Mike de Maria

Evening Land Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011, Willamette Valley

Raspberry dominated red fruits but playing second fiddle to lots of savoury notes with pencil shavings and dried herbs. Measured oak, fresh acidity. Nice wine.

Hauller Muenchberg Riesling Grand Cru 2011, Ac Alsace

Lots of action on the nose; pear, melon, and baking spices, which replay on the just barely off-dry palate along with citrus infused acidity and I like the 'white strawberry' reference though would have never thought of that myself. The finish shows a little bitter minerality. This is certainly a very concentrated wine, with a fullish mouthfeel, but balanced and harmonious.

Pierre Luneau Papin Clos Des Allees Muscadet Sevre Et Maine 2012, Sur Lie, Ap

Dry, minerally, steely, with some citrus. Beautiful acidity, nice round mouthfeel, and no sharp or bitter edges. A really nice wine to drink with or without food.

Mendel Malbec 2010, Mendoza

Certainly elegant, refined, and balanced. Juicy acidity, red fruits, potpourri, a little vanilla. Very solid.

Boutari Grande Reserve Xinomavro 2008, Pdo Naoussa

Elegant, yet powerful. Savoury, yet fruity. Cherry, herbs, stone, leather.

Mouth watering acidity and firm tannins. Was wonderful with pan seared steak and lemon risotto.

Really pretty nose, and doesn't disappoint on the palate. A $40 Barolo type experience for $18. And can age for at least another decade? I went back and bought the last remaining 5 bottles at my LCBO. Can't wait to revisit this every few years.

Vignerons De Gigondas La Font Des Grières Gigondas 2007, Ac

Drank a while ago. Wasn't very impressed. Alcohol was very dominant.

Château De Fontenelles Cuvée Notre Dame Corbières 2008, Ac

I'd agree with the positive reviews listed below (and above), but I found that the acidity wasn't well integrated and a little harsh on the way down. Could have been a slightly off bottle, or I just wasn't open to receiving the wine that day. But there was lots of good things going on with this wine.

Luigi Bosca Single Vineyard Malbec 2008, Luján De Cuyo, Mendoza

I've found that over the past 2 years, we've been inundated with many "good but not great" Malbecs. Most are inexpensive and for the price, usually good value. The regular Luigi Bosca Malbec is one of the better examples I find of these types of wines. This single vineyard version is definitely a step above and well worth the $20+ price. It is full bodied, juicy and fruity (but not jammy or over the top), very well balanced. Layers of berries (I get more red than black), nice (and subtle) oak influences, and some spice notes.

Gérard Bertrand Terroir Minervois Syrah/Carignan 2009, Ac

Great bang for the buck. It's a nice blend of black fruits (blackberry) with some nice complex spice and earthy flavours. The thing that stands out most about this wine is the texture. It's feels like a "fruit-bomb" crowd pleasing shiraz from Australia, but maintains it's "class" (as John Szabo puts it). All around a nice wine, and very good value.

Tawse Growers Blend Pinot Noir 2010, VQA Niagara Peninsula

I found this bottle to be quite open and fragrant after a 30 minute decant, and it continued to open up in the glass. There was really strong, elegant flavour intensity, despite the light bodied feel. Paired with pan seared duck breast with a strawberry port sauce, it was magnificent.