Andrew Hunter
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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
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
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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
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Red Hill Estate Pinot Noir 2007, Mornington Peninsula
Australia$23.95
This is one of the better Pinot noirs I've had at this price range. In fact it's as good as many I've had at double the price. (I'm looking at you Clos Jordan)
Clear bright red, fresh nose of cranberry & mint. Medium-light body, sweet/tart raspberry on the palate, bright acidity, smooth tannin. Not especially concentrated but well balanced.
It'll keep for a couple of years but there's no point in cellaring this wine, it will only lose it's freshness. A fine drink that's good to go.
4.0 Stars
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Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Merlot 2007, Peumo, Rapel Valley
Chile$19.95
Dark purple. Excellent nose for a wine at this price: cocoa, menthol, blackberry, gingerbread spices, really nice.
The full bodied palate is not nearly as interesting as the nose: it's right on the edge of over-ripeness and over-extraction. Plenty of soft tannin, sweet (a bit too sweet for my taste), decent balance. The palate is big and bold but also simple and singular. Tasty, but became boring. Good finish.
For people who like J. Lohr's Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon: good value, easy-drinking, borderline fruit-bomb crowd pleaser. Drink now or hold.
89 + extra point for the nose.
4.0 Stars
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Château De Beaucastel Châteauneuf Du Pape 2008
Rhône, France$89.95
Big smoky, tarry, stewed prune nose. Full bodied. Lots of concentration. Surprisingly open and drinkable right now. (I wonder if these will shut down in soon like CdBs are prone?) Like '02 it was a rainy vintage, I guess this was manipulated to make the most of what they had. Powerful & boozy. Flavours of christmas cake, plum pudding, anise. Good, but a bit overblown for me. '07 is a hard vintage to follow (not to mention the strong '05 and yummy '06). Drink now or lay it down, see what happens. Either way my cellar won't stock this vintage. Wait for the '09s.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Torbreck Roussanne/Marsanne/Viognier 2008, Barossa Valley
Australia$19.95
I admit I had higher hopes for this. The Viognier is just hinted at in this blend, I would never have guessed it even had any in it. Tight, minerally nose with hints of gooseberries and kiwifruit. Quite full bodied with flavours of tangy, sour green apple. It's a bit hard and flinty really, but would match well with seafood and rich cream sauces.
4.0 Stars
(0)V
Fog Dog Freestone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007, Sonoma Coast
California, Usa$49.95
Love it!
Big nose, lots going on; very clean, pure scents of cherries and raspberries with some herbal, earthy notes. Medium weight. Really good concentration of fresh, sweet berries, a hint of mint and a touch of earthiness. Well integrated tannin. Outstanding overall balance. Good finish.
This will certainly hold for half a decade or more but honestly I think it's perfect right now while it's still fresh and vigorous. It ain't exactly cheap but you get what you pay for. If you're looking for a wine to drink with Christmas dinner, look no further. I'm certainly going to stock up.
4.0 Stars
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D'arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2007, Mclaren Vale
South Australia, Australia$54.95
90 (now) - 92 (later)
Great nose on this; blackberries, herbal, a bit smokey. Classic Aussie Shiraz. Full bodied and well balanced, if a tad hot in spite of it's great concentration. Long finish. Still very young, needs several years at least, at which point I suspect I'd give it an extra point or two.
4.0 Stars
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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
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Piccini Villa Al Cortile Riserva Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$42.95
$42 for a Riserva? Call me skeptical.
Strange nose on this; slightly volatile with a good whiff of dusty herbs and fruit. Old school for sure.
Decent concentration, quite savory, dry and earthy. Good acidity and plenty of drying tannin. Will last for a few more years but I'd say drink up now.
Not a great Brunello...but considering most really good BDM Riservas cost double this (at least) what can one expect?
A tasty drink, but you can do a lot better for your $42
4.0 Stars
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