Montes Alpha Syrah 2015

 

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of the wines from Montes & Chile in general.

I recently had the pleasure & honour to attend a dinner in Toronto hosted by the Profile Wine Group. The guests that made the evening special were Aurelio Montes Jr. & Sr.

They both were engaging, told great stories, & fielded questions throughout the night. Aurelio Jr. spoke about their efforts in Dry Farming (a topic for another day).

Many Montes wines and a few Kaiken wines (they have a partnership on some projects) were paired during the event.

Anyway, this wine was not poured that night, but when I found it at the LCBO, I knew I had to try it. I wasn’t disappointed.

 

 

Eyes: you’ll notice deep purplish hues.

Nose: you may find hints of ripe cherries & blackberries, all-spice, pepper, & woody undertones.

Mouth: you may find it medium, but leaning towards full-bodied. It’s a well-balanced wine with slightly chewy but not overbearing tannins.

 

Note that this wine is not 100% Syrah, it’s a blend of 90% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, & 3% Viognier.

According to the winery, it can be enjoyed now (decant for up to 1 hour) or cellared for up to 10 years.

Overall, I recommend this smooth wine. Plus, it falls under my Maginot Line of $20 for an everyday wine at $19.95.

 

Rating: 3.75 stars

Alcohol/Vol: 14.5%

Made in: Colchagua Valley, Chile

Sugar Content: 4 g/L

Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity

Varietal: Syrah/Shiraz

Vintages #: 612

Painted Wolf Syrah 2013

This wine floored me from the get-go by its excellent balance.

I’m always trying to expand my palate & when I read the write-up on this Syrah from South Africa I was intrigued. I’ve enjoyed Cabs & a variety of whites from S.A., but not much else.

Eyes: it has a dark garnet colour.

Nose: you may find hints of cherries, pepper, sage & woody notes.

Mouth: you may find the fruit flavours carrying through to create a smooth, long finish supported by soft tannins.

This wine is luxurious now but it is believed it will improve till 2020 and possibly beyond. I have put a few bottles away to see how it develops.

Overall, I recommend this smooth wine, especially when you take its $19.75 price.

 

Rating: 4.25 stars

Alcohol/Vol: 14.0%

Made in: Swartland, South Africa

Sugar Content: 3 g/L

Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Style: Full-bodied & Smooth

Varietal: Syrah/Shiraz

Vintages #: 548511

La Posta Pizzella Malbec 2015

First off, we drank the 2015, but the 2016 is currently out at the LCBO. I’m not 100% sure when I purchased it, but obviously, from what I’ve read, a little time helped it out. That said, I’m going to go out and buy a couple 2016s and lay them down.

Wine labels draw our attention. Not sure why. Maybe because it reminds me of an Italian restaurant for some reason. Odd, I know, for an Argentinian wine. This is what I thought until recently where I was fortunate enough to be seated for dinner with Attorney Consolute General from Argentia. She mentioned there was a strong connection with Italy and that Argentinians eat a lot of pasta.

 

Eyes: It has a red/purple colour

Nose: Cherry, plum & other dark fruits aromas plus chocolate, vanilla, & coffee notes too

Mouth: Medium to full body which was easy to drink—its soft tannins & low acids make it ready & easy to drink—you may find hints of sandalwood, spice, & even a hint of violets in the finish

 

We enjoyed this well-structured wine with barbecued steak but feel it could go with a number of meats. Overall, I highly recommend this wine, especially when you take its $15.95 price point into account.

Rating: 3.75 stars

 

Drinking Window: Best by 2020

Alcohol/Vol: 13.5%

Made in: Mendoza, Argentina

Sugar Content: 2 g/L

Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity

Varietal: Malbec

Vintages #: 166298

Aranwa Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

I enjoyed this wine quite a lot.

I found it bold & full-bodied, yet smooth with mild to medium tannins, & a decent finish.

Eyes: it has a deep colour with a tinge of brown on the edges.

Nose: you may find hints of mint, blackberry, cassis, cherry, pepper, plums, smoke & vanilla.

Mouth: you may find it has a mid-big body mouthfeel with the red fruits coming forward & a kind of chewy finish with decent length.

I didn’t get too much heat coming from the highish alcohol content. Overall, I recommend this wine, especially when you take its $17.95 price point into account.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Alcohol/Vol: 14.2%

Made in: Mendoza, Argentina

Sugar Content: 4 g/L

Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Style: Full-bodied & Firm

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintages #: 497354

A Wine Before Its Time

I’ve run into this particular problem more than a few times, and I should know better by now. I drank 3 wines way too soon. I’d done my research and was familiar with the pedigree of the wineries, and wines, but I got caught up in the moment. The wines were good, but down the road, they would have been much, much better. Needless to say, these wines currently are only getting 3-Star ratings. Fortunately, I have 5 more of the Stag’s Leap to test down the road, but none of the others.

*** Easton Estate Bottled Zinfandel 2004 – Vintages 281501 – $39.95

*** Inglenook Cask Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – Vintages 29553 – $89.95

*** Pine Ridge Vineyards, Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 – Lifford Wine Agency – $115

This backslides me into what I’d like to discuss today.

