Uncorked-Wine and Spirits Appreciation

[Belgian]

Château Vincens Prestige 2014 Malbec/Merlot

This is an OK 80% Malbec from the Cahors AOC in SW France, not far from Bordeaux, and it's a simple wine made fairly traditionally. It seems a bit surprisingly round and soft for the style of the region. The 20% Merlot in the balance adds a nice character fruit and depth while softening the dry, strong and tannic Malbec.

I'm getting hints of kelpy iodine, and good black and sweet-sour red cherry and black berry. A good seam of acidity lifts the fruit. Approachable, especially with food like meat lasagna or pan-seared steak. An earlier vintage reviewed of this (2011) was off-the-charts great but even this moderately good '14 year with its shortcomings is pretty good if far from outstanding. 92 points is probably pushing it I think.

[Belgian]

Drinking AYDIE L'ORIGINE 2010 Madiran from Southwest France - this is a good example of a big juicy Madiran with enough berry to offset the big tannins of the Tannat grape (which usually needs more ageing.)

Before regulations, wines of Cahors, Bergerac and Madiran were routinely blended into Bordelais wines to meet the demand for credible 'Bordeaux/Claret' wines elsewhere in Europe...

Having a 2012 of this now, it behaves like a decent Bordeaux (crossed with southern Rhone) showing blackberry and cherry fruit. Silky and bold, pleasing flavors made with 70% Tannat and 30% Cabernet Franc, - a steal.

Another 2012 - apparently the good-value 'L'origine" edition is now replaced with a few pricier alternatives (thanks to our dark lords, the Liquor Cash Barons Ontario.) Laplace is a good vintner & this wine is a winner.

Much like Cahors, this is a decent stand-in for Bordeaux Reds since it is bold and well-structured. In this one the Cab gives a slight wooly character at first that settles into a beautiful acidy-mineral-dry dark fruit, cedar cassis herbal and stone notes, very worthy if now unavailable but can try other 'superior' Laplace bottlings we're been up-sold to, force-fed by the province just like Foie Gras geese they want to fatten for the better yield. Don't worry the 17.95 Laplace Madiran will be good.

I'd be happy with just affordable Cahors and Madiran and Bergerac the rest of my life if the Overlords of Purchasing would allow us to have them, GRR! It would also be great to travel in the Southwest and see what wine & food culture France has to offer.

[Belgian]

Michele Chiarlo Tortoniano Barolo 2012

Nebbiolo from Piedmont Northern Italy of course. Pale red with shades of brick. Good subtly-dense rich flavors of black berry fruit, cherry, stone and mineral, rooty herbals and black leaf Assam tea, good acids, the tannins are softening already. A bit sleek if you were expecting a bigger wine, although has long clean pure flavors. A pleasure.

[Belgian]

Magaña Dignus 2012 Tempranillo Blend

I really like this. Great structure with inky black fruit and nice tannins, black tea and mineral. Plum skin and blueberry dryness/acidity. What a gorgeous wine for 17 smackers.

** Edit (OCT.4 ) ** I had to grab five more. It's selling out very fast, as it is basically a good clean hybrid of Bordeaux and Rioja type grapes with plenty of style and character on its own. This is probably the future of wine that has old-world style with a competitive modern market penetration. Don't delay...

[Belgian]

... friends visiting gave me this wine from their local Flam 2015 Classico Red (Judean Hills) It seems to be a Tuscany-inspired winery employing typical French grapes 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Syrah. I will try it soon, the '15 may be simpler, sweeter and less meaty than the '14. If it were sold here it would be over 30 USD which may be why we don't see too many wines from Israel.

Yes it's a serviceable wine and decently made... reminding me just a bit of the savory Sangiovese wines of Chianti in Northern Italy, maybe that's the terroir. There is a forward wooliness from the large portion of Cab Sauv and overall, a bit sanguine and salty but it is a touch sweet and simple and certainly at first it seems almost a bit crudely rustic and undeveloped. But it does have a a little interesting ripe red berry fruit and herbals is going on in there, even a bit of chocolate. A decent bistro wine to go with your Steak Frites, maybe a notch better.

[Kish84]

Magaña Dignus 2012 Tempranillo Blend

I really like this. Great structure with inky black fruit and nice tannins, black tea and mineral. Plum skin and blueberry dryness/acidity. What a gorgeous wine for 17 smackers.

** Edit (OCT.4 ) ** I had to grab five more. It's selling out very fast, as it is basically a good clean hybrid of Bordeaux and Rioja type grapes with plenty of style and character on its own. This is probably the future of wine that has old-world style with a competitive modern market penetration. Don't delay...

I picked up a bottle of this based on your reco. I haven't had any wine in quite a while. Really enjoying this.

I'm curious, have you had any Pearl Morisette? I've heard nothing but good things about them, but I tend to stay away from/haven't liked many Ontario reds.

