Colio Estates

I have a particular affection for the Cabernet Franc grape. I love the fresh berry fruit, acidity and the ashy/green pepper notes that it often has.

Vintages has been kind enough to release a number of wines from the Loire, where cab franc comes from, and I have tried several interesting Chinons and Bourgueils over the last few months. These wines have been moderatley priced, around $14 and have generally given me a great deal of enjoyment, especially with food.

We do quite well with Cab franc in Canada, and I have tried wines from some of the top produces including Stratus and Featherstone, not to mention scores of other wineries.


Last week I tried Colio Estates Lake and River Series Cab Franc, and I was really impressed. The wine was very open, with a clear cut cab franc nose, which continued onto the palate with, warm raspberry fruit. The finish was on the shorter side but left you with a ashy note on the palate, and barely perceptible tannins. Such a wonderful easy drinking wine. i Can't wait to try the Reserve, and the Meritage.

Follow-up to my last post

I opened the Coyote's run Cabernet, and my initial thoughts were: the colour was rather light, ruby red with a purplish centre. Nose: oak and green twiggy cab franc fruit dominates, and if I look a bit i can get some cabernet sauvignon in there too. First sip: its a well made wine, a little on the hot side that drinks like a bourgueil. Tannins are evident. A few mins later the wine opens up a bit revealing a distinct seperation between the cab franc and cabernet sauvignon grapes. Not what i had expected, but ok for the price $13.95 on sale as opposed to $17 reg price.

To answer yesterdays questions:

Concentrated fruit: not at all different from what we usually get in Niagara
Closed or open: nose was a bit closed, but eventually opened up
How did it pair with the steak: the wine paired ok, but not great. The tannins in the wine were great with the steak, but owing to the rich flavour of the meat the wine could have been a bit more concentrated and with a touch more upfront fruit.

What would go well with this wine: I think that bacon wrapped quail or pizza might be nice as would cedar planked salmon.

Details:

Coyote's Run Cabernet 2007
CSPC#126757
Grapes: 50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon
Closure: Stelvin style screwcap
Alc: 13.5%
Price: I paid $13.95 (on sale) retail $16.90

Upcoming post: review of Coyote's Run Cabernets 2007

I was at the farmers market again today. After last night's wonderful fish dinner, I wanted to pick up something a bit meatier. Steak was on sale. I bought a great big dry aged T bone steak for just over $8. And then I bought wine:

So tonight we're having grilled steak (rare to m-r) sauteed oyster mushrooms, and grilled potatoes (like yesterday, 'cause they were so good).

Here is what I'm going to be thinking about when tasting this wine:

*I'm hoping for concentrated fruit, and some tannins--the concentration owing to the hot 2007 vintage
*Will it be closed, or open?
*How did it pair with the steak?

Look back soon, for the answers to these questions, and my full review.

Matt

2007 Peninsula Ridge Sauvignon Blanc

I went shopping at the Hamilton Farmer's Market to pick up some fish for dinner, and after shopping stopped off at the usually dismal Jackson Square LCBO to see if they had anything that i could drink with my fish. Turn out that there is an inventory clearance at that store and that a number of interesting Ontario wines were all 20% off. Great!

I bought few things that are always good, and the 2007 Peninsula Ridge Sauvignon Blanc which I have not tried before.

Before you drink this wine keep the following in mind:

This is a Sauvignon Blanc from Ontario, not New Zealand, the Loire or California.

What does this mean? Expect a crisp wine, with a subtle flavour profile with minerality and good acidity.

Do not expect: big, bold, grassy, herbacous flavours and a strong personality.

Why this wine is a good buy: It's well made, has nice fruit, and as it's a subtle wine it will highlight the food that it's paired with. It made a very nice pairing with grilled Grunt, grilled Yukon Gold potatoes with olive oil, thyme and sea salt, and steamed asparagus.


Would I buy this wine again? at $11, I would; at $14.95, maybe not.

