Barry McLarnon
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Reviews (176)
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Reviews
Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir 2009, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$19.95
I was very impressed with this wine when we tasted it with Ed Madronich at the winery in 2015. Here we are now in January 2018, and it's even better - the fruit remains vibrant, the oak well integrated, and the nose beautifully smoky and distinctively pinot. This is well beyond the drinking window envisioned by the pros, and a great testimony to the ageability of Ontario pinot noir. The trick now is to figure out which recent vintages have this kind of potential.
3.0 Stars
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Miopasso Fiano 2011, Igp Terre Siciliane
Sicily, Italy$14.95
This was my first experience with this particular varietal, and I came away quite impressed, even though whites with 14.5% alcohol aren't usually my cuppa tea. Golden-hued, full and fleshy with vague fruit overtones, with great mouth feel. Clearly a warm climate white that is on the edge of being flabby, but refreshing enough to pull it back from the edge... like a glass of liquid sunshine. In a blind tasting, I likely would have conjured up South African chenin blanc, which is not a bad thing at all.
3.0 Stars
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Citra Sangiovese Terre Di Chieti 2011
Abruzzo, Italy$7.95
I concur with the pros on this one. No great profundity here, but nice fruit with attractive spicy notes, soft tannins, and enough acidity to be food-friendly. Refreshing to see an Italian wine under a screwcap closure too. Hard to beat this one for value!
3.0 Stars
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De Bortoli Gulf Station Pinot Noir 2011, Yarra Valley
Victoria, Australia$19.95
Attractive nose, with some interesting cool-climate floral characteristics, but on the palate it's surprisingly thin and acidic. Seems to me that this wine was better in past vintages... in any case, one can do better at the $20 price point.
3.0 Stars
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Graffigna Centenario Malbec Reserve 2011
San Juan, Argentina$13.95
We tasted this wine at the winery in early 2013 (a great place to visit BTW, with a fascinating museum). We were impressed then, and happy to see it available locally at such a reasonable price. Smooth and fruity with soft tannins, it's a real crowd pleaser... we put this to the test by taking some to a family Christmas gathering, and it passed with flying colors.
3.0 Stars
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Gray Monk Pinot Noir 2011, VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$19.95
I'm a big fan of Gray Monk's aromatic whites, but I must admit I was a bit taken aback by this pinot noir. Unlike most BC pinots that I've tried, this one is more akin to a pinot from Prince Edward County in a cooler vintage. Of course, the winery is in the northern end of the Okanagan Valley, so I suppose it shouldn't have come as a great surprise. Although I appreciated its cool climate delicacy, my expectations got in the way, and I ultimately found it to be rather thin and sour. Not a sipper, and not easy to match with food either, but possibly a real winner in warmer vintages.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Wither Hills Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Marlborough, New Zealand$19.95
Though I've been a fan of most Wither Hills offerings in the past, this one struck me as well off the mark, veering way too far into the herbaceous side of the Savvy spectrum for my taste. Very lean and grassy, with a nose that suggests canned peas. Disappointing.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Featherstone Four Feathers 2011, Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$14.95
Vague aromatics, and rather bland on the palatte, lacking the zippy acidity I would expect from a riesling-dominated blend, especially from the cooler 2011 vintage. Drinkable, but seems composed of leftovers... for 15 bucks, you can do much better elsewhere.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Tini Sangiovese Di Romagna 2012, Emilia Romagna
Emilia Romagna, Italy$7.75
Nothing profound here, but a clean, fresh and eminently quaffable wine at a great price. Nice to see a decent Italian wine at any price under screwcap, and at only 12% alcohol to boot.
3.0 Stars
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Henry Of Pelham Estate Pinot Noir 2010, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$24.95
Drinkable, but only just. This wine is well past its prime, and fading rapidly. What fruit remains is in the pruney spectrum, and there is a volatile vinyl note in the nose that isn't pleasant (my wife insists that the bottle is corked, but it doesn