Blair WineLover

Quinta Da Romaneira Touriga Nacional 2010

It starts with a slightly sour cherry taste, but it is wonderfully smooth, and gets better with each sip. This is a truly excellent wine.

Uccelliera Rosso Di Montalcino 2012, Doc

Wow, love the pepper. With the strong fruit, I could easily believe it was from Sonoma. A great bottle of wine, as it should be for this price.

Frei Brothers Reserve Zinfandel 2012, Dry Creek Valley

It tastes like what I expect from a Zinfandel, except that it is extremely smooth. It is pretty good right now. This is a repeat buy.

Firestone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Santa Ynez Valley

Oh, so smooth, with an almost cinnamon finish. I think this is the best value at LCBO, and it is in the general section. Wonderful!

Capanna Brunello Di Montalcino 2006

After one small glass of this wine, my opinion was this is amazing, so rich and full of flavour. Then tragedy, a glass fell out of our cupboard and broke the caraffe, and the rest of the wine was lost. In the spirit of getting back on the horse after falling off, we bought another bottle. It was very good, but just not quite as amazing. I don't know if different bottles vary that much, or we did not have a proper caraffe (any more). Maybe it really just needs more time to age.

Heredad De Baroja Gran Reserva 2001, Doca Rioja

What a contrast with the Australian fruit bomb I had last night, which, by the way, was very good. Even the reviewers here do not have much to say about fruit. For me, this wine is all about feel. A silky smooth beginning, followed by a complex and slightly hot middle. Then a long but subtle finish.

I would not introduce my country cousin to wine with this, but I find this wine to be a pleasant adventure.

Estate Hatzimichalis Chardonnay 2010

This did not work for me. It was neither subtle, nor golden buttery, but some mineral tasting in-between. And it declined over time, with a taste I cannot describe but do not like becoming more prominent. Canadian chardonnay is just as good for that price.

Katogi Averoff 2008, Metsovo

Smooth and complex, this is a very pleasant wine that for me does not quite reach the magic 90 score, but is an excellent value at the price.

Sister's Run Epiphany Shiraz 2008, Mclaren Vale, South Australia

The rich, intense taste hits you right from the start. But as is common for Australian Shiraz around this price point, it does not completely cover up the sharp edges. Shiraz lovers will score this higher than I do.

Château Rahoul 2005, Ac Graves

It started with a slight whiff of sewage, which was fixed with a good decanting. Very smooth, classic Bordeaux, but not great complexity or a long finish. Is it worth thirty bucks? I have a soft spot for Bordeaux, so I think so. A very pleasant wine.