Archive for April, 2018

I was happy to taste a few of the wines from the upcoming release slotted to hit the shelves on April 28th. There is good news now for those Ontarians who might enjoy the wines that Vintages provide but live in remote areas where these wines never seem to get to. Thanks to modern technology, all consumers can use the Vintages shop online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Inventory is shown in real time so one should be able to see what’s available at all times. Even wines normally only available at the “flagship” stores (in other words, reserved for Ottawa and Toronto politicians and well to do’s) are now available to all. The feature of this release is wine from the Pacific North West. Please read on.

402180 PRIMARIUS PINOT NOIR 2015 Oregon $29.95
Lovely aromas of fresh cut flowers, plum, green herbs and dark fruit, with solid layers of beet, red licorice, black raspberry and Moroccan spice. Fabulous structure, and quite viscous; not a wine to drink just yet, but give it a year and it will settle down. Find this wine

199802 COOPER MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR 2014 Willamette Valley$37.95
Plum and blackcurrant, with some Asian spice and cave air; lovely fruit based palate, plum and blueberry, with solid structure, but excessive sweetness that compounds on the finish. A little disjointed at this point, but time might help it settle. Find this wine

463000 14 HANDS MERLOT 2015 Columbia Valley$19.95
Plenty of dark fruit, espresso grounds, forest floor, juniper berry and sweet cherry. Clean palate, round and filled with milky chocolate, coconut, mocha and plum. Good value wine from one of Washington’s warmest growing seasons. Find this wine

488510 JOEL GOTT WASHINGTON RED 2015 Columbia Valley $24.95
Plain and simple, with nice aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, mocha, cedar and dried herbs. A blend of 49% Cabernet, 36% Merlot, 9% Syrah and 6% Malbec with a well-rounded palate, some aggressive oak and gentle tannin. Find this wine

220376 DUSTED VALLEY BOOMTOWN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 Columbia Valley $19.95
Enticing fragrance of dark ripe fruit, stewed tea leaves, and creamy raspberry ripple. It carries an enjoyable texture, much like a blackcurrant smoothie, but has plenty of grip on the finish. Find this wine

OTHER WINES FROM THE USA.

480244 1000 STORIES BOURBON BARREL AGED ZINFANDEL California. 2015 $29.95
I fully appreciate that Bourbon is presently a much in-demand hipster beverage, but I have to ask the question why do this to Zinfandel? The barrel aging simply overpowers any complexity the wine might have started out with. Not for me thank you very much. Find this wine

544221 BERNARDUS SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS PINOT NOIR 2013 Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County$34.95
A little medicinal at first, then sweet spice, caramel, dark cherry, iron, mineral and underbrush appear. It has a solid palate, plum, dark cherry, mineral and wet earth with a super long finish, and great balance with lip smacking black fruit acidity. Find this wine

MORE WINES FROM THE REST OF THE GLOBE.

534768 THE THIEF GRENACHE/SHIRAZ/MATARO 2015 Barossa Valley, South Australia $24.95
A pleasing blend of mint, dried spice box, black fruit, saddle leather, Bounty candy bar and caramel. Its palate is lively, with good acidity and gentle oak, showing a gratifying mix of plum, blueberry, and black fruit. Find this wine

434464 CHÂTEAU SAINT-ANTOINE RÉSERVE DU CHÂTEAU 2014 Bordeaux Supérieur $16.95
Dusty, with notes of cigarette tobacco and hints of plum and sweet cherry. The palate is viscous and sweet as is the finish. one dimensional and bland. Find this wine

943290 FONTANAFREDDA SERRALUNGA D’ALBA BAROLO, Piedmont 2013 $44.95
Layers of dark fruit, cedar, sawdust, espresso, dried cherry, dried flowers, and Asian spice. Still youthful, but tannins are gentle, and pristine fruit, plum, cherry and mocha all deliver pure pleasure. This is a seriously tasty wine that will go on to reward the patient collectors decades down the road. Find this wine

368910 CARPINETO VINO RISERVA NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO, Tuscany 2012 $32.95
Charming whiffs of black raspberry, dark chocolate, anise, walnut, cigar box and leather. It is super juicy, full of red currant and cherry fruit and although enjoyable now, the dusty tannins suggest a couple of years away will change the end result. Find this wine

538561 BASILICATA CANTINA DI VENOSA VERBO AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE 2015 $17.95
A good value wine that boasts bold aromas of stewed red fruit, cherry cola, lead pencil and black tea, with a balanced palate of plum, red currant, red cherry and cedar. Find this wine

543710 BALBAS BARRICA OLD VINES TEMPRANILLO 2015 Ribera del Duero $14.95
This new addition to Vintages portfolio offers pure blackcurrant and sweet cherry combined with slate, mineral and Licorice Allsorts candy. A bit of a fruit bomb, but a well-balanced one that could be a winner at mid-week summer barbecues. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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