Andrew Hunter
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Following (8)
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Reviews (319)
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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
Graham's Quinta Dos Malvedos Vintage Port 2001, Dop (375ml)
Douro, Portugal$25.95
Very dense, very thick port. Just beginning to mature, the bottle had a fair bit of loose sediment. Carefully decant. Concentrated flavours of raisin, stewed plum, prunes, christmas spice, warm alcohol. This will last for a long time. A very good port at a fair-ish price. Though personally, at $52 for 2 half bottles, I'd rather spend the extra $16 and get a Fladgate 20 year old tawny which is just about one of my favorite things to drink.
4.0 Stars
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Marqués De Cáceres Gran Reserva 2004, Doca Rioja
Rioja, Spain$29.95
Nice sweet nose. Flavours reminded me of cherries jubilee with a touch of mint, some leather. Dense mouthfeel. Still quite youthful. Delicious.
4.0 Stars
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J.L. Chave Crozes Hermitage Rouge Silène 2013
Rhône, France$31.00
Lovey dark purple colour. Dried Herbs, anise, olive tapenade and floral scents. medium-full body, very fine texture, almost delicate. A very classy wine. Super dry tannins balance alcohol, dried fruit and classic old-school northern Rhone savoury flavours. Plenty of complexity and a very long, very dry finish. A wine for grown ups.
4.0 Stars
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Alain Jaume & Fils Clos De Sixte 2005, Ac Lirac
Rhône, France$24.95
90-91
This has come along nicely. Dense nose of stewed prunes, herbs, tar, raisins, Christmas/baking spice and some volatile alcohol fumes.
Full bodied, lots of black fruit, quite herbal (almost a Jagermeister hint), a bit of smoke and plenty of hot, heady alcohol. At 15% this needed to be dense in order to achieve some balance.
This reminded me of a mid-priced Chateauneuf du Pape blended with an Amarone.
This will hold for years, but I don't see it improving much. It will mellow, but I like it's vigour. I have some '06s as well and the 09's are out now, curious how they will compare.
4.0 Stars
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Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Maipo Valley
Chile$21.95
This label is usually a pretty good bet for full bodied, flavourful wines.
This one was in the cellar for a few years and held up well (opened Apr. '12). Dark in the glass with stewed blackberry, smoke and baking spiced on the nose. Full bodied, with lots of spicy fruit flavours and a nice backbone of tannin.
These wines tend to be on the fatter, fruitier side. Though I prefer more old-world styles, I keep a bunch of their Cabernets and Merlots in the cellar as they seem to be crowd pleasers.
4.0 Stars
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Gaja Sito Moresco (750 Ml) 2006, Doc Langhe
Piedmont, Italy$61.95
93
An outstanding Gaja. Sure you could spend $400 on a bottle of Sperss or another of his culty Barolos but this "Super-Piedmont" is a way to get a taste of his quality without having to pay rockstar prices.
Grab a half bottle for your next rib steak or hearty pasta and make sure to vigorously decant for at least an hour first!
4.0 Stars
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Millton Riverpoint Vineyard Chardonnay 2007, Gisborne, North Island, Bio Dynamically Grown Grapes, Estate Btld.
Gisborne, New Zealand$17.95
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Fortius Gran Reserva 1999, Do Navarra
Spain$23.95
Wow!
10 years old and lots of life left.
Mostly tempranillo with some cabernet sauvignon. Medium to full body, deep purple with just the slightest tinge of bricking showing on the rim. Smooth tannins, dark berries, slightly smoky, slightly herbal, perfect oakiness. 2 years oak aging, 3 years bottle age before release.
Drinking perfectly right now but has several years left in her, easily.
Fantastic.
This is easily the best price to quality ratio wine I've tried.
I've tasted lesser wines at 3x the cost of this.
And I only bought 2 bottles!!
^%$*^!!!!
4.0 Stars
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Le Petit Cheval 2005, Ac St Emilion, 2nd Wine Of Château Cheval Blanc
Bordeaux, France$156.75
Tasted right out of newly opened bottle. Closed nose. Very tight, tannic, a bit thin. Slightly vegetal mixed with a bit of sour cranberry. Became better with some aeration and in another 5 years this may open up and reveal something more interesting but right now it's very subtle and frankly pretty dull. Did not do much for me...I can think of MANY ways to better spend your $209.
Pretty sure about $150 of that price is for the word "Cheval" on the label.
4.0 Stars
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Masi Costasera Amarone 2006, Veneto
Veneto, Italy$41.95
Solid Amarone at a great price.
Dark purple. Rich nose of raisins, stewed plums, anise, some floral notes and a hint of smoke. Alcohol is pretty high but very well contained in full bodied, ripe, dense, dark fruit and flavours of Christmas cake, vanilla/oak and a touch of espresso. Good acidity and very well balanced tannins. Long finish.
Delicious now but wiil certainly cellar for another decade.
4.0 Stars
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