the idea that it would still evolve and taste pretty good on the second day. Why the second day? Because the food pairing on Sunday night will match better than what's on the menu tonight, coupled with the fact that I haven't had a sip of wine since Tuesday. :)

CONCHA Y TORO WINEMAKER’S LOT 54 SYRAH 2008 - Los Brujos Vineyard, San Javier Valley, Maule Valley, Chile (#227496) (XD) - $16.95

Tasting Note:
Aromas of mulberry and black pepper from cork. Ripe blackberry, pepper, earth, bacon and touch of mocha aromas in the glass. Mulberry, ripe red fruits on the palate. Full-bodied. Alcohol comes to fore at mid-palate of long finish. Ripe tannins. Will reward ageing another 2-3 years, but definitely enjoyable now.

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Belje Grasevina 2009 (Croatia) - Wine Review

To celebrate my birthday weekend, I wanted to remind myself that even though I am a year older, it's important to continue to try new things - wine-related or not. Life is too short!

As such, I've chosen an off-dry white wine that originates from Croatia. This will be my first time trying a white wine from Croatia - looking through my database I see that I did taste a red from Croatia back in 2002!

Made using an ancient variety of white grape called 'Grasevina' - which is also known as Welschriesling in Austria and not related to Rhine Riesling - this varietal is notably found in Hungary, Croatia, Austria and Czech Republic. This wine was purchased from the Feb 4. Vintage release.

BELJE GRAŠEVINA 2009 - Suho Vrhunsko, Croatia (#264200) (D) - $16.95

Tasting Note:
Cork smells fresh and infused with sweet syrup. Water cress, wet grass, green apple, and touch of sweet citrus aromas. Buttered popcorn, toffee, dried apricots and some lychee. Weighty white with floral notes on the long finish. Different and yummy. This would go well with a mild cheddar.

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Feb. 18 Wine Picks: Customer Favourites + Tasting Terroir + Kosher Wines

The next Vintages release is nearly upon us and will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on February 18. The main feature of this release is "22 Customer Favourites" and is quite self-explanatory. I honestly didn't find anything too exciting in this part of the magazine and, so, moved to the sub-feature titled "Tasting Terroir".

The Bachelder series of Chardonnays from 3 different terroirs - Niagara, Oregon, Bourgogne offer a very interesting opportunity to taste the same varietal from 3 different parts of the world crafted by same winemaker, from the same vintage. Each one costs $34.95 - buy all 3 and taste the difference!

White wines in this release impressed me more than the reds. The two that stood out for me were the Mike Weir Riesling and the Tawse Chardonnay, both locally made. Among the red wines is another locally made wine - the Creekside Laura's Red, made using the classic Bordeaux-style blend of Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

I enjoy trying single vineyard wines because terroir plays such an influential role at the vineyard. As such, the Single Vineyard Chardonnay and Malbec from Xumek (Argentina) are both very interesting wines to try.

In this issue, there's also a premium selection of Kosher-certified certified wines for Purim and Passover. Enjoy my picks for this week!


Red Wine:

• XUMEK SINGLE VINEYARD MALBEC 2009 - Zonda Valley, San Juan, Argentina (#265215) (XD) - $15.95
• CREEKSIDE LAURA’S RED 2007 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#117960) (XD) - $19.95
• DOMAINES DAMIENS TRADITION MADIRAN 2009 - AC, Southwest, France (#268482) (D) - $16.95
• SARONSBERG ART SPACE SHIRAZ/MOURVÈDRE 2009 - WO Coastal Region, South Africa (#263590) (XD) - $14.95

White Wine:

• MIKE WEIR RIESLING 2008 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#229286) (MD) - $14.95
• XUMEK SINGLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2010 - Zonda Valley, San Juan, Argentina (#265231) (XD) - $15.95
• TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA CHARDONNAY 2009 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#089037) (XD) - $19.95
• VALMIÑOR ALBARIÑO 2010 - O’Rosal, DO Rias Baixas, Spain (#266924) (XD) - $15.95

Sparkling Wine:

• DOMAINE FRANÇOIS SCHWACH BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT CRÉMANT D’ALSACE 2007 - AC, Alsace, France (#268060) (XD) - $18.95

Full list of wines from the February 18th Vintages release can be found here.

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Red Knot Shiraz 2008 (Australia) - Wine Review

Received this one last November and was surprised to see the unique cap. Very interesting top with a string-like wrap that you peel off before you simply pull out the re-sealable plastic cork. I've never seen a cap like this!

RED KNOT SHIRAZ 2008 - South Australia, Australia (#619395) - $15.95 (on sale now)

Tasting Note:
Interesting resin cork. Ripe raspberry, herbal spice aromas. Straightforward and uncomplicated Shiraz with gobs of red berries, along with cedar oak flavours. Chewy, ripe tannins. Medium-bodied. Good, easy-drinking AU Shiraz that I'll be enjoying with chicken meatballs in masala curry sauce.

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