Edward Rasiulis

Château Le Bourdillot Séduction 2009, Ac Graves

Deep ruby in colour with a medium+ intense nose.

The nose is better than the taste

Positives: This wine features cedar, plum, cherry, radish, shitake mushrooms, arugula, sage & leather. Medium+ body and tannins, with good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: A little watery

Drink now or in the next 3 years on its own or pair it with Beef Stroganoff.

Tasted: 26 April 2014

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Oyster Bay Pinot Noir 2013, Marlborough, South Island

A light charming Pinot that has character for under $20

Description: Light ruby to garnet in colour with a medium+ intense nose. This wine features cedar, cherry, rhubarb, nutmeg, kiwi, wet moss and light smoky underbrush. Medium body with light tannins, good acidity and a long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Note: Remember to lightly chill this wine.

Drink now or in the next 3-5 years on its own or pair it with Roasted Squab Pigeon with Leeks.

Tasted: 22 Nov 2015

Best Buy

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

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Sella & Mosca Rosato 2013, Alghero

Red snapper in colour with a medium intense nose.

A nice easy going rosé for under $12

Positives: This wine features Rainier cherry, pink grapefruit and plums. Medium light body with good acidity & a long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Point: Opportunity to experience a wine from Sardinia

Drink now or in the next year on its own or and pair it with Gazpacho.

Tasted: 12 June 2014

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

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

Mike Weir Estate Chardonnay 2008, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Crisp chard with granny apples, lemon & dry apricot on the finish. Med complexity on nose & taste. Drink on it's own or pair with BBQ pork. Bought it for $1 less, which makes better.

Tasted: March, 2011

Score: 8/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 16.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3

Fresita Sparkling Wine Infused With Strawberries

Beautiful rich strawberry colour with medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: Always a favourite of mine featuring the flavour of freshly picked sweet strawberry with soft creamy mousse. Medium body, off-dry, with good acidity, long length & low alcohol.

Negatives: If you don't like strawberries you won't like this.

Interesting Points: Fresita means strawberry in Spanish & Patagonia is where strawberries were discovered. In 1714 it was introduced to the world. LCBO usually has this sparkling on sale several times a year. It also comes in the smaller 200 ml bottles.

Nice to drink anytime. Drink now on its own, great for parties, or pair it with spicy food.

Tasted: 18 May 12

Amazing Buy

Score: 9.5/10, Value:10/10, Total: 19.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 5

Hungaria Grande Cuvée Brut

Let me start by stating that because of this wine I started a new category; Amazing Buy. Why not just put it in Best Buys? The price range for Best Buys is broad, and goes up to $25. Amazing price are those that are $12 and under. So why is this Amazing Buy? It has some light characteristics of Champagne or higher end Sparkling Wines, but for a fraction of the cost, and most importantly, it taste good. The wine was fermented in a bottle for a year and shows some complexity, which is unusual at this price.
Straw in colour with a medium intensity on the nose and good amount of mousse. The nose shows pear, peach, some yeast, apples and lemon. The taste is dry but refreshing with good acidity, medium length and medium body. The sparkling is easy to drink on its own or pair it with a cheese omelet, or French fries. If you ever wanted to take a bath in Champagne but couldn’t afford the amount of Champagne to use, try this one as it’s only $11.95.
Amazing Pick
Tasted: 30 Aug 11
Score: 9+/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19+/20
Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Sparkling Brut

Description: Medium gold in colour with a medium to medium+ intense nose and average mousse.

Positives: An easy drinking sparkling wine, and a good substitute if you don’t like Proseccos. Wine features pineapple, pear, lemon/lime and granny smith apples.

Negatives: None

Drink now on its own or pair it with smoked oysters.

Tasted: 16 Feb 13

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 8.5/10 (8.5+/10 sale price), Total: 17/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Freixenet Carta Nevada Cava, Do Cava

Perfect sparkling wine for Mimosas

Description: Light straw in colour with a medium to medium+ intense nose and fine mousse. This simple sparkling wine features lime, honeydew melon and green apples. Medium to light body with good acidity and a fairly long length.

Negatives: None

Interesting Notes: For the extra $1.50, Freixenet’s black label, Cordon Negro, reviewed on this site, is far more superior.

Drink now on its own or mix it with orange juice and have it with your eggs for breakfast.

Tasted: 15 Feb 2015 (Happy 93 yrs to my Aunt Nina)

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 8.5/10 (Sale price: 8.5+/10) Total: 17/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5

Malivoire Red 2008, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Light ruby in colour with a medium+ intensity on the nose.

Positives: A delightful nose showing floral notes of purple lilac along with cranberry, beets, rhubarb & a dusting of earth notes. If I just rated the nose it would be a 10/10. The taste is delightful but doesn't compare with the nose. Medium light body, low tannins, good acidity & a long length. Cranberry, rhubarb, sour cherry, herbal notes & earth flavours.

Negatives: A touch too tart which drops it out of the 9/10 scoring.

Interesting Point: Gamay dominates here & the wood age is almost unnoticeable.

Drink now by pairing it with stuff turkey.

Tasted: 29 Nov 11

Best Buy

Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 4

Macmurray Ranch Pinot Noir 2007, Sonoma Coast

Actor Fred MacMurray, from My 3 Sons, purchased the ranch in 1940's. This Pinot grows on me. Med+ intensity, med- garnet. Nose shows black olives, cranberry, smoked bacon, light earth tones & light butterscotch. On the palate, med- body, med acidity, low tannins. Wine seems higher in alcohol than it is (13.5%). Cranberry, strawberry, cherry, bacon. Even though there's a slight sweet note on the nose, there's non on the palate. More complexed on the nose than palate. Drink on it's own or with grilled pork chops. It wants to be a Burgundian Pinot, but falls short, still not bad considering the price.

Tasted: March 2011

Score: 8+/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18+/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3

LCBO#: 48207