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
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
(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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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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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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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
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Ontañón Reserva 2004
Rioja, Spain$25.95
Very dark wine. No sign of age. Big nose; blueberry, wood, mocha, anise. Full body. tastes of blackberry, sour cherry some mintyness. tart with some acidity.
Overall this smelled better than it tasted.
3.5 Stars
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Hess Estate Chardonnay 2008, Napa Valley
California, Usa$19.95
Medium-light straw yellow with a tinge of green. Nose initially a bit tight but opens: Green apple, fresh mown grass. Medium full bodied, quite plush on the tongue. Dry. The Alcohol is a bit high for my taste but the acidity and it's weight does balance it out to some extent. Not quite "buttery" but it is an interesting mix of a soft mid-palate and sharp, slightly bitter top end. Good finish. Heady wine.
Did the trick with (and in) my home-made saffron chicken pot pie.
Not sure I'd buy it again though. Something about Hess' regular labels that leaves me wanting.
3.5 Stars
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Mocali Brunello Di Montalcino 2004, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$44.95
This decent BdM is surprisingly lightweight for is type and vintage. Tightish nose opens with some swirling/decanting: prunes/raisins/dried fruit, herbs, vanilla, tobacco. Not much concentration on the palate, though overall it is fairly well balanced. Medium bodied, but a bit thin really.
Honestly it does the name 'Brunello' no favours. Not that this is a bad wine, it's not, it's a good wine. But anyone trying Brunello for the first time (and spending $50 bucks for the "privilege") may be underwhelmed and wonder what all the fuss is about.
3.5 Stars
(0)V
Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru 1999, Ac
Burgundy, France$44.95
This is a blend from many 1er Cru vineyards, but what it lacks in specific character it makes up in value.
'99 was a good year in Beaune. This would have spent about 12-18 months in wood before bottling so it has around 9 years of age on it.
Pale red with the pretty, telltale bricking of age. Young wines have aromas, aged wines develop a bouquet and even in this modest Burgundy you get a sense of that; sweet strawberries, earthy black truffles, leather...
Very little sediment (was this re-bottled?)
Sweet & savory, well balanced, smooth tannins, good finish.
Well worth the price.
3.5 Stars
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Dante Rivetti Bricco Riserva Barbaresco 2004, Docg
Piedmont, Italy$38.35
90-91
This wine is evolving quickly, it shows a lot of bricking for a Barbaresco that's only been in the bottle for about 4 years.
Nice nose too: Dried fruit, slightly floral, some anise, a bit woody.
Medium-full bodied. Tannin already softening but still plenty of it. Good fruit concentration; tight at first but the flavours and complexity really come out with some mouth sloshing. Savory with some sweetness. Good long finish.
Drinking well now but will certainly hold for a few more years.
A fine wine though not exactly worth the price.
3.5 Stars
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