HEREDAD DE BAROJA CAUTIVO CRIANZA 2005

When I first started drinking wine, I gravitated towards Spain, and more particularly Rioja. It's been a while since I've tasted anything that I REALLY enjoyed from that region, as it's more of a grab bag between ultra modern New world style wines, and the sleeker old world style. Fortunately, at the Crianza level, these two styles are less opposing then at the Gran Reserva level...anyways, the wine:

Ruby color, medium saturation nice blend and perfume of red berry fruit with a touch of wood on the nose. The red fruits continue on the palate, and there is some smoke and leather with red fruit dominating. Holds it's alcohol level well. Tannins are evident but not strong. Very well integrated, open knit, and a joy to drink.

This wine would make a great match with grilled sausages or even duck, mushrooms with garlic, rabbit, quail, and grilled pork in an assertive herbaceous marinade.

Ageing? I'm inclined to buy several bottles and drink in the short tern i.e. less than 6 months, but it would be interesting to see what this wine would taste like in a year. It's already 5 years old, and pretty much at its peak, as far as I'm concerned.

Information:
HEREDAD DE BAROJA CAUTIVO CRIANZA 2005
CSPC #: 148510
Winner of a Gold Medal at Mundus Vini 2009.
Closure: low to mid quality pressed cork
Alc: 13.6%

New Experiance, New Review

So my father in law called me two nights ago to invite my wife and I over for dinner last night. He said: We're having chicken" Oh, by the way I stopped at the LCBO and picked out a few bottles of wine for us to try."

So we went over last night, and he poured me a glass of white (we do all of our tastings blind). The wine was clear with a bit of a green tint to it with a fresh and aromatic nose. On my initial taste the wine was focused and tart, leading to a rich and almost bitter (in a good way) finish. Overall, the wine was intriguing: very pretty, floral, had good acidity and fruit, was well balanced and had some richness on the finish.

What was my first guess? I guessed Australia, and some sort of Semillion blend...
What was my second guess? I guessed maybe this wine was a Viognier?

Turns out it was the PAPAGIANNAKOS SAVATIANO 2007 a greek white from Mesogea, Attica, just north of Athens. According the winemaker, Papagiannakos believes that his vineyards are blessed by being close to the Temple of Artemis, Sanctuary to Dionysus, the God of Wine.


Here's what others had to say:

Best Buy Wine Enthusiast, September 2004
Savatiano 2003 - Savatiano is one of the most cultivated white grape varieties of Greece, often serving as the base for retsina. But this effort shows how good it can be, melding slightly nutty scents with peachy, melony fruit. It's plump and medium weight, finishing fresh and clean with a squirt of grapefruit.


This wine opens up a whole new door for me, and I can't wait to try my next greek wine (I'll make it a red).

Details:

PAPAGIANNAKOS SAVATIANO 2007
CSPC # 674119
Closure: synthetic cork
Alc: 12%
Price: $11.95

'Easter Feast' Vintages Release March 20, 2010

Ok, I just checked the mail today and look--a new Vintages release!

The last few releases have been spectacular--everything that The Crush looks for, low prices, high quality and a good selections. With this release it seems that we are getting back to Vintages' high prices.

However, there are some intriguing things that I may pick up.


13th St Cuvee 13 Rose 2006 CSPC # 147504
Stoney Ridge Proprieters Reserve Brut Sparling Wine 2005 CSPC# 168385

I always like to have a bottle or two of sparkling wine around, and I'm happy to say that in my opinion, Ontario does a pretty darn good job with this style of wine, especially with the white sparklers. I have only tried a few rose Ontario sparkles notably the Henry of Pelham Cuvee Catherine Rose ) and I was not nearly as impressed with it as I was of the standard white Cuvee Catherine. I have heard good things from others about the wines at 13th street, so I am eager to try this one out. Regarding the Stoney Ridge, I have not tasted their wines for quite some time (if you believe it, just a few years ago, I bought a bottle of their 1991 Mouvedre from the back cupboard of a restaurant way out in the country, and i was surprised to find the wine still alive and drinkable. If memory serves, it was even elegant!) so there wine making must be pretty good!

