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
Bouchard Père & Fils Gevrey Chambertin 2010
Burgundy, France$54.95
Big nose of cooked strawberries and a slight earthy funkiness. Tangy raspberries on the palate. Dry tannins. Medium body. Dry with a long earthy finish. Not quite worth the price but a nice wine.
3.5 Stars
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Señorío De P. Peciña Reserva 2001, Doca Rioja
Rioja, Spain$29.95
I think i'd have rated this higher a few years ago. This has aged well but it has thinned out quite a bit. Nice brick colour. Nose has developed into an elegant bouquet of roses, tobacco and wood. A savory wine, not much fruit left at all.
It is a nice example of an aged Rioja but overall I'd say this is juuust past it's peak.
Well worth trying, but drink it now, and not with anything that will overpower this delicate old gal. Don't treat it like a young Rioja.
3.5 Stars
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Gaja Sito Moresco (375 Ml) 2006, Doc Langhe
Piedmont, Italy$32.95
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!
3.5 Stars
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Vecchia Cantina Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano 2007
Tuscany, Italy$18.95
Nice maturing deep red colour, just starting to brown. This is evolving quickly.
Initially tight nose opened to a warm, savory bouquet of olive, fresh herbs and leather. Very little fruit on the nose or palate. This is very much a rustic, old-world style. Dense flavours but medium bodied, good acidity. Plenty of drying tannin. Excellent food wine.
This has life left in it but I'd say it's drinking at it's prime now to a couple years from now. I suspect this will become increasingly dusty as what fruit it has dries out.
3.5 Stars
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Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune Teurons 2006, Ac, 1er Cru
Burgundy, France$42.95
Drank with herbed salmon and mushroom risotto.
Decanted for 3 hours.
Typical in every way. Light red in colour, very clear once the sediment settled, medium body. Fruit and earth nose and the usual elusive aromatics of pinot noir. Strawberries and a vegetal streak on the palate. Decent acidity, plenty of fine tannins and a dry finish.
Now what's wrong with all that you say?
Nothing, it's a good wine, except you can get all of that for half the price!
Will certainly benefit from a few more cellar years...but it's still not worth $42.
3.5 Stars
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Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District 2004, Napa Valley
California, Usa$83.00
tried this at the tasting booth.
A nice wine for sure...there's some interesting complexity in there that will probably show itself even more in a few years but nevertheless it's not worth the price they want for it. Your money is better spent elsewhere.
In a few years this should be very good indeed. but still...
as far as I'm concerned any bottle over $50 should make you say "oh wow...". If it can't do that, what's the point??
This should be a $40 bottle of wine. (and indeed IS south of the border)
3.5 Stars
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Muga Reserva 2005, Doca Rioja
Spain$23.95
This was really nice once it opened up.
On the nose: Floral (lavender/rose?), slightly astringent, quite perfumey.
Full bodied, fairly straight forward with plenty of fruit, a bit of high-toned lemon/citrus tang, even a touch of bubblegum! Quite a bit of drying wood and tannin, but all in relative balance. A bit on the rustic side right now but I think this has enough guts to lay down for a while. It will mellow with a few more years in the cellar.
A good wine but a tad overpriced I'd say. This really should be more like $18-$20.
3.5 Stars
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Château Du Trignon Le Bossu Gigondas 2007, Ac
Rhône, France$27.95
89-90
Dense, brooding wine with a nose of ripe fruit and some tar. Dark berry flavours. Concentrated, but also sort of simple.
3.5 Stars
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Bodegas Lan Reserva 2004, Doca Rioja
Spain$21.95
Good wine, well made, but not as good as I had hoped. It's medium body was lighter than I expected.
Has an olivey, briney thing going on. A bit of anise-floral-tar (which reminded me almost like a hint of barolo...ok...neat.)
A bit of heat and wood on the finish...slightly sour.
Yeah this was pretty good, but not a "stunning value" as Stimmel says. If this cost $40 I'd be annoyed.
"good", "nice"...yeah...not great.
$20 for an "89" ain't saying that much these days.
3.5 Stars
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Tawse Sketches Of Niagara Riesling 2010, VQA Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$17.95
Very pale in the glass. Tight nose of citrus and a touch of petrol (always my favorite nuance in a riesling).
Just off-dry, VERY crisp citrus and TART green apple flavours. Sour gummy candies comes to mind. Bright acidity and long, sweet and sour finish.
An interesting style that would be a great match for just about any food that could use a squirt of lemon (or sour gummies). I cracked one open for my chicken cordon bleu. A decent match.
Overall, I like it. With the right food it's great. Otherwise, I find it a bit thin and too sharp. For this price I could do better in Germany.
3.5 Stars
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