Edward Rasiulis

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Sonoma County

Deep ruby in colour with a medium+ intense nose.

A good time to try Beringer’s mid level Cab while it’s $5 off

Positives: This wine features cedar, blackcurrants, plum, raspberry, mocha, arugula, radicchio, spinach & leather. Full body with medium+ tannins, good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: A bit bitter on the finish, however it dissipates after being decanted for about an hour.

Drink now or in the next 7-10 years on its own or pair it with speck & arugula pizza.

Tasted: 9 April 2014

Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 8.5+/10 Total: 17.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5+

Jansz Premium Sparkling Rosé, Traditional Method, Tasmania

Pale salmon in colour with fine mousse & medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: If I tried this sparkling blind I would have said that’s it’s made in the classic champagne method. The wine features toasty brioche, strawberry, apple crumble pie, pink grapefruit, lemon, orange rind & limestone. Medium body with good acidly & fairly long length.

Negatives: Some sour notes on the finish. Drink now on its own or pair it with cheese & tomato omelette.

Tasted: 29 Apr 12

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Total: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

La Rosa La Capitana Carménere 2009, Cachapoal Valley

Opaque ruby in colour medium intensity. On the nose there's cedar, raspberry, mulberry, plum, light coconut & cappuccino. The taste is dry, med+ tannins & acidity with med+ length, med+ body & balanced. The wine shows cedar, raspberry, cherry, plum & cassis. The taste is more expressive than the nose & there's heat from the 14.5% alcohol. Normally I'm not a fan of Carménère as they tend to be linear; however, this is one of the better ones I tasted & if you're a fan of this varietal it's definitely a best buy. Decant it & let it stand for an hour will mellow out the tannins. Goes well with pizza.

Tasted 31 May 2011.

Score: 8.5+, Value: 10/10, Total: 18.5+

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

13th Street Premier Cuvée 2008, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Traditional Method

Consistently a quality Ontario sparkling wine

Description: Straw in colour with a medium+ intense nose and a fine mousse. This wine features mild toast, Easter Lily, lemon drops, ginger, pink grapefruit, green apples and limestone. Medium to medium+ body with good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Note: Although this sparkling wine has been aged three years and made in the traditional method, not a lot of yeast and brioche notes, which should please those that want quality Champagne style but don’t like those notes.

Drink now or in the next 5 years on its own or pair it with delicate cow’s milk cheeses

Tasted: 5 Oct 2014

Best Buy at the clearance price

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10 (Clearance price: 9+/10), Total: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Château Montus Madiran 2006, Ac Madiran

Deep dark ruby with a hint of garnet on the colour & medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: A complex & higher end wine from the South of France. Notes of cedar, blackberry, dark cherry, mulberry, raspberry, macintosh apple, leather, pencil shaving, turmeric, all spice, arugula & radicchio on the finish. Full body, medium+ tannins, good acidity, long length & alcohol is well integrated.

Negatives: A little astringent & thus needs time to age.

If you're drinking this now, decanter for 2 hours & pair it with medium rare steak.

Tasted: 11 Mar 12

Score: 9/10, Value: 8.5+/10, Score: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut Sparkling, Traditional Method, Sonoma County, California

Blush in colour with fine mousse & medium to medium+ intensity.

Positives: Simply delicious & easy drinking. Raspberry, lemon tart, pear, light yeast, flan, molasses & ginger. Medium to medium+ body, good acidity & length.

Negatives: None.

Interesting Thing: Made in the traditional method. Drink now on its or or pair it with quail eggs & caviar. This wine was ranked #78 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list of 2009.

Best Buy

Tasted: 20 Feb 12

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9.5/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4.5

Bachelder Oregon Chardonnay 2011, Willamette Valley

Clear & focused Chard, oh yes it’s also yummy

Description: Bright light yellow gold in colour with a medium+ intense nose. This complex wine features a beautiful nose followed up by crisp citric fruits, sweet tropical fruit, spices with oak playing a supporting role. Medium+ body with good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Note: Use the larger Montrachet glass to bring out the tropical fruit

Drink now or in the next 7 years on its own or pair it with pecan crusted pan seared Trout.

Tasted: 26 Feb 2015

Top Pick

Score: 9+/10, Value: 9/10 (Clearance price: 9.5+/10) Total: 18+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4+

Southbrook Vineyards Triomphe Chardonnay 2008, VQA Niagara On The Lake

Bright gold in colour with medium+ intensity that shows medium minus oak & toast, lemon, fresh Macintosh apples, mango, pineapple, honeydew flower & fortune cookies. Taste is dry, medium+ acidity, med body, long length & balanced. The taste is more complexed than the nose as the flavours come in layers. The initial taste shows lemon & pink grapefruit, followed by apples & pineapple then you get hit by a wave of lemon meringue pie, finishing of with lemon zest. If you have different style of wine glasses such as Riedel, use cold climate Chard glasses instead of the big California Chard glasses. Drink now or in the next 2 years. Drink on it's own or with Sea Bass infused with a Chardonnay sauce.

Best Buy.

Tasted 10 July 2011.

Score: 9/10, value: 9.5/10, Total: 18.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

The Paring Red 2006, Santa Ynez Valley

Opaque inky ruby colour, med+ intensity, I can smell the vapors of alcohol. Cedar, cassis, blackberry, menthol, basil, cigar box. High complexity showing warm climate style. Taste has med+ tannins, med acid, balanced, full body, with high alcohol. Taste is mild compared to the nose. Cedar, black currants, some cranberry, leather notes, twiggy, spinach which gives it a bit of a green bite. Not worth the price. Score: 7, Value: 4, Total: 11/20 After being opened up for 2hrs, the nose is more fragrant with carnations & blueberry pie. On taste it was still linear, but does open up with mulberry & dark cherry. The spinach turns more to artichoke. Long finish. Score improves a bit, 7.5. Nose is 9.5

Saltram Mamre Brook Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Barossa Valley, South Australia

This is a typical Barossa wine, big & powerful. Visually it's inky, opaque & purple to arterial red in colour. Med intensity on the nose that shows cedar, turmeric, anise, cassis, dark chocolate, plums, blackberry, pencil shavings, raspberry, cigar box. Complex nose. On the palate it's dry, med+ acidity, med+ tannins, full body, long length, there's heat from the 15.5% alcohol. Complexity on the taste. In addition to the notes on the nose, there's dark cherry, leather, tar & spinach. This wine needs to be matched with something just as powerful, try porterhouse on the grill. This will be even better with 3-4 yrs cellaring, even though it's a screw cap. If you drink now I suggest you decant first.

Score 9/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18/20.

Tasted 29 April 2011.

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4