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
Frescobaldi Tenuta Di Castiglioni 2007, Igt Toscana
Tuscany, Italy$21.95
Bought a case upon 1st release, finally opened one.
Dark, blood red wine.
Big nose: Stewed blackcurrants and herbs. Plenty of oak.
Full bodied. Mouth coating fruit, wood and tannin. Good acidity & a bit of heat. France meets Italy here for sure. Tastes like a well made, but modest, Left Bank blended with some decent Chianti.
Very long finish.
14% alc. is a tad too high. 13-13.5% would have been a better balance. As is this is a heady wine that demands some full-on food.
Decant now but will likely peak around 2012-15 & should easily last until 2020+.
http://torontowineguy.blogspot.com
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Il Poggione Vigna Paganelli Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva 2003
Tuscany, Italy$59.95
Finally pulled one of these from the cellar.
Dark cherries and herbs on the nose. Medium-full body. Tons of flavour and complexity; Dark berries, leather and tobacco, fresh herbs and a slight earthiness. Drinking great now even with plenty of fine tannin left. Outstanding balance, outstanding wine. Thank goodness I have more.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Château De Beaucastel Châteauneuf Du Pape 2006
Rhône, France$89.95
This is a gorgeous wine. Spendy yes..but one sip and you understand that character has a price. Big, bold, fruit, earth, smoke and leather...just...wow.
I want a case to hide in the back of the cellar and "forget" about it for a decade or 2.
fantastic.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
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
(0)V
Corté Riva Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Napa/Sonoma Counties
California, Usa$39.95
Restrained, fruity nose initially...opens up with air which added oaky, leathery-reading-room notes. Full bodied, very new world in style; plenty of concentrated fruit right up front with sweet, ripe tannin backbone. Somewhat complex as it goes along. A pretty good wine but not really my style. Will please most palates, until they see the price.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
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
(0)V
Domaine Des Chanssaud Châteauneuf Du Pape 2007, Ac
Rhône, France$36.95
Yeah, I dunno. To me this tasted like they were trying to make a great big C.D.P. for western palates and wine awards.
Sweet, ripe and juicy, very modern.
Parker says "fleshy"?
I say flabby.
But for the price I guess it's ok. Better than the Perrin & Fils C.D.P. which is around the same price.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Château Branaire Ducru 2006, Ac St Julien
Bordeaux, France$60.45
89-90
Not ready for prime time...
This is a fine, if typical, St. Julian. Good nose of dark berries, pencil, some floral whiffs. Still fairly austere on the palate, lots of tannin. Everything open up with some air...Does this have enough flesh to balance out it's prominent backbone? Yeah, probably...hard to say right now, it's a bit shut down, check again in 3 years. Not exactly getting what you pay for here. Not yet anyway.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Alta Vista Atemporal 2007
Mendoza, Argentina$19.95
well done.
dense but not too extracted, fruity but not too sweet..a well balanced, fairly complex blend.
A tad hot at 14,5% but not overwhelmingly so.
drinking very well now, but will hold for a few years.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Château Saint Roch Chimères 2007, Ac Côtes Du Roussillon Villages
Languedoc, France$19.95
'07: 89+
'06: 86+
I only had a taste but I enjoyed the '07 MUCH more than the '06. No proper notes but it seemed more dense and complex. I'll write more when I open a bottle and give it a proper go.
I still have an '06 in the cellar...curious how/if that has evolved.
Original review for the '06:
This is a good wine but a '92' seems generous.
Very restrained nose, and tight on the palate, quite dry and very minerally. Bright acidity and fine tannins.
The other bottle will benefit from a couple more cellar years.
A nice drink but I didn't find it lived up to the hype.
4.0 Stars
(0)V