Canadian Wine Guy

I tasted this one at the LCBO tasting bar. Mini reviews are done on a small sampling. Pale in color with a lovely nose of vanilla coming through. On the mid pallet the wine displays some nice vanilla to match the nose backed by some acidity, some and spicy notes. In the medium length finish the acidity lingers for a bit. All in all this was not a bad chard but not a fabulous one either. I would give it an 88 or so.

From the LCBO web site:
FIRST PRESS CHARDONNAY 2011 VINTAGES 199810 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 19.95
Made in: California, USA By: Delicato Family Vineyards
Release Date: Jan 4, 2014
14.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Full-bodied & Rich Sugar Content: 6 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Tasting Note
Lovely depth of aromas – look for apricot, nectarine, banana cream pie and white peach, with hints of vanilla and woodsmoke. Bright, juicy and harmonious. A very nice fruit-driven Chardonnay displaying a deft use of oak. Pair with roasted turkey with a tangerine glaze. (VINTAGES panel, Nov. 2013)

Pale in color with a mild nose with some vanilla coming through. On the mid pallet the wine displays vanilla to match the nose along with some subtle pear. This is a smooth, on the lighter side, California style chard. On the finish the wine is on the lighter side of medium in length with some vanilla lingering. This is a very food friendly wine or can easily be sipped on it’s own. I would give it an 88-89. Nice! And what’s to complain at this price!

From the LCBO web site:
COLUMBIA CREST GRAND ESTATES CHARDONNAY 2010 VINTAGES 366542 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 16.95
Made in: Washington State, USA By: Chat Ste Michelle
Release Date: Jun 22, 2013
13.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Aromatic & Flavourful Sugar Content: 6 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Polished, lively and refined, with pretty white peach, floral and oatmeal notes that come together smoothly and linger on the finish. Drink now through 2015. Special Designation: Best Value. Score – 89. (Harvey Steiman, winespectator.com, June 30, 2012)

I like a lot of the wines coming out of J. Lohr. Great value for money. This wine is dark in color with a mild nose of dark berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays some black cherries to match the nose. On the finish the wine has some firm tannins, some alcohol, and even some acidity right out of the bottle. A little bit of breathing or ageing helped to ease this allow you to enjoy the fruit more. This is a lovely cab. I would give it an 89 or so. This wine is on a number of restaurant’s menus so if you can’t think of anything else to order this is not a bad choice.

From the LCBO web site:
J. LOHR SEVEN OAKS CABERNET SAUVIGNON (V) VINTAGES 656561 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 21.95
Made in: California, USA By: J Lohr Winery
Release Date: Apr 18, 2013
13.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Full-bodied & Smooth Sugar Content: 7 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Description
There’s a reason this Cab is the most popular red in the VINTAGES Essentials Collection. It’s full-bodied and packed with black cherry, blackcurrant, cedar, vanilla and spice. Equally at home with a Philly cheese steak sandwich or a thick rib-eye steak.

Garnet in color with a nose of red berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays strawberries and some rustic notes. On the lighter side of medium in length on the finish there are some tannins to round out the wine. This is definitely more of a fruit forward wine. The style the LCBO label it as is Medium bodied and fruity. I’d say that is accurate. I would give it an 88 or so.

From the LCBO web site:
RODNEY STRONG ESTATE PINOT NOIR (V) VINTAGES 954834 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 24.95

Made in: California, USA By: Rodney Strong Vineyards
Release Date: Apr 18, 2013
13.9% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Sugar Content: 6 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Description
Russian River Valley is among the world’s finest areas outside Burgundy for growing Pinot Noir. This one is beautifully intense with plum, cherry, beet, smoke and spice flavours. Pair with thick grilled pork chops, rotisserie chicken or grilled tuna steaks with mild salsa.

I enjoy Washington State wines. Dark in color with a nice nose of black berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays dark cherries to match the nose, backed immediately by some harsh notes. I’m not even sure what I would say, mint maybe, or menthol. I was about to give up on the wine since I had a dinner guest showing up but I decided to break out my handy dandy decanter. 20 minutes in the decanter and the hard notes were absolutely gone. Leaving the rich fruit along with some nice tannins on a medium finish. In the end this is a lovely wine as long as you breath it. I would give it a solid 90 (once decanted). Some aging would also do the trick.

From the LCBO web site:
SEVEN FALLS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 VINTAGES 360222 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 18.95
Made in: Washington State, USA By: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Fob
Release Date: Jan 4, 2014
14.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Full-bodied & Smooth Sugar Content: 8 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Tasting Note
Supple, silky and generous, with refreshing blackberry and plum fruit, lingering easily on the polished, dark chocolate-tinged finish. Drink now through 2017. Smart Buy. Score – 90. (Harvey Steiman, winespectator.com, June 30, 2013)

Dark in color with a lovely nose of plum. On the mid pallet this is a lovely fruit forward Merlot with lots of plum coming through to match the nose. The wine is on the lighter side of medium in length. This is a lovely varietal Merlot. I would give it an 89.

