23
Jun
2016
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
(November 14, 2016) ... It might be this night where the seeds of an idea were planted - Andre Proulx and I decided that we should collaborate on a podcast ... it would take another few months to come 
about but we're now on our 13th episode and we're rolling along having a great time doing it ... but every idea starts somewhere and I believe this was that day (check out the podcast here).
We both have a love for Gamay and Cabernet Franc and so we started the evening that way, with a Louis Latour 2013 Borgogne Gamay, an 85 / 15 Gamay to Pinot Noir blend, and it turned out pretty much as you'd expect: earthy with sour cherry, hints of strawberry along with red and black cherry ... pleasant and worth about 30 minutes in the fridge to liven up that fruit.
Featherstone 2007 Gamay Noir ... from a hot Ontario (Canada) summer comes this wine from one of our better Gamay producers - sadly the vines have been pulled out, but with luck they will be back again (time will tell). Strawberries dusted with cocoa, dried cherry and cassis ... Very un-Gamay like but at nine years of age still very interesting, there was also a cooked fruit note that roared through this wine; but overall it has stood the test of time.
After our double-down on Gamay it was time to hit a trifecta of Franc, starting with a Hillebrand/Trius 2002 Cabernet Franc: earthy, herbaceous, and leathery; someone in the room described it as "a little poop-ish" (a la Pinot Noir) but there was also a savoury, Italian seasoning element to it as well.
Franc #2 was the Ridgepoint 2002 Cabernet Franc, and it was a horrific mess: rubber hose, medicinal, chemical, and even a little funky; the nicest thing we could say about this was 
the acidity was good (of course we tasted it, we are professionals after all, and we regretted it).
Our final Franc was the Coyote's Run 2005 Cabernet Franc which did not disappoint - this one still shows quite a bit of fruit, though it also has some subtle green pepper (harking back to the olden days of unripe Ontario Franc) long finish with violets, raspberry, smoke, and good acidity; this one is holding up quite well but it's time will soon come to an end, so drink 'em if you got 'em.
It was then decided to delve into a couple of older vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon. We started with a Lailey 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, there was some debate as to ladybug character (a problem in that vintage) with hints of peanut butter on the nose, but there was also a rubbery aspect that detracted from the enjoyment. Not one of Lailey's finest hours.
On the other hand, the Chateau des Charmes 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, St David's Bench really wowed us for a 13 year old wine: great smoky notes kicked things off, pairing well with the dark and dried berries, plus cassis and cocoa ... proved to be a smooth wine yet with enough tannins and texture to carry it through. Another old gem from the Chateau of Ontario.
Random bottles also opened:
Villa Mt Eden 2008 Antique Vines Zinfandel - delicious
Hillebrand 2004 Late Harvest Vidal - corked
Foreign Affair 2008 Conspiracy - riddled with volatile acidity (nail polish remover smell) while the palate was dull and uninspiring ... what a shame.
Here are links to the original reviews for some of the wines above:
Featherstone 2007 Gamay Noir (originally a 5-star wine)
Hillebrand/Trius 2002 Cabernet Franc
Ridgepoint 2002 Cabernet Franc
Chateau des Charmes 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, St David's Bench
Hillebrand 2004 Late Harvest Vidal - corked
Foreign Affair 2008 Conspiracy
31
May
2016
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
(October 16, 2015) ... Four days later the Jays were in the AL Championship series and once again Larry and I congregated to watch the game and try another box worth of wine ... With the higher caliber of game came a higher calibre of wine, or so I hoped. This time all the wines were from Ontario.
Lailey 2008 Vidal (not previously reviewed) ... You could have slapped me around and called me Lolita after tasting this wine and I would have had nothing to say ... it truly was the surprise of the night ... a 7 year old vidal that still showed that touch of sweetness yet all balanced by enough acidity to make it very palateable - most amazing part is that was still drinking very nicely thru the course of the evening.
Lailey 2007 Chardonnay, Vino 50 (not previously reviewed) ... After the Vidal, which we wrongly assumed would be dead, we tried this ode to York University's 50 years and what a nasty piece of business this was; not even worth describing. It was for York University's 50th anniversary the wine itself didn't even come close to making it to its 8th ... disappointing due to its pedigree. Then again it is a collector's item only if you went to York.
Lailey 2007 Gamay-Zweigelt (click here for original review) ... This was the third of four bottles of Lailey to come out of this case of wine; the acidity is still very much intact, but the nose was offputing and the flavour is more sour fruit than anything else. Quite disappointing, but I had to admit we had little hope for this wine, and it delivered.
Smith & Wilson 2009 Pinot Noir (click here for original review) ... Did not receive VQA approval and I am still not sure why, it tasted like an older Pinot with a sweet fruit: cherry/strawberry upfront, pepper and a drying finish ... still quite decent. Larry, as a Pinot aficionado was impressed.
Konzelmann 2007 Pinot Noir, Barrel Aged (not previously reviewed) ... Palate is peppery and smoky, gritty, fairly flat and unappealing.
Jackson-Triggs 2006 Pinot Noir, Delaine Vineyard (click here for original review) ... Funky foresty floor, dried red berries, white pepper, sour cherry, green pepper, herbaceous; within 30 minutes things changed for the MUCH better: outstanding acidity, sour cherry and almost seemed fresh. This was not as much a surprise as a revelation.
Riverview 2007 Merlot (click here for original review) ... Drinking okay: blue and black berry, pleasantly smooth, still mainly fruit driven - nothing taxes the palate, but nothing exciting either.
Chateau des Charmes 2002 Paul Bosc Cabernet Sauvignon (click here for original review) ... "Holy Shit" (as someone around the table muttered) layers of finesse and fruit and spice, dried cherry, vanilla, cinnamon - everything it should be and more; and all with a gorgeous mocha finish and super silky across the tongue.
Muscedere 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (click here for original review) ... Nose and finish are way off-putting; mid-palate shows promise, but the beginning and end are what is killing this one
Colio 2007 Shiraz, Nine Barrel (CEV) (click here for original review) ... A little off mid-to-finish - something to be revisited because this should be much better ... The revisit did nothing to enhance our thoughts, someone even thought they picked up some rubber hose notes - oh boy, wonder if I have more of this cause in its youth it was pretty good.
Lailey 2007 Cabernet Franc (click here for original review) ... Tobacco, pepper, smoky, cassis, black raspberry ... so wonderful it defied description - we just kept sipping on it And enjoying the hell out of it ... it was one of three bottles that we finished - can you guess the other two?
Here they are ... Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon - Jackson-Triggs Pinot Noir - Lailey Cabernet Franc
