Author Archives: John Galea

RODNEY STRONG KNOTTY VINES ZINFANDEL 2005

Rodney Strong are doing some wonderful things. My two favorite Merlots are the Rodney Strong and the Two Tone Merlots! Here we have their Zinf. Zinf’s as I have mentioned a couple of times in California are more often than … Continue reading

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BOUTARI MOSCHOFILERO 2007

When in a Greek restaurant, try a wine from Greece! So we asked for a suggestion. My wine knowledge of Greece is pretty light. We were at Kalamata and our waitress recommened this one so we gave it a try. … Continue reading

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Wines of Prince Edward county

A few weeks back we did a week long trip to Prince Edward County. While not strictly a wine trip we did hit a whole bunch of their wineries. I have written up our trip, the tastings and experiences we … Continue reading

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Eight wine bar (Downtown Toronto)

We stopped by Eight Wine Bar after it was written up in the star. Map Urban Spoon They feature 20 wines by the glass for $3 for a 3 ounce tasting their recommended size. We had a meal as well … Continue reading

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STELLA BELLA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008

This wine is quite pale in color. The bouquet is spot on New Zealand style grassy sauv blanc. On the tastes the wine has lovely rich lemon/grassy flavors. You could close your eyes and believe you are drinking a Kim … Continue reading

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CASTELLO DI NEIVE BARBARESCO 2005

I enjoy Barbarescos. They are big wines with a lot of character. This one is no different. I have had it since January of this year and it is aging well. The wine is lighter in color not as light … Continue reading

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J. LOHR SOUTH RIDGE SYRAH 2006

Straight out of the bottle this wine is edgey and coarse. It is really too young just yet. With some breathing (1/2 hour) it opened up nicely. I recommend 1 hour of decanting. The wine is deep purple in color. … Continue reading

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2007 Lacey Baco Noir

We sampled this one on our recent visit to Prince Edward County. I am working on a write up of all the wines and wineries we visited while we were there. At Lacey they were only tasting one because they … Continue reading

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SCHMELZ FEDERSPIEL GRÜNER VELTLINER 2007

I picked this one up just because it looked interesting/different. Something I had not had before. The description is quite accurate. I did get Apricot off the tastes just as the description below says. This is a very Reisling like … Continue reading

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Rodney Strong 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Once again it was time to crack into the cellar. I’ve had this one since June 2007. A while back I had the misfortune of trying a number of well aged Cab Sauv’s at the Society for American Wines annual … Continue reading

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2004 Rodney Strong Merlot

I’ve had this one in the cellar since October of last year. A while back I did a tasting of aged Merlots. To my taste buds I did not find that Merlots aged any where near as well as cabs. … Continue reading

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CHATEAU DE LA TUILERIE SYRAH/GRENACHE 2007

Just back from a week long vacation in the exciting new area for wines of Prince Edward county! Look for some reviews of the wines/wineries/Inns in future posts … For now: A while back I spent three magical weeks in … Continue reading

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PENASCAL TEMPRANILLO 2005

Every now and then I get suprised by a wine. This is one of those. It is an inexpensive general list wine that is not bad. This is fairly a fairly varietal Tempranillo. The wine is slightly vinegary on opening … Continue reading

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J. Lohr 2007 Riverstone Chardonnay

Thursday on the patio at the Keg … Ahhh summer. Lisa our waitress was going through our options for what she thought would be good choices to go with our lobster. The first recommendation from her was this wine. After … Continue reading

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BURROWING OWL ESTATE WINERY CHARDONNAY 2006

As I’ve already admitted, I jump at the chance to try Okanagan wines. I’ve heard a lot about Burrowing Owl from others so this one was on my todo list. The price is on the higher side of what I … Continue reading

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TORRI RISERVA CHIANTI COLLI SENESI 2005 DOCG

If you like Chianti’s this is a good one. Lovely deep wine with a medium finish. The fruit is a little overwhlemed again (like the tempranillo I last blogged about). My GF says she tastes stewed grass in Chiantis and … Continue reading

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CELESTE CRIANZA 2005

This is another big Tempranillo. If you like these this is a pretty good one. Very little bitterness on the finish, nice bold flavor, reasonably complex. The fruit is relatively subtle/overwhelmed. Tannins are big but under control. Alcohol and Oak … Continue reading

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Chateau Graville-Lacoste Graves Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2008

We were out at our favorite sushi restaurant last night. We were looking for something white to complement the food. Andrew there sommelier came by and we discussed options with him. He highly recommended this wine. It’s not available at … Continue reading

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VINTAGES CHÂTEAU L’ENCLOS BONIS 2005

I grabbed this one on spec and was rewarded. On first opening you know this is going to be a big wine and it sure it. The color is a very dark purple, almost black. The bouquet is lovely varietal … Continue reading

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TRIUS RED 2007

A friend of mine Vik gave me this wine, thanks Vik! Consistently year after year Hllebrand does a good job with this wine. They manage to take the wild tannins that are prolific in Niagara and tame them into an … Continue reading

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MONTES ALPHA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007

I’ve had this wine before and enjoyed it. This time there is something there … I taste the smack on varietal cab. Lots of depth and fruit typical of a cab. Very nice. And then … there is something there … Continue reading

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CLOUDY BAY CHARDONNAY 2006

A while back I tasted this wine (albeit a much older vintage) at a New Zealand tasting event and was quite impressed with it. I quite enjoy chards. As whites go I find them more complex. This one is no … Continue reading

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OAK HEIGHTS COVERT HILL WHITE 2007

Happy Canada day eh! I first had this wine at the Toronto Food and Wine show and was impressed. For the money this is a nice wine for sitting on the patio sipping. Very food friendly. Easy drinking. The description … Continue reading

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SABOR REAL VIÑAS CENTENARIAS TEMPRANILLO 2005

Wimps need not apply 🙂 Ok if you like your wines big and bold, this is a wine for you. If you don’t, there is plenty of room about happy little elves in theater number two (a reference from Lemony … Continue reading

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DOÑA PAULA ESTATE MALBEC 2006

This is a lovely smack on varietal Malbec from Argentina. Unlike the French who only use Malbec as a blending grape (primarily) the Argentinians will often use it entirely on it’s own. This is a lovely deep wine. The color … Continue reading

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