Taste it Again / Lost & Found

Taste it Again: Lailey 2006 Merlot

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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again

(August 9, 2016) ... Ten years away from a tough vintage and I would have been very surprised if this wine was drinking well, let alone wonderful; but Lailey has surprising me in the past so I'm opened minded ... Then my open-mindedness comes crashing down with a simple sniff: oaky, smoky, and menthol ... But hold on, some wine just starts off slow; alas that was not the case: palate showed green elements along with oak/cedar, and smoky. Left open it continued to be a weak wine with little to no fruit where the cedar tones continue to dominate and get more intense; it left a dry mouth feel which made it little tough on the finish.  (see original review here)

Taste it Again: An Ontario 3-pack

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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again

(July 4, 2016) ... What a way to celebrate Independence day, with Canadian wine by my side ...

It all began with a Lailey 2011 Brickyard Chardonnay (original review) ... It kicked off with sweet vanilla and butterscotch then added mineral, apple, and lime meringue into the mix ... 5 years old and still lively and fresh. I wept a little for the now defunct winery, a mere shadow of it's former self.

Next to the table, a Chateau des Charmes 2002 Cabernet-Merlot (original review), it had just the right amount of savoury and herbal, along with stewed fruit and minimal bricking to the point of seeming young-ish: opened for 30 minutes  and in crept cassis and smoked-dried-black cherry ... still delicious, with a finish that delivered spicy notes along with, cedary-cinnamon and vanilla - great pairing with steak.

I rarely pull out a dessert wine, but what the heck, it's Independence Day, so the most Canadian of any of my dessert wines: Muskoka Lakes 2009 Red Maple.  It's like it hasn't aged a day, floral, sweet / tart cranberry, robust and still has vibrant acidity; a seemingly dry tart finish and all delivered with a viscous texture that leaves it lingering in the mouth for a long time.