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Palatine Hills Overtime Meritage 2021, Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula

75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. Note of moka, forest floor and ripe fruit. Palate is precise, juicy and savory completed with moka and sweet tobacco. Length and great definition. Delicious!!

Bachelder Old Eastern Block Lowrey Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021, VQA St. David's Bench

From the Lowrey Vineyard at the foot of the St. Davids Bench, this was planted in 1984 and 1988. It has a generous and complete nose with complex red fruits - red plum, raspberry, cherry - and nicely integrated woods, dried herb and spicy notes. It is generous, warm and voluminous with firm tannin.

Black Hills Estate Winery Bona Fide 2022, BC VQA Okanagan Valley

Blend of 42% Malbec, 33% Carmenere, and 25% Syrah. Platinum award winner.

Palatine Hills Ramblers Schmoozer Cabernet Merlot 2024

1x2024, 2x2025. Vibrant and expressive nose of ripe blackberry, plum, and black cherry layered with floral top notes. Hints of warm spice and fresh herbs add aromatic depth. On the palate, concentrated bramble fruit flavors shine, supported by gentle, supple tannins and a refreshing acidity.

Wow, great value! 2023 was very good; 2024 even better.

Bachelder Wismer-parke Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment

Hidden Bench Natur Zero Dosage 2017, VQA Beamsville Bench

Pinot Noir 57% Chardonnay 43%. This strikingly golden, bone-dry sparkling wine displays rich tones of honey-drizzled croissants, strawberry and cherry preserve, caramelized lemons, dried apples, and toasted hazelnuts.

Burrowing Owl Athene 2021, Okanagan Valley

A blend 55% Syrah and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. NWAC2024 Platinum

Delicious - big, dark peppery syrah and cabernet sauvignon. Smooth, cherries and long finish. With prime rib, and beef short ribs - yum. One of my favs.

Creekside Broken Press Syrah Reserve Queenston Road Vineyard 2020, VQA St. David's Bench

The Broken Press Syrah is aptly named because in 2004 when our little basket press broke with some juicy Viognier skins in it, we decided to try co-fermenting them with our Syrah. That happy accident turned out so well that the tradition continues in making this elegant but powerful wine, year after year.

Vineland Estates Vidal Icewine 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula (375ml)

Wildly aromatic Icewine, unique and savoury, almost smells like charcuterie with pork rillette and a mix of pickles. Onion skin and the musky cured skin of pork salumi. So bloody interesting. Would age this a year or two.

Tyrrell'S Hunter Valley Semillon 2023, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Sustainable

Wow, this is amazing. Classic semillon peach, silky with a long beautiful finish. Double thumbs up!

Arch-classic Hunter Valley semillon here from stalwarts Tyrrell's, one of the originators of this excellent genre, once known as "Hunter valley Riesling". This is surprisingly genteel and approachable in youth - often it takes at least 8-10 years for these wines to show their merit, but here the fruit is quite ripe and forward, and starting to develop ahead of the historic curve. Acids are yet firm and crunchy, propelled by a dash of residual carbon dioxide. Can cellar to at least 2028.