Uncorked-Wine and Spirits Appreciation

[Belgian]

Château Recougne 2017 Bordeaux Supérieur (Merlot + 2 Cab Blend)

Moderate to good value, easy-going and mostly Merlot Bordeaux red. I like the bit of cedar / tobacco / herbal character over the smooth dark and red berry fruit, cherry, some light wool and warm sandalwoody spice. Only a hint of green pepper follows the the very acceptable tannin and acid structure.

Supérieur as it sounds designates a wine better than the average 'common' Bordeaux, and this one is 85% Merlot grapes with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc - and the Recougne vineyards are near the Fronsac wine region in Bordeaux. Seems to be selling fast as an approachable yet authentic Bordelais wine.

[Belgian]

C. da Silva Dalva Colheita Red 2017

A Douro, Portugal red of Touriga Nacional and other grapes. Seems like a €2 red the LCBO has in its shameless avarice decided to latch onto the success of & unironically price this humble table wine well beyond ten dollars instead of the $7-8 it's probably worth. Although yes sure it's OK, simple and youthful with clean lines, acidity, violet, berry. Maybe save your cash for something better, though - a wine wth more style and oomph.

I also got this one today which is a Tempranillo-dominated Douro Portugal Red. Not expecting miracles for $11.95 but we'll see! I can always cook with lacklustre LC offerings... try wine-braised Beretta Farms blade steak sometime, it's the best cold weather meal.

[Belgian]

Arnaud de Villeneuve Ambré 20-Year-Old Grande Reserve Rivesaltes (Fortified Wine)

A rich, sherry-like French wine (of white grapes) that has been fortified and extensively aged. Has a great pale sherry color. Tastes of apricot, raisiny pale fruits, has poised honey-like sweetness balanced with acidity. There is a good umami element (lightly mushroomy / forest floor) and walnut dryness that seem to be still coming forward from under all the residual sugar:

Rivesaltes (South of France) is fortified to stop fermentation. Then its put outside in crystal jugs for an entire year! Jugs are closed but otherwise it’s affected by the elements, temperature change, etc. Sunlight “cooks” the wine giving amber colour. After, stored between 5-50 years before release. 20 yo Grenache w/ Macabeu. Warm amber. Nose of vanilla, nuts, caramel, light spices. Palate is rich and clogging with great viscosity, notes of figs, molasses, vanilla and a long subtle finish. (a reviewer on Vivino)

Grenache Blanc, Macabeo, Grenache Gris blend in this one. I think in 10-20 years this Ambré would lose its baby fat and continue to evolve, there's so much going on and a good 'weight' to it. I opened this weeks ago - these sturdy wines can be opened & preserved in a cool space for months to enjoy having a little sip now and again - without always having to pop a new bottle.

[Belgian]

Château Calon 2008 Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion

A mature Bordeaux red with mainly Merlot plus with some Cabernet Sauvignon in there. I just went for it. The 2008 Calon is now medium-light body and dry, with the blackberry fruit more thin and restrained under the tannin and herbals. A little fading oak vanilla and spice. Finish is a bit simple and acidy without much layering. There's some quality here but it's now pretty subtle.

The LC review is perhaps being overly kind. I wouldn't keep the 2008 for too long, it's ready or even past peak.

[Belgian]

Ruelas Reserva Red 2019

Here is a Portugese red for 11.95. Three grapes, Tinto Roriz (the famed Tempranillo grape of Rioja Spain) plus Touriga Nacional and the Syrah / Shiraz grape originating in the Rhone, France.

Good solid dark and red fruit, touch of toasty oak. Touch of mocha, spice, tobacco, hint green pepper. Youthful acidity. Unusual and interesting hybrid of three grapes - the herbality and light berry of Tempranillo, the almost Cabernet-like solidness and dryness of Touriga, and the rich weight and length of Syrah. I think Portugal and Spain could dominate our inexpensive wine sales if quality were LCBO's priority there.

[Belgian]

Cadis Amarone della Valpolicella 2015 Amarone

Valpolicella is a wine region within Verona, in the Veneto, Northeast Italy, and Amarone is a particular wine style made using partly dried wine grapes for added intensity and character. The appassimento technique involves some funky natural chemistry, and also considerable labour and risk. Style-wise this particular wine is supposedly a less extreme and more balanced example of Amarone.

This Cadis Amarone initially opens full but fairly leafy dry with leathery, earthy and herbal tones. Under this is cassis and berry and dried berry and cherry fruit. Has a lot of character and a little peppery bite to it. Grapes are 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara. The peppery element and some nice rich balsamic notes appear in the aroma.

