Author Archives: John Galea

Cline 2011 Pinot Noir

Garnet in color with a mild nose of light red berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays some light red berries to match the nose, strawberries and raspberries. There’s some sweetness there as well. This is definitely a more … Continue reading

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2008 Blackjack Major’s line Shiraz

Inky dark in color with a mild nose. On the mid pallet the wine displays some nice black berries. On the medium length finish the wine displays some tannins along with some pepper. This is definitely a kinder, gentler shiraz. … Continue reading

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2010 Windy Peak Pinot Noir

Garnet in color with a mild nose. On the mid pallet this wine displays some strong strawberry along with some rustic notes. On the medium finish this wine is backed by some firm tannins. I would give this wine an … Continue reading

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2008 Tahblik Shiraz

Dark in color with a nice rich nose of black berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays black berries to match the nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice tannins and some pepper that build … Continue reading

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2001 Elderton Barossa Shiraz

I pulled this one out of my cellar after 9 years of patience! Inky dark in color, so much so that the cork was practically black! The nose displays some lovely black fruits. On the mid pallet the wine is … Continue reading

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2010 Tar and Roses Shiraz

Dark in color with a nice nose of dark berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays dark berries, and blueberries to match the nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice dryness and firm tannins along … Continue reading

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2012 Megalomaniac Pink Slip Rose

Bias up front, I’m not a big Rose lover. This one is pinot noir based. Light in color with a mild nose. On the mid pallet the wine displays some nice light fruity flavors, think strawberries. The wine is on … Continue reading

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RABL KÄFERBERG GRÜNER VELTLINER 2011

Pale in color with a lovely nose of minerality. On the mid pallet the wine displays some light minerally notes to match the nose along with some lime. The wine is on the lighter side of medium in length with … Continue reading

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2010 Megalomaniac Big Mouth Merlot

Bias up front I have a real hang up when it comes to Merlot. I like mine fruity, with lots of plum. My experience says Niagara Merlots rarely are like this. This one is dark in color with a mild … Continue reading

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2011 Fielding Cab Franc

I love travelling down to Niagara and went down with a group this past weekend and had to stop by Fielding. I’ve been impressed with a number of their wines of late. The 2011 Pinot Gris was nice, the 2010 … Continue reading

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2010 Liberty School Cab Sauv

Dark in color with a mild nose. On the mid pallet the wine has some dark berries and cassis coming through. The fruit on this one is quite nice. The wine is medium in length on the finish displaying some … Continue reading

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CHÂTEAU MONT-REDON CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2009 mini review

I tasted this one at an LCBO tasting bar. Very dark in color with a mild nose of dark berries. On the mid pallet the wine has some subtle fruit, dark berries coming through. On the finish the wine displays … Continue reading

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2011 Dreaming Tree Red Crush

Another one from the Toronto Wine and Spirits show. This one is a general list item at the LCBO. Dark in color with a mild fruity nose. On the mid pallet the wine displays some nice red berries, and cherries … Continue reading

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DOMAINE DE LA CHARBONNIÈRE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 mini review

I tasted this one at an LCBO tasting bar. Dark in color with a nice nose of red berries and cassis coming through. On the mid pallet this wine displays some lovely red berries and cassis to match the nose. … Continue reading

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Napa cellars 2011 Chardonnay

Happy Canada day weekend one and all from CWG and I! Pale to golden in color with a lovely varietal chard nose. On the mid pallet this wine is smack on varietal California chard. This one is displaying some very … Continue reading

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2012 Wakefield Merlot

Ok as usual, I like to put my bias up front. For some bizarre reason when it comes to Merlot I like them varietal. And for me that means plum. So when I saw plum in the description in thought … Continue reading

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Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cab Saub 2011 mini review

We stopped by the Cornwall LCBO location in Oakville and discovered they have a new tasting bar, complete with an Enomatic wine dispenser I first encountered at Corks! What they are doing is running tastings throughout the week of a … Continue reading

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2010 Zantho St Laurent mini review

Another one from the Toronto Food and Spirits festival. I’ve enjoyed exploring Austia’s most common white wine, Gruner Veltliner so when I was at the festival they had a St Laurent (also from Austria) so I gave it a try. … Continue reading

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ROSEWOOD SÉMILLON 2011 mini review

Bias up front, I’m not a fan of Semillon. Pale in color with a mild nose, with some floral notes consistent with a Semillon coming through. On the mid pallet the wine displays some almost chard like notes along with … Continue reading

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2011 Kilikanoon Killerma’s Run Shiraz

Dark in color with a mild nose of black berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays some mild blueberries. On the medium length finish the wine has some nice varietal pepper and spice, along with some tannins. This is … Continue reading

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2010 Smoke & Gamble Reserve Cab/Merlot mini review

This wine is from Port Dover? I have to admit I had no idea there were wineries in Port Dover! I tasted this one at the Toronto Wine and Spirit Festival. This wine is a blend of 49.5% Merlot, 37.2% … Continue reading

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GUENOC CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010

Dark in color with a funky earthy nose right out of the bottle. This passes relatively quickly leaving a mild varietal cab nose with some black berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays some varietal cab flavours and some … Continue reading

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2009 Calamus Pinot Noir

Another one from our visit to the Calamus winery. Garnet in color with a light varietal pinot noir nose. On the mid pallet the wine is much bigger than the nose would otherwise indicate. It’s got some lovely rustic notes, … Continue reading

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2009 Cannonball Cab Sauv

We stopped by Far Niente and this wine was on the by the glass menu so I thought I’d give it a try. Dark in color with a nice nose of red berries and some oak. On the mid pallet … Continue reading

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2012 BOTTEGA VINO DEI POETI PROSECCO

Pale in color with nice mild nose of minerality and citrus notes. On the mid pallet this is another lovely prosecco displaying nice citrus notes to match the nose, and a hint of honeysuckle. The bubbles are nice and fine … Continue reading

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