From the LCBO web site from a different year:
IRONSTONE MERLOT 2011 VINTAGES 704353 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 18.95
Made in: California, USA By: Ironstone Vineyards
Release Date: Sep 14, 2013
14.0% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Varietal: Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon
Sugar Content: 5 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Cherry, cocoa powder and a touch of bramble on the nose. Brimming with cherry and fig notes accented by gorgeous chocolate touches. A nice brightness to the acidity and a grippy finish. Enjoy this with ribs or burgers hot off the grill. (VINTAGES panel, July 2013)

Stopped by Spice Route last night for dinner and had this wine. Dark in color with a mild nose of plum. On the mid pallet the wine displays plum to match the nose along with some red cherries. There’s some tannins on the medium length finish. It’s a little bit sweet. I would give it an 88-89. Not a bad wine at all. Not in the LCBO and there’s no mention of price on the web site but at $9 a glass at a restaurant it couldn’t be all that expensive.

From the Winery’s web site:
The warm, sunny days and cool nights during the growing season create ideal conditions for producing grapes with intense aromas and flavors. Washington state is famed for its flavorful, award winning Merlots. The Stimson Estate Cellars Merlot exhibits classic raspberry and cherry characters with a
touch of vanilla and toast on the smooth finish. This lush, pleasurable Merlot pairs perfectly with grilled
salmon or a flavorful pasta.

TOTAL ACIDITY: 0.50 g/100 ml, pH: 3.72, Alcohol: 13.5%

I reviewed a number of Chateau Ste Michelle wines and enjoyed them. They are from Washington State. Dark in color lovely rich nose with plum coming through. On mid pallet plums are there but quickly backed by some firm tannins acidity and even some mild bitterness straight out of the bottle. This wine is just too young or needs some breathing. After even as little as 20 minutes in the glass the finish was easing nicely leaving a nice fruit forward Merlot. A year in the cellar would help immensely. Sadly not at the LCBO right now. I am sure it will come back. I had it at Joey’s. Winery’s web site. I would give it an 89 or so. $15 at the winery.

From the winery’s web site:
We craft this wine to be our complex yet approachable Merlot. The wine offers aromas of black cherry, leather and spice with layers of rich dark red fruit flavors and a long, smooth, sweet finish. A touch of Syrah adds a jammy fruit character. I think of this wine as a great “everyday red”.

I last wrote about the 2010 vintage of this wine and enjoyed it. This one is dark in color with a nose of black berries and some oak. On the mid pallet the wine matches the nose with deep black cherries coming through prominently. There’s some youthful acidity on the medium length finish along with some tannins and a hint of alcohol. The wine is slightly sweet. This is definitely more of a fruit forward wine with a nice bite on the finish. I would give it an 89 or so. I paired it with smoked salmon and it went very well. Remember red fish red wine! Yumm. I agree with the style commend from the LCBO Full bodied and smooooooooth 🙂

from the LCBO web site:
COLUMBIA CREST H3 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 VINTAGES 210047 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 19.95
Made in: Washington State, USA By: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Fob
Release Date: Jan 18, 2014
14.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Full-bodied & Smooth Sugar Content: 9 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
An up-and-coming Vintages customer favourite? The H3 Cabernet Sauvignon certainly generates much excitement with every appearance and it’s easy to see why. Charcoal, smoked meat and campfire smoke notes play wonderfully with the blackberry, bacon, cassis, coffee and bacon aromas and flavours. A big wine perfect for slow-cooked dry ribs, or coffee-and porter-braised brisket. (VINTAGES panel, Nov. 2013)

Pale in color with a lovely nose of vanilla. This wine is senstive to temperature. Serve it too cold and you will miss out on the complexities of this wine. On the mid pallet the wine displays some lovely chard fruit, some apples, and the like. On the finish the wine has some lovely mouth grip with vanilla sticking around and even some butterscotch. Very nice. I would give it an 89 or so.

From the LCBO web site:
GHOST PINES CHARDONNAY WINEMAKER’S BLEND LCBO 308122 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 19.95
Made in: California, USA By: Louis M. Martini Winery
13.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Full-bodied & Rich Sugar Content: 6 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Pale straw colour; intense oak, vanilla and butterscotch nose with some pear and tropical fruit on the palate followed by a medium-long, sweet vanilla finish.

Serving Suggestion
Serve with cedar-planked salmon, chicken in a cream sauce, grilled scallops.