When sharing a bottle or 2 with my wife, I can gauge the level of the wine(s) we are about to drink and plan accordingly. Meaning that, if we are having more than 1 bottle in the evening—we start out with something that has a lighter flavour profile and then follow it up with something a little bigger, bolder, fuller to round out the evening.

When we’re with more people, it’s hard to gauge where an evening will go – who will be drinking, how much will everyone be drinking – making it difficult to plan what to open next. This is particularly the case when everybody brings something different, and you’re not quite sure what they brought or what to expect.

Early in an evening of drinking when you drink something that has a big flavour profile, it’s hard to go back to something lighter. You, at least we, try to go bigger. And that’s where the recent problem occurred—and like I said, it’s happened before.

One solution—drinking the same wine all night, but that stifles my adventurous spirit. And I just don’t like doing that. To me, opening each new bottle is a discovery; it tells a story and becomes part of the narrative of the evening. Plus, different bottles fuel my imagination and spirit.

The second solution—plan better. That’s the hard part.

With that said, here is a general serving order to keep in mind for future evenings: start with sparkling wines and champagnes, then rosés and blushes. These should be followed up with white wines, light red wines, then stronger red wines, and dessert wines. You can end the evening with higher-quality, higher-alcohol ports, Sherries, and after-dinner wines—assuming anyone is still standing by this point, of course!

First Press Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

The End Of The Line.

The Preamble
I purchased a case of the 2007 First Press Cabernet Sauvignon a couple of years ago and we drank most of them shortly thereafter.

We had friends over for dinner a week or so ago and one of our guests brought up that he enjoyed the First Press quite a bit the last time (or a some other previous time) he was over.

I rummaged through our wine fine fridge and found our last remaining bottle and brought it out for us to enjoy. Let me say, we were sad to see it go.

I haven’t seen it at the LCBO since that time, but on the WineAlign site, they have Churchill Cellars as the broker of record (although I can’t find it on their site). The LCBO does carry a chardonnay from First Press though if you’re interested.

When it was here I paid $19.95 for it.

My Review
In the glass: a red-purply jammy colour.

On the nose: lush, cassis, cedar notes and vanilla.

On the palate: black fruit, spice, cocoa, decent balance at this time, definitive tannins and medium finish although it was a touch hot.

For me, this wine is in he same California Cabernet wheelhouse as Irony and J. Lohr (a little fuller bodied than Lohr). It’s a bit brash, a bit young, but still quite fruit forward with enough tannins to make it interesting. It’s fairly well balanced and easy to drink.

Otherwise, I don’t know too much about other vintages and how “good” they were. Anyway, it was 6 years old and maybe could have lasted a few more. I remember when we first purchased it and drank most of them, letting it rest for a little while more definitely helped it out.

Regardless, I liked the ’07 and if I ever find any other vintage – I’m buying it!

3 Stars

Joey Restaurant (Eaton Centre, Toronto) 3 Wines

Out With Friends

The Preamble
I recently met a friend (and a friend of his) at Joey Restaurant (Eaton Centre location, Toronto). I hadn’t seen this particular fellow in five years. As you know, a lot can happen in that kind of time. We sat, chatted and drank wine. It was great catching up.

We had some nibblies and drank 3 bottles of wine. They were, in the order we drank them:

EDGE 2010 “Napa” Cabernet Sauvignon, California $68 (2.75 Stars)

TREANA 2009 “Paso Robles” Cab/Syrah, California $90 (4.25 Stars)

IL BRUCIATO by Antinori, Cab Blend, Italy $78 (2 Stars)

I would have loved to finish with the TREANA, but it was still a great night nonetheless.

As far as the pricing is concerned, restaurants generally run their markups from about two times the price of the bottle and up. That’s close to the case here. The LCBO has the EDGE listed at $26.95 and the TREANA at $39.95. I could not find the IL BRUCIATO.

Quick Reviews
The EDGE was nondescript. When I go out and I’m paying almost $70 for a bottle of wine – I want more. If I drank it at home, I’d be less disappointed. Still not sure if could recommend it though.

The TREANA was sublime. It’s definitely one of the better bottles that I’ve tasted in the recent past. Good nose, great balance and an excellent finish. I actually just picked up 4 bottles!

The IL BRUCIATO is another one those wines (I have touched on this before) that just should not be served now. It’s simply way too tight. I don’t even think hours of decanting would or could have opened that bottle up. You certainly can tell it has something going on there, but the tannins were almost too much even for me to handle. I would seriously wait at least another 5 years for this wine to be ready to drink.

Do I have a moral to this story? Yes, I guess I do. Check with your server when you’re out and ask a lot questions. Beyond that, sometimes you’re just flying on blind faith when you’re out!

Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2008

Everyone has his or her favourites.

The Preamble
For me, for the price-point, I’ve always loved the Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva. The 2009 was recently released and I already have two cases! I think we first had the 2003 or 04, and since then – we’ve been hooked.

