Andrew Hunter
|
Followers (22)
|
|
|
Following (8)
|
Reviews (319)
|
Andrew Hunter is a musician and composer. He abandoned his career in film and television to raise his kids, make music and drink wine.
My love of wine started with underage sips at the family dinner table. In college I fancied myself a sophisticate as I drank Chianti with pizza, back when Chianti still came in wicker 'fiasco' bottles. (I miss those, great candle holders.) I admit to still having a soft spot for Mateus. Cheap, sweet wine in a chubby bottle was just fine. Back then all I knew about wine was that there was red, white and pink (and girls really liked that white zinfandel!). It was years later, when I started to frequent some of Toronto's finer restaurants, that vinous epiphanies began to occur. Sips of wine that caused quiet pause and an exclamation of, "oh...wow."
I began to read everything I could about wine. I built a cellar and started collecting bottles. My taste evolved from sweet, easy-drinking, fruit-forward wines to the more old-world styles of France and Italy. I tend to prefer wines that are understated and complex over the super-extracted fruit-bombs which seem to be increasingly fashionable. I'll generally take Bordeaux over Napa and Tuscany over Australia. But there are always exceptions!
I'm a huge fan of sweet wines. I rarely meet an ice wine or Sauternes that I don't like. I also get along very well with Port.
Riesling is my favorite white, along with Viognier, Gerwurztraminer and Santorini Assyrtiko. Chardonnay is my least favorite. No matter how much I spend or how great the pedigree, I have yet to be blown away. Somewhere out there is a really delicious Chardonnay. I'm still looking for it.
My busy life leaves little time for blogging but at the very least I review every wine I taste.
There's nothing more subjective than art...Except perhaps wine. At our wine club I'm always pleased when someone prefers the $12 wine to the $50 wine (unfortunately it never seems to be me). For all it's pretentiousness and hype wine is a just a drink, either you like it or you don't. There is no right or wrong. It's all about discovering what you like!
In my wine reviews I try to describe the wine in a simple, unpretentious way. My aim is to help the reader decide if it's a wine they might like or want to avoid.
Of course, I'll tell you if I like it or not, but also, unlike many professional critics, I write with the clear assumption that what you like and what I like may very well be opposite. It doesn't matter. I'll tell you if a wine is sweet and fruit-forward and or dry, tannic and savory and let you decide.
http://torontowineguy.blogspot.com/
Reviews
Napa Ridge Petite Sirah 2007, Napa Valley
California, Usa$19.95
Wonderful perfumed nose: Dense fruit, vanilla, sweet spice. Great colour. Full bodied, plush mouth-feel. Tons of flavour: Currants, blueberry pie, herbs, prunes, smoke. Sweet and savoury and quite tannic. A bit woody. Long, dry finish. I'd have guessed this was some obscure Italian wine. Overall it has a unique profile. I can see why it's used sparingly in blends to add dimension. On it's own it has character. Interesting and highly drinkable.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Morgan Syrah 2007, Monterey County
California, Usa$24.95
A really lovely wine with a nose I immediately described as "sexy": Soft, subtle perfume, sweet fruit and warm spice.
Old-world in style but not at all rustic or unfriendly. A complex but delicate palate of sweet, ripe fruit, fruitcake spice, warm alcohol, fresh herbs, soft tannin and a pleasant, mushroomy earthiness. Long finish. Perfectly balanced. A very well made Syrah in a more subtle, elegant style. It would be interesting to see how this develops over time but it's drinking perfectly well right now.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Baracchi Smeriglio Syrah 2008, Doc Cortona
Tuscany, Italy$26.95
I would have guessed this was a northern Rhone wine. Flavours of anise, herbs, olives, dark, smokey fruit. Quite savoury, very old world in style. An Interesting wine.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Icario Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2007, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$25.90
Really good Vino Nobile Di Montepulchiano here. Nice fruity, woody, herbal nose. Medium-full bodied, plenty of vanilla/oak flavours and lots of tannin. An interesting balance of sweet fruit and drying leafy tannin. Not exactly a great value but a tasty wine that very much my style of wine.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Castello Di Querceto Chianti Classico 2008, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$24.95
Nice Chianti. Complex nose: herbs, wood, leather, vanilla. Good fruit, plenty of rustic, savoury flavour. Dry, woody, fairy tannic. Quite vigorous and drinkable now but this should develop well over the nest few years.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Muga Reserva 2007, Doc Rioja
Spain$23.95
(2008 vintage)
Dark in the glass. Boozy, sharp nose. Some air freshener. Full bodied. Warm, spicy, peppery palate. Tannins a bit rustic. Definitely a food wine.
An enjoyable wine but significantly over-priced for what you get.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Cono Sur Vision Single Vineyard Riesling 2010, Quiltramán, Bío Bío Valley
Chile$12.90
Cono Sur typically over-delivers for the price..in this case it over-delivers on the nose, but not on the palate. Nice aromatics promised a great valued Riesling but alas in the mouth there was nothing to write home about...ho-hum.
Average. Ok for the price.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis 2009, Burgundy
Burgundy, France$24.95
Really nice Chablis. Muted nose of pear, apple, lemon/lime and a hint of petrol. If you want to know what a 'minerality' tastes like this is a wine to try. It has a mouth feel and flavours that can only be described as flinty or stoney. Like sucking on beach pebbles. Dry with crisp, green grape, citrus and green apple nuances. Nice finish. This was great with raw oysters.
3.5 Stars
(0)G
Ramón Bilbao Tempranillo Gran Reserva 2004, Doca Rioja
Rioja, Spain$27.95
This was good but it didn't blow me away. Tight nose initially, opened up with some perfume and spice. Medium-full body. Plenty of flavours: sour cherry, olives and mint. Overall I felt this was a little bit too woody and slightly astringent for my taste, though it has quite good flavour concentration. Good wine, worth trying, but i expected more for the price.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva 2007
Tuscany, Italy$27.95
This needed lots of decanting to open up.
Initial tight, closed nose opened up to an almost Northern Rhone Syrah-like complexity.
On the nose: Slightly volatile at first. Mellowed to an earthy complexity with a definite touch of barnyard. Maybe a bit "bretty". Complex and old-world.
Medium-full bodied with dense flavours of black cherries, herbs and some licorice. Smooth leathery tannins. Very much an old-school savoury wine.
I'd say drink it now before it dries out further.
3.5 Stars
(0)V