Andrew Hunter
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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
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
(0)V
Domaine Vincent Paris Saint Joseph 2009, Ac
Rhône, France$24.20
Medicinal nose, (bandaids came to mind), mustard, grape popsicle, cheap perfume. Unique and interesting but not really very appetizing. Medium body, thin concentration of earthy, meaty flavours. This got better with several hours of aeration. I love rustic, savory, old-world styles but in the end I felt there was nothing much going here. I would have guessed it was an very inexpensive italian wine.
This came dead last at my wine club's blind Syrah/Shiraz tasting.
3.5 Stars
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Tyrrell's Brookdale Semillon 2011, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
New South Wales, Australia$24.95
I have some of Tyrrell's famous Vat 1 in my cellar, (ever listen to Jesus and Mary Chain's "Psychocandy"? It tastes like that.) I was very curious about their "base model" semillon.
Pale straw in colour with an almost greenish tinge, pretty.
Green apples, limes and a hint of riesling-like petrol on the nose. A slight whiff of dryer sheet.
Bright flavours of green grapes (duh) granny smith apples, star fruit and cider. Bright acidity, medium bodied with an impression of creaminess, like a child of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Long finish.
I drank this with a lobster risotto. Heaven.
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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Montecillo Reserva 2006, Rioja
Spain$17.95
(2007 vintage)
Bright red in the glass, Nice nose of sweet cherry. Low/moderate tannins. Good fruit concentration but with a slightly under-ripe green/leafy streak. I would not describe this as an honest Spanish wine. It's an easy drinking, commercially styled wine. Decent but pretty soft and simple for the price.
I have a 2006 that's been sitting around for a while. Curious to see if it's much better than this newer vintage as these reviews seem to indicate, and if the difference is due to vintage variation or a deliberate shift to a more commercial style.
3.5 Stars
(0)G
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
(0)V
Coto De Imaz Reserva 2005, Doca Rioja
Rioja, Spain$20.95
Deep red. Medium body. Fruity, woody and herbal. Some complexity. Lots of ripe tannin. Struck me as being a good, balanced wine but it lacked the concentration I would expect at this price.
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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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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Santo Assyrtiko 2011, Pdo Santorini
Santorini, Greece$16.95
I've never tasted an assyrtiko i didn't like and this is no exception.
Lean, crisp wine with citrus and minerally flavours. I'd say this is as good as Boutari and maybe only a hair shy of Sigalas quality.
My weekly grilled whole fish wine. Heaven.
3.5 Stars
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