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
Two Hands Angels' Share Shiraz 2009, Mclaren Vale, South Australia
Australia$27.95
This did nothing for me. Quite disjointed: full bodied but quite sharp and slightly volatile. Taste very young and a bit sour. Not bad, barely good. And not at all worth this price.
4.0 Stars
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Ca'marcanda Promis 2008, Igt Toscana
Tuscany, Italy$55.95
An excellent 'affordable' Gaja (everything is relative). Great nose (maybe a bit tight) and plenty of complex fruit and savoury flavours. blackberries, herbs, a bit of spice (a hint of mint?), medium tannin. I like that it is not hugely extracted. Not quite full bodied, great finish. in the end though I think I'd rather shell out the extra $20 for a bottle of Gaja's 'Sito Morsco' (or 2 half bottles!).
4.0 Stars
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Ruffino Greppone Mazzi Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$49.95
Nice Brunello, aging fast. It's only had 4-5 years bottle age and mine was already showing quite a bit of bricking. It's fast evolution may be due to it's good balance: still plenty of tannin, as expected, also some good concentrated fruit, plenty of wood and some complexity. It didn't knock my socks off but it's good BDM for the price.
4.0 Stars
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Tenuta Di Ghizzano Veneroso 2007, Igt Toscana
Tuscany, Italy$29.95
91+
Great, fairly complex, old world nose: Cherry, anise, herbs, vanilla, wood. Not quite full-bodied but quite concentrated in flavour: Sour cherry, cranberry, licorice, herbs. Dry and woody but plenty of fruit to match. Plenty of fine, ripe tannin. Outstanding overall balance. This is very much in-line with my style of wine: Old world but fruity. Slightly rustic but not austere. I may grab a case.
4.0 Stars
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Tabali Reserva Especial Syrah 2008, Limari Valley
Chile$19.95
I think many people will like this more than I did. It's a very good wine, full bodied with dense fruit, well balanced smokey/sweet bbq bacon flavours, smooth sweet tannin and a spicy edge. I found it's very forward structure and high alcohol (14.5%!) just made it too soft and sweet for my taste. This will hold, but why bother? It's clearly made to drink now. It's a very good wine that will please most people. I just prefer a less sweet, more savory old-world Syrah style with more backbone.
4.0 Stars
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Star Lane Astral Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Santa Ynez Valley
California, Usa$49.95
This smelled hot. A glance at the label confirmed it: 15.1%! Pass the Advil. But for all the alcohol it also has a big nose of berries, vanilla/oak and fresh herbs. Full bodied, big and sweet with good tannins to balance. Long finish. It's a crowd pleaser for sure, but in the big wine arms race I fear that subtlety, nuance and character is going the way of the USSR.
Hard to tell how this will develop in the cellar. Too hot young = too hot old.
Big, hot, overpriced.
My $50 would be better spent on another bottle of Purple Angel or a good entry level Brunello or Bordeaux.
4.0 Stars
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Inniskillin Winemaker's Series Montague Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009, VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$29.95
Dark and perfumed, this poured very nice. Medium body. Sweet and sour with some herbal, spicy flavours. Good tannic balance, nice wine.
4.0 Stars
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Hecht & Bannier St Chinian 2009
Languedoc, France$20.75
Archetypical French style syrah (with some grenache and mourvedre).
Very green and leafy on the nose. Some anise, iodine, tar, and smoke.
Full bodied and densely flavoured. A strong herbaceous streak (rosemary and bay leaf comes to mind) with liquorice root, and plenty of dry, dusty tannin (reminiscent of old leather books). Reminds me of a Northern Rhone syrah. Very long finish.
Complex and savoury. Long decanting and pouring it through an aerator teased out some fruit.
Ultimately a serious sort of wine. A critics wine you might say. If all this sounds good to you it's worth a try.
4.0 Stars
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Antinori Badia A Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva 2007
Tuscany, Italy$44.95
I actually liked this quite a lot even though it's more fruit forward and modern in style than I expected. Quite dark in the glass. Nice nose of fruit and earthy herbs with some oak, anise and maybe a touch of smokiness. The palate is full bodied with great fruit concentration and complexity. Sweet/tart berries, earthy/spicy/leathery flavours and plenty of dry ripe tannins underpinning everything. Long, dry and spicy finish.
Drinking well now with a bit of decanting but will certainly cellar well for at least a few years.
4.0 Stars
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Alvaro Castro Red 2008, Doc Dão
Dão, Portugal$17.95
Dark berry, olivey, vegetal nose, a trace of camphor-like volatility.
Medium-full body. Sweet and tart palate; Stewed blackberries, sour cranberries, warm spice, slightly minty. Nice concentration. Plenty of acidity and balanced tannins make this a very good food wine. Medium-length tart finish.
This is drinking just fine now but it will certainly hold for some years.
A fairly complex, if unique, wine that stands out from the usual flavour profiles.
Worth trying at this price especially if, like me, you prefer old-world styles to modern fruit bombs.
4.0 Stars
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