[midlife crisis]

Magaña Dignus 2012 Tempranillo Blend

I really like this. Great structure with inky black fruit and nice tannins, black tea and mineral. Plum skin and blueberry dryness/acidity. What a gorgeous wine for 17 smackers.

** Edit (OCT.4 ) ** I had to grab five more. It's selling out very fast, as it is basically a good clean hybrid of Bordeaux and Rioja type grapes with plenty of style and character on its own. This is probably the future of wine that has old-world style with a competitive modern market penetration. Don't delay...

Just opened my bottle of this now. Loving it. I am a big fan of well-oaked reds mind you, generally Spanish. If you are the same, I think you'll love this one.

I will also be buying more.

[Belgian]

Burmester 10-Year-Old Tawny Port

This fortified wine which I think is a good value came out today and may be selling fast. Be prepared - as a classic Port it is fairly sweet and dark-fruity (prune fig raisin) - plus some spicy & woody, a bit of beautiful savory-umami and nutty notes, butterscotch biscuit, subtle acid profile hints at tart tropical fruit. Despite the big sweet palate it's very 'moreish' & demands attention to explore its subtle layers as the finish builds over a few sips; this reveals a long and sonorous red grape note... it really tastes like serious Terroir got sucked up from the very old vines digging deep in sun-baked Portugal...

[Belgian]

I'm curious, have you had any Pearl Morisette? I've heard nothing but good things about them, but I tend to stay away from/haven't liked many Ontario reds.

Interesting. I would be all over this if I were near the Niagara sometime. Thanks!! And I recently had an amazing VQA red at an event, wish I could recall this somehow better than expected wine. Ontario asks a lot of its consumers in terms of the faith they demand for wines that aren't necessarily that affordable, but I have faith in the many good movements here, even the reds particularly Pinot Noir - some Vintners are a bit of a believer's cult maybe, God bless them if they have well-heeled advocates & some others I believe are true salt of the earth. Visiting a bunch of Ontario wineries is fun and edifying.

[Kish84]

I'm curious, have you had any Pearl Morisette? I've heard nothing but good things about them, but I tend to stay away from/haven't liked many Ontario reds.

Interesting. I would be all over this if I were near the Niagara sometime. Thanks!! And I recently had an amazing VQA red at an event, wish I could recall this somehow better than expected wine. Ontario asks a lot of its consumers in terms of the faith they demand for wines that aren't necessarily that affordable, but I have faith in the many good movements here, even the reds particularly Pinot Noir - some Vintners are a bit of a believer's cult maybe, God bless them if they have well-heeled advocates & some others I believe are true salt of the earth. Visiting a bunch of Ontario wineries is fun and edifying.

You can order Pearl Morisette from their website. I've been tempted to get a bottle, but without having tried any I feel I could probably get a similar wine thats comparable or better from another country for less.

[Belgian]

CR Gold 5 Monastrell/Syrah 2013 Mourvèdre Blend from Spain

A very well-priced solid red (not too heavy palate, lithe) with good classic structure combined with some modern freshness and verve. Shows some moderate acids and good dryness under the cherry-berry fruit and black plum skins, has some mineral and distinctively the pleasant herbals which make the flavor dance around in a seemingly very Spanish way. Even some nice echoes of tar on the late finish, just a mouth-watering wine that grows on me.

[Derek]

2010 Quail’s Gate Optima Late Harvest... Totally Botrytis Affected.

Great stuff.

[Belgian]

2010 Quail’s Gate Optima Late Harvest... Totally Botrytis Affected.

Great stuff.

That sounds fantastic! I'd try that one in a heartbeat.

I've got a Sauternes 2004 Sainte-Helene Chateau De Malle I've been wanting to try.

[Belgian]

Château Joinin 2015 Bordeaux

95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet. Pours a fairly opaque red. Very solid tannins just starting to become manageable, a bit of green pepper, frontal dry palate. Flavors deep and taut with cassis fruit and plum skin and black berry fruit, even some bitter chocolate. Maybe a little sauna stone and cedar. Liking the dryness, that will decide if you really like this. Let's see how it opens up with some oxygen, I won't decant it but will re-try over a couple of days in the fridge.

*update* I left it for 3 days (sorry wine!) but it's still great kept corked in the fridge.

[Belgian]

Domaine Karydas Xinomavro 2012

This is fantastic. Xino Red from Greece/Macedonia is slowly being discovered as a fairly serious wine for its price category and compared to some Barolo or Barbareso-style Piedmont wines. The time to take advantage is now. Here is a solid 2012, a vintage that is becoming approachable more quickly than the bigger and tougher 2011.
Aroma seems to offer dried grapes, dried black olives, Mediterranean herbs and kelply ocean notes. Taste has solid red berry fruits and good tannic dryness plus that salty kelp and a bit of rich sundried tomato, plus the meaty and sanguine notes so typical of Italian Nebbiolo. Alcohol is well-integrated, maintaining a pleasant vibrancy and freshness along with the wine's sleek but evident power.

The LCBO knocked five or six bucks off the original price, very decent Quality-Price Ratio. Explore!