30
May
2018
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Category: Uncorked Tonight
(November 1, 2016) ... Ask not how I came to drink this wine, for I do not know, but I do have the notes, so here I go: the wine has some age for sure with spiced plum and Christmas cake aromas; there's also a little earthy plum, black currant, oaky and spicy notes on the palate: but there is also a lingering smoothness on the front and nice acidity on the finish that keeps you sipping and coming back for more. For those interested, Bernardus is a Bordeaux-style blend made up of the big 5: Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc / Petit Verdot / Malbec - pretty much in that order. And with more thought I think I visited the winery while I was in Monterey (Carmel to be exact).
20
Apr
2018
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Category: Uncorked Tonight
(November 4, 2016) ... I judged at the first Kingston event and took s few bottles with me, I sat with my good friend, and fellow wine scribe, Konrad Ejbich, to taste a few, though probably not all of these wines, as they were tasted over a few days:
Jamie Kennedy 2007 Chardonnay (Rosehall Run) - this wine was still creamy and held on to a good amount of acidity, but the flavours seem dull and ultimately unappealing.
Thomas & Vaughan 1999 Meritage ... it's a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blend that has seemed to have held on: tobacco, dries cranberry, though a touch weedy with some tomato stem nuances - but there's also a sweet cassis note that makes this wine an interesting treasure ... but an ultimately a dud.
Sanson 2002 Cabernet Franc ... a wine that proved to be very acidic, loaded with layers, but none good enough to keep it interesting: smoky sausage and meaty with toasty character of burnt coffee bean and a bitter note to the finish. As it opened roasted red & green pepper begin to appear and a short finish emerges - in the end we determine it's light with a lean middle, it's okay but far from great.
Southbrook 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lailey Vineyard ... the wine opens with lots of volatile acidity and never really loses it; there are hints of interest, with cassis poking around plus some cranberry and sour raspberry, but in the end its thin, lean and simple. It's had a good life, but now its time to go, there are better old Southbrook wines out there, this is not one.
Lailey 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon ... same grape from the same vineyard as the above wine, but this time it's a little younger, and made by the same winemaker - freeze dried raspberry and strawberry with green pepper, cedar, roasted green pepper and black pepper spice - this is old school Ontario Franc that still holds your interest in the glass.