DAY TWO - now that the bottle has got some air, the concentrated, long notes of wild strawberry really come through on the flavors & aromas. Even some chocolate. Also it's a tad smoother and less peppery, harmonious. Really lovely stuff, should probably be served decanted a while and then lightly cooled. Now I totally get why this Amarone stuff is kind of a big deal.

Pretty much this, a bit closed on Day 1. Cellaring for 18 months hasn't changed it and you still need hours of oxygen exposre to bring it out. Still showing tobacco, herbs, leather, mocha-coffee and cherry and berry. A salty and meaty note. Licorice nuance, wild strawberry.

[cratez]

Two reds that I enjoyed recently:
Tawse Laundry Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2016
Borsao Tinto Garnacha

[Belgian]

Kopke 10-Year-Old Tawny Port

This is extremely fine stuff. Complex layers of fruit, just enough acidity to pull it together nicely. Affordable 375 mL format to try it out.

also

Castello Di Neive Barbaresco 2017

A good weight of Barbaresco for $29.95. Cherry and fairly tannic and acidic, can use some air.

[Belgian]

Monte del Frá Bardolino 2019

This is a more youthful and sassy red Veneto wine of quality, featuring primarily Corvina and Rondinella with other permitted grapes. It has some mineral, acid tartness and good character under the red and black berry fruits and cherry. Woody herbals, peppery phenolics. Super nice served cool.

[Belgian]

Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Estate Riesling Trocken 2018

Noted producer from the Pfaltz region, Germany. Super nice dry Riesling, this isn't even chilled and the flavor is quite good. Steely acidity, pale tart stonefruit, lemony and tropicals, some sweet florals, fresh green grape skin and mineral.

A hint of the petrol effect that varietal Rieslings are noted for - and which develops over time in the bigger Cru bottlings that are built to age. I think this is more of a grab and go wine to drink right now, lively and crisp.

[Belgian]

Villacreces Pruno 2018 Ribera del Duero

This is a very young style of red from Spain, mostly Tempranillo grape with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon. It's actually too raw-tasting when opened up, but over a day it opens up... then it has a decent acidic dryness balancing the jammy and sweet red- and black-fruit smoothness. Plum, blackberry , raspberry and blueberry, hints brushy herbals, oak and vanilla, distant liquorice. Expect something kind of unserious in the way of Bonarda and basic Beaujolais.

Famed region, but not amazing quality for the price... there are far better Spanish reds for cheaper (at least with this bottling, after all the wine is vinified in 4 separate lots that are not combined for consistency so what you buy may not reflect what the wine publications report.)

[Craig]

I've been on a mixed drinks kick lately and I just want to give a shout out to Dillon's vermouth. I bought it on a whim, and it's nice! It's not really a thing I ever thought to get a craft or new world version of.

Dillon's in general have generally impressed me. I like their rose gin and their bitters too.

[Belgian]

2016 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco.

Wow, got a number of these in the summer ($35) and never wrote any notes. Perbacco means "Wow," the wine so named because it can be a little hard to tell apart this Langhe Nebbiolo from full-fledged Barolo wines from this house (which by law has to select a limited volume of its total production, the very best for use in making that Barolo.)

This is my third of these. It's firm and dry... deep layers of tart and candy cherry under the tannins, a bit of tar, menthol and mineral; this one really has some stuffing to it. Watch for some Vintages Nebbiolo releases coming out this Saturday.

[Belgian]

Scored a bottle of Chateau Meyney 2017 Saint-Estephe

I notice there are sometimes wines in Vintages (like this ^ particular Bordeaux) that do not seem to be part of the regular Vintages release program.
I wonder if this was an online exclusive or a private order partial return - or a defaulted order, partially pre-paid - that they were just selling through the remnants of at this store, sometimes at a decent price.

Likewise found an Ormes de Pez odd-duck 2016 vintage Saint-Estephe that seems decently-priced to try one of (the 2009 is more than double the price.)

I was speculating that people could be ordering a case to this store and immediately requesting a partial return at pickup, not sure. To me it seems worth having a look there once in a while. Cheers!

Those could be futures that were abandoned? Like you pay a deposit, then you have to come collect your bottles in a couple of years and pay the rest. Some number will surely go unclaimed.

- seems logical, so we're possibly getting some wine discounts thanks to other people's down payments. Hard to say...

[Craig]

Those could be futures that were abandoned? Like you pay a deposit, then you have to come collect your bottles in a couple of years and pay the rest. Some number will surely go unclaimed.