I’ve written about our trip to Chile before; this wine was another reason we went there. My friends at Lifford Wine Agency had set up a tasting for us – and by some kind of miscommunication (I have to take to the blame here), we missed it. When we got to the Echeverria Family Winery, no one had any idea we were coming (as we were supposed to be there the day before). I apologized profusely, up and down, in as many languages I could, and in the very most of broken Spanglish I could muster.

Needless to say, they were not prepared for us. My wife had that look on her face that likely all wives do when their husbands screw up. Anyway, and I honestly think that because of how horrible my Spanish was/is, they did a tasting for us right there in their office. They brought out the accountant, who spoke the best English, to facilitate (and two other very kind folks).

We were enjoying our tasting and to our surprise, the wine maker showed up near the end. We had a lovely conversation with him. He asked which year (of the Reserva) we enjoyed the best and I had said the ’05 was my fav (he liked the ’07).

Anyway, they were too kind to us (even though I think a few people were not happy with us at Lifford and at the winery). At the end of it all, we left with half a dozen bottles or so.

My Review
In the glass: deep red, almost dark purple colour.

On the nose: woodsy, peppery, black fruits.

On the palate: cedar, peppercorns, plums, cherries and chalk with a smooth, medium length finish.

The Echeverria Cabernet has always been fairly well balanced and is considered a medium to full bodied red made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
grapes and has 13.5% alcohol per volume.

Every year has been a little different, but overall the quality has remained high. I have no doubt in my mind that the 2 cases I recently purchased – I’ll enjoy!

I’ve never had a problem recommending this wine.

3.25 Stars

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

A lot depends on what you pay for it.

The Preamble
An interesting thing to note about the Justin Cabernet Sauvignon (not sure if it’s true) is that they change the label every year – which might make it hard to follow when you go to purchase. I also don’t know if this extends to the other wines.

I purchased this bottle about 6 weeks ago while in Buffalo at The Premier Group. It was listed at $19.99, but if you bundle it in a case (of 12) you get more off. Plus, you get further discounts if you’re a member.

The LCBO here has it listed for $33.95. That’s quite a disparity if you ask. So, when it comes to rating this wine based on the Quality Price Ration (QPR), we get into a tricky area – especially when you’re cross-boarder shopping and the dollar fluctuating the way it does.

I would easily recommend this wine at $20 (or less), but at $34 I’d be hard pressed. It was good, but when you tack on an extra 14 bucks – there are better wines at this price point.

You can find it at the LCBO in the Vintages section with this number 684308. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is made up of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The alcohol level listed on the bottle is 13.9% alcohol/volume, but for some reason the LCBO has it 14.5%. The sugar content is 2 g/L. and this is considered a dry (D) red wine.

The Review
In the glass – it was a deep crimson.

In the nose – it had blackberry, vanilla, woodiness and hint of spice.

In the mouth – it had nice balance, with the black fruit showing well, and a hint of cocoa came through in the end rounding off a medium length finish.

Anyway, like I stated above, I liked this wine. I’ve read that other years it has been better, but this one was pretty good to me.

3 Stars

Oculus (Mission Hill) 2001 or 2002

MEMORY FAILS ME AGAIN

I’ve written about our trip to BC before; as you may know, we had a fantastic time, particularly in the Okanagan Valley. One of the highlights of that trip in 2004 was definitely our visit to Mission Hill.

It was there we decided we wanted to get married at a winery. Mission Hill was incredible. If you’ve ever been, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The view—to die for!

When we got back to Ontario, we looked around but could not find one that suited our particular needs (325 guests was our biggest obstacle as was fall weather). We found a few places that would have worked, but with that many people – we couldn’t make it work. Nevertheless, we got married someplace else and this year will make it 8 years!

Anyway, back at Mission Hill we tasted a lot of wine and enjoyed a lot of wine, but there was one that particularly stood out. That was the Oculus. Now, here is where things get sketchy. I know for sure we brought one back, maybe two. Next, we’re not sure what year the bottle was.

We drank this a few years ago, and it STILL stands out in my memory. History may have elevated it a bit, but there is no question in my mind that it was an outstanding bottle.

And by all accounts, every vintage since has been highly acclaimed. What’s unusual about the Oculus is that they produce so much of it. Most “higher quality” wines are produced in smaller lots.

In 2004 we paid somewhere in $40 – $50 range, but now it sells for as much as $80. I haven’t seen one at Vintages in a while, and they don’t even have a product number for it on file.

Now, here again, it gets foggy. I can’t confirm whether we had the 2001 or the 2002. There are discrepancies between the two years like the percentage amount of merlot and cabernet sauvignon and time spent in the barrel.

That said, no matter what year/vintage it was, it was outstanding, and if I ever see one again out here, I’m going to buy it.

Like I said above, it retails around $75 depending on where you are.

It’s definitely a special occasion wine. Please review current tasting notes and what other people say about it, but I have no question in my mind that you will enjoy it.

I’d love to hear if anyone has tried it and what year the bottle was!

4+ Stars