27 Wine Reviews / 14 Wineries
10 Mar 2015- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Not all reviews make the newsletter, there's just so many good wines and not enough space ... so every three months or so I have decided to clear out the backlog ... here are the reviews that were written but till this time have never seen the light of day. (click on the wine name to link to the full review)
Chateau des Charmes 2012 Cabernet-Merlot, Old Vines
Chateau des Charmes 2012 Chardonnay Musque
Chateau des Charmes 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, St. David’s Bench
Good Earth 2012 Cabernet Franc
Henry of Pelham 2013 Pinot Noir, Silver Bay
Marynissen 2013 Merlot
Marynissen 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Palatine Hills 2012 Cabernet Franc, Neufeld Vineyard
Palatine Hills 2012 Meritage, Neufeld Vineyard
Palatine Hills 2014-Tasting NV Prestige
Redstone 2012 Pinot Noir, Limestone Vineyard
Reif 2010 Merlot Reserve
Reif 2013 Cabernet-Merlot
Reif 2014 Kerner Nouveau – The Hanging Man
Strewn 2013 Fume Blanc, Terroir
Strewn 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, Terroir
Sue Ann Staff 2012 Cabernet-Merlot, “Fancy Farm Girl”
Tawse 2011 Pinot Noir, Growers Blend
Tawse 2011 Pinot Noir, Quarry Road Vineyard
Tawse 2012 Chardonnay, Sketches
Tawse 2013 Gamay Noir
Trail Estate 2013 Chardonnay
Two Sisters 2013 Chardonnay
Two Sisters 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Vineland 2012 Chardonnay, Unoaked – O’Leary
Vieni 2012 Bollicine
Vieni 2012 Rosé Brut
(December 22, 2014) ... My buddy Dave in Michigan knows I have a soft spot for Cabernet Franc ... These days, each time we get together, we bring a bottle each to the table, today Dave brought a Darioush 2011 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley; this is a big gun, sporting a whopping 14.8% alcohol. Not exactly what I was expecting in Cab Franc, being an Ontario Franc drinker gets you used to certain elements in the wine not found in warmer versions of the grape; the Dariosh had a number of those great Ontario-esque features like tobacco, blackberry and cassis but there was also a subtle smokiness, white pepper and a floral aspect to the wine - and it was very tasty. 
Then Dave makes a remark that he has some rare and unusal Zinfandel, but he'll save them for next time ... The hell you will, we'll at least open one right now ... And we did: Teldeschi 1996 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley - Lot #1. Another wine with big booze, but not as high as the Franc, at only 14.2%. There's an earthy note with dried /fresh plum, raspberry and sour cherry, there's also an earthy finish with hints of vanilla. Wine proves to be, for the most part, tart and sour and needs lots of aeration to become something you want to drink ... This was my interesting wine of the day - but the Darioush was better, even with age taken in.