Mas de Bressades Cuvee Tradition Rose 2009 CSPC# 950576

I buy this every year, it's a great rose with tons of flavour--really delicious!

On another note, I'm not too excited by the reds in this release. For my money, I am still going back to the Rhone release from February 20, as there are a number of wines (I'll post on that later) that I enjoyed at very good prices.

Chardonnay and Pork Roast

Last month we hosted 6 dinner parties. We spent time with family, friends ate and drank well and had so much fun!

One of the highlights was a simple roast of pork paired with generic white Burgundy. This may sound ho-hum, but in fact the meal and the pairing are what good food and wine are all about: simple, pure flavours that work together by their similar elements and by their contrasting elements.

We drank a Roux Pere & Fils Les Murelles Chardonnay Bourgogne 2008. This Chardonnay has a fragrant, apple-y nose, beautiful mouth feel, weight and good acidity, and is very well balanced. The seam of acidity cut through the richness of the pork, and the apple flavours from the nose continued onto the palate, matching and enhancing the flavors of the succulent roast.

Wine info:

Roux Pere & Fils Les Murelles Chardonnay Bourgogne 2008
CSPC #: 156455
Price: $13.95
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 12.5%/

'07 Wolf Blass Yellow Label Sauvignon Blanc LCBO 611475

My initial feeling about this wine is that it was a bit more interesting than I initially expected.

I make no bones about it, when you buy Wolf Blass wines, the general theory is that you are buying the Mc Donalds of wine- a wine that is massed produced and directed at consumers that are used to a huge explosion of fruit rather than an elegant and complex wine. After tasting this wine, maybe this theory is changing?

This wine, however, is a nice blend of those two statements and a surprisingly interesting interpretation of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Worlds away in style different from what you might find in New Zealand, and certainly the Loire, for example.

Here are the key points:

This is a fragrant wine, with a lovely scent of fresh pineapple on the nose, almost like one would find in some oaked chardonnays, but with a beautiful touch of Sauvignon Blanc's characteristic grassiness.

The mid palate is slightly disappointing, as it's a bit thin, but the hit of citrus on the finish is encouraging.

In general, the wine has a nice nose and aromas that replay nicely on the palate with an engaging splash of citrus finish on the finish.

Would I buy this again? I would. The price is fair, and it's an interesting interpretation of the grape.

Food pairings? This is an area that I have a particular interest in and I would suggest that this wine would go best with simply prepared fish dishes: grilled fish for example, or even grilled veggies, but I might shy away from chevre style goats cheese (a traditional Sauvignon Blanc paring, as this wine may not have the richness needed to support that pairing). Instead of putting a squeeze of lemon on your food, try this wine, and you will achieve perfect results!

Wolf Blass Sauvignon Blanc 2007
CSPC # 611475
Price: $14.95
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 11%

Intro to this blog

Welcome to my blog!

My my is Matt, and I created this blog because my wife constantly tells me: "Hey, I just want to drink it{wine}, I don't want listen to you talk about it!" Also, because I really enjoy wine, and would like to share my informal opinions about certain wines I taste with the general public, and hopefully interact and get other peoples' opinions along the way.

As far as professional training goes, I have studied at George Brown College in the Wine Program, and have attended numerous trade tastings in Toronto, and tastings in Niagara, and Germany. That's all I'm going to say about that, as I don't want my personal likes/dislikes to enter into the equation.

All of the wines I review unless otherwise noted are wines that I have purchased through the LCBO, either general list or through Vintages.

This blog is directed at casual consumers of wine, who like me are interested in getting value for their money. You will not see reviews for e.g. Chateau Petrus, Penfolds Grange, and Dominus on this blog. You will however see reviews that you and I drink on a daily basis and that are affordable.

A warm welcome to this blog!