Archive for the ‘Country’ Category

I added some new wines to the cellar this month. I will be tasting them as they become ready.

Cabernet-Sauvignon Goundrey Offspring Western Australia 2004
Shiraz The Futures Peter Lehmann of the Barossa 2006
Cabernet-Sauvignon Sarnia Farm Limestone Coast 2005
Cephas Pyrénées Taltarni Victoria 2003
Peter Lehmann Mentor Barossa Valley 2004

I tried this wine paired with deer and shrimp raclette, I was very pleased with the taste although I served it slightly warmer than optimum.  The Ijalba is a dry garnet coloured wine with intense woody flavors, spicy and fruity scents with good tannins.  Overall a nice wine to have on hand, in fact I will be adding some to my cellar for tasting over the next few years.

Price : $20.50

Very nice rich and fruity red wine.  Slightly sweet without any tannins. Overall a very nice wine. I would have liked a slightly more robust finish but that’s just my tastes.

Price: $25.95

Tres Picos Borsao is a full bodied yet sweet, cherry red wine. A nice bouquet of mature fruit with a rich taste of blackberries and strawberries with an undertone of tannins.

Price: $21.60

Recommended!

Variety: 100% Garnacha.
Vineyard Characteristics: The grapes come from vineyards that are between 35 and 40 years old. Located on uneven terrain at an altitude of 600 to 700 metres, these vineyards yield under four and a half tons of grape per hectare.
Grape Harvest: First week of October
Preparation: Fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a temperature between 25ºC and 30ºC. A long grape maceration, over 21 days
Commercialization: September of 2001
Serving Temperature: 16ºC
Presentation: Burgundy “sommelier” bottle

First launched in Australia in 2007, this wine has just arrived in North America and will first be introduced in Quebec.
Three Vines is a blend of three grape varieties - Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo. Shiraz and
Cabernet Sauvignon are perhaps the best known blend among Australian wines, as the
smoothness and fruit flavour of Shiraz is complemented by the structure
of the Cabernet Sauvignon.
    The innovative twist to this wine is the addition of Tempranillo - one of Spain's most revered grape varieties
 - which now also thrives in South Eastern
Australia. Elements of intensity and richness with
notes of cherry and spice are lend to the final blend by the Tempranillo. Overall very good quality wine with a rich full flavour.
Recommended.

Price: $16.90

A nice, dry medium bodied red wine with some fruity overtones.  The wine has a rich ruby color.

Price: $18.95

Tasting Notes:

This dry and ruby coloured red showcases a simple nose releasing spicy, fruity and vegetal scents. You will be charmed with this medium-bodied wine revealing a broad texture, fleshy tannins and a long finish.

Very nice wine at a reasonable price point. A nicely full bodied cabernet-sauvignon with a nice finish.  This is the first time I have tasted wine from Man Vintners and I will have to put them on my research list for future trials.

Price: $13.70

Merlot Billyrock Station South Eastern Australia
Interesting idea, individual single portion cans of wine. Should raise a few eyebrows when I pop one of these out of my lunch bag at work!!

Price: $3.65

Tasting notes (SAQ):
This dry and ruby coloured red showcases a simple nose releasing empyreumatic and fruity scents. You will be charmed with this medium-bodied wine revealing a full-bodied texture, fleshy tannins and a medium finish.

SAQ – Merlot Billyrock Station

I was recently walking through the LCBO in Hawkesbury and saw this wine for the first time.  I’m a fan of Shiraz wines in general so I picked up a bottle to try.  I’m really glad I did.  The blend of the voignier (8%) with the shiraz (92%) is very nice.  The voignier varietal softens the full bodied taste of the shiraz and adds some subtle lighter aromas.

Price:  $16.45

Tasting notes from the LCBO:

Opaque ruby red; aromas of black cherry, liquorice, violets, and perfume; medium to full bodied, displaying flavours of blackberries, mint, and chocolate.