An Australian wine that is from the Barossa Valley. A blend of 4 grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. On the nose, sweet cassis (Ribena) or black current cordial, black plum, cherry pipe tobacco, sweet dill and sweet black liquorice. Upon tasting, the above all came up with secondary nuances like coffee, cola, spice and dark chocolate. A forward, full body wine that has balanced acidity and structure. The tannin is fine. This comfort wine is a good expression of a new world fruit driven pseudo-style Bordeaux. The finish is long with a beautiful tingling feeling at the back of my throat. Rating (91-93 points). Tasted 24 November 2006 by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.
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This is a classic Italian Brunello from a relatively well known producer and from a successful vintage. Very ripe fruit detected along with firm tannin. Acidity is on the higher side. The wine has a herbal medicinal syrupy taste. A good food wine that would accompany well with a classic roast. 9 years from the vintage and this wine can still be aged to shed more tannin. Rating: 88-90 points
Falesco Vitiano 2004 is from Umbria of Italy. Umbria is right at the centre of the Italian boot nick-named the Oven of Italy - very hot! The Vitiano consists of equal parts of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It has been consistently rated both by WA and WS with high eighties and low nineties. I have tasted the previous vintages - solid but my ratings were consistently lower by 2-4 points. Dark red and purple in colour. It has a nose of “Italian wine” followed by dark cherry Jello (Robertson’s) or cherry jam, red licorice, dry cranberry and dry wild flowers (popourri). This respectable medium body wine has good balance of fruit, body and good grippy tannin but it is meant to be a juicy quaffer with fair structure than a serious wine. The finish is fair with some dark bitter chocolatey notes. Drink it up in the next few years. I keep failing to understand why the big boys rate this wine with such a fuss?! (Rated 86-88 points) by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.
Hardys is an Australian household name. The winery has been around for over 150 years. In fact, your lowly was invited to celebrate with Bill Hardy in a private tasting when he came to Vancouver a few years back for his round the world 150th anniversary of Hardys wines tour. Wow! Bill LOOOOOVES talking and I mean he LOOOOOVES talking! When the birthday cake came with the candles lit, he made a speech but the speech turned out to be longer than the Great Wall of China. All of us were watching the candles burning away…then one of the ladies had to step forward to signal him from talking further and asked him to blow out the candles immediately. Phew! I thought the fire alarm would go off any seconds…
Chambers Rosewood specialises in making dessert wines. The rare and grand reserve wines are ultra expensive but the NV series by comparison sell for a song (and a dance). Like it’s sibling, this dessert wine runs at 19% alcohol but comes with a lighter colour of gold. Possesing a full, syrupy body, the wine gave a nose of canned sweet tangerine, orange marmalade and orange liqueur chocolate. Upon tasting, more tangerine, orange characters followed with sweet and spicy (but not hot) pepper. The botrytis character of wild honey also came through with more orange liqueur chocolate. Compare to the Muscat, this Muscadelle is less complex. What these wines lack in my humble opinion, is a tad more acidity to give more vibrancy. The finish is fair. (Rating 89-91 points) Michael Lam of the Beverage Review
This Talomas Chardonnay (83%) / Viognier (17%) came with a musky buttery nose mixed with very faint gasoline and the usual tropical fruit and pineapple suggesting the wine has gone through malolactic fermentation. The wine was surprisingly fresh, refreshing and crisp unlike many California chardonnays which are OTT (Over the top): Smokey, oaky, full body, with full blown malolatic buttery and off dry fruit — I call it being suffocated by Dolly Parton’s bosoms…Although this Char is not too complex as expected, I believe the Viognier has contributed the wine with much vibrancy and spiciness. The lifted but balanced acidity also means the wine is versatile with a large variety of food. The wine was reduced in BC from $21 to $7.99 in the summer of 2006 after Mondalvi was bought by Constellation brand in 2004. It’s still available at private stores such as Central City of Surrey in BC at $12. What a mark up (!) but still fair in price I guess. Drink now like the way I quaffed it down after filming! (Rating 87-89) points by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.
Chateau de Carles is from Fronsac in right bank of Bordeaux. Fronsac is considered as a ‘minor’ region north west of two more famous communes west of Pomerol and St. Emilion. Here the main grapes are merlot and Cabernet Franc as to the predominant Cabernet Sauvignon in the left bank. 2003 was a usually hot year. Much merlot in the Pomerol region shut down during the summer months due to the intense heat but St. Emilion did. Also, many minor producers benefit from the heat producing ripe and plummy fruit. The Ch. de Carles was sold at Cad$23 - considered as a value buy. The wine has some vibrant red fruit (red cherry, red soft berry) intermixed with some earth, soil and barnyard characters. What came in tasting was it also carried some dark chocolate,ink block, graphite and licorice characters. The body was medium and soft. Not too complex but has reasonable solid structure. Drink up within the next 2-4 years. (Rating 86-88 points) by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.
A CHEAP relatively unknown Bordeaux red benefitted from the super hot 2003 vintage selling at Cad$9.99! The wine has bright young red fruits like red cherry, strawberry and raspberry followed by strong pig pen, foxy, gamey, dirty soil scents. The wine carries a good level of tannin and has reasonably structure but otherwise a simple offering. The finish is short. This wine needs decanting. It’s NOT a wine for those who dislike the pig pen attack. Cad$9.99 is a bargain if you like the style. Rating 84-86 points.
The Chambers Rosewood vineyards specialises in making Aussie ’stickies’. Here I am tasting the Chambers Rosewood Non-Vintage Muscat. This dessert style wine comes in a 375 ml bottle that only cost about $23 a pop but pack with 19% alcohol. The colour is deep amber with a pinkish tint. Dry lychee, dry longanberry (Dragon Eye), raisins (dry red grapes) shouted loud from the tasting glass “Please come and taste me!” The alcohol really showed in the leg of my tasting glass — full syrupy body. The wine revealed, again, more dry lychee juice / lychee nut, lychee red tea and dry Dragon Eye fruit with European marmalade and caramel toffee. Interestingly, if you subtract the sweetness, you also get cognac brandy in the background. This complex wine has won my heart and will further develop more complexity for sure. What it lacks is some acidity and citrus fruit vibrancy but why should I be so harsh?! The finish is good with slight hotness from the alcohol. (Rating 91-93 points) Michael Lam of the Beverage Review
Barolo and Barbaresco are made from the Nebbiolo grape from Piedmont in North West of Italy. This is supposed to be an aristocratic grape when compare to Barbera and Dolcetto. Nebbiolo means the ‘Foggy One’ as the morning mists of Piedmont very often cover the vineyards over the rolling hillside. It has NOT been successful trying to grow this grape outside Piedmont. The wine was a little reluctant to release much nose but upon swirling, some bitter herb, green olive, lemon peel and tar came out with a little red fruit mixed with candy scented wrapping paper! When tasted, red (stone) fruits, red melon seeds, bitter herb, truffle and green olive were detected. The full body wine is a little sharp and astringent and has a tangy, zingy penetration of acid. The tannin is shredding after 11 years from the vintage but still needs a few good years to be fully tamed. This sure is meant to be a food wine with its acidity and tannin. A good wine with roast meat and game. Drink now or wait up to 4 years. (Rating 89-91 points) by Michael Lam of the Beverage Review.