Old Vine Chardonnay from Niagara

2005 Hidden Bench Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay
$40 from the winery
I want to stick to sharing mostly to LCBO offerings which are widely available, but I get down to Niagara a few times a year to taste wines and I want to share.  Hidden Bench is one of those wineries you love to visit - beautiful [...]

Old Vine Chablis

LA CHABLISIENNE CHABLIS VIEILLES VIGNES (V) 0
VINTAGES 942243 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 21.80
colour: dried straw on a summer day
on the nose: this is a cheeky nose - she saunters up to you all lemon peel, slaps you in the face with grass, smirks and walks away with a fistful of dandelions, walking on [...]

A Great NZ Chardonnay

Cloudy Bay is a producer well known for its Sauvignon Blanc. Little did I know when I picked up their Chard it would be as well made and tasty!
Cloudy Bay Chardonnay 2005
VINTAGES 359513
Price: 39.65
colour: golden yellow - apple juice kind of colour - watery miniscus
on the nose: sensuous bouquet of lemon rind, apricot, creamed [...]

Chardonnay: The Neglected Friend

Chardonnay has gotten a bad rap.  It started for us in North America when California started to grow obscene amounts of the stuff.  Chard was very popular at the time, and so massive volumes of straw coloured swill flooded the market.  There was some good stuff, oh yes, but unfortunately for consumers there was also [...]

Pinot Noir from Niagara

Pinot Noir is definitely one of Niagara’s best offerings.  Our summers are hot enough, and our summer nights are cool, helping the grape both ripen and maintain acidity.  Malivoire Wine Co. is located on the Beamsville Bench. Their estate bottled Pinot Noir comes from a 9 year old block of clone 115.  2005 vintage in [...]

Luxurious Chardonnay from Twenty Mile Bench

Le Clos Jordanne is a partnership between Vincor Canada and Boisset France.  It is their first investment in non-Burgundian (from Burgundy, France) property.  Their initial releases gained critical acclaim.  Here are my tasting notes from their 05 single vineyard Chardonnay.  These are currently sold out of LCBO, but is available on the wine lists of [...]

Zin Blend from Mendocino

 
Parducci Coro Mendocino - about 40 bones.
This one started off with the wrong intentions.  I was at the inlaws, looking for a wine to impress the family with.  I was looking for the perfect blend of  interesting fruit and spice for me, and a higher level of elegance and finesse than they are used [...]

A CaliCab to love and squeeze and hug George

CONIGLIO ATLAS PEAK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2003VINTAGES 38554 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 63.45
Over 60 dollars is a lot to pay for a wine.  I have to say, this is a lot of wine.  If you have the money to spend, or you’re looking for something special, this is a good choice, and available in [...]

San Fran Chardonnay

MOUNT EDEN ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2003VINTAGES 603829 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 44.65
This is Chardonnay has climbed in price since the 01 vintage that was available at the LCBO.  It continues to climb in popularity ’cause it’s so darn good!  Tasting notes below from the 01.
colour: golden straw yellow.on the nose: hint of lemon rind, [...]

Poetry in a glass

I’ve recently become infatuated with Nebbiolo grape, and I found this Barolo at the Kitchener LCBO.  It was fabulous.  I have two in the cellar still, I’m looking forward to checking in on them.  I’m still in Oregon, I’ll put up some tasting notes for wines that appear in the LCBO when I find them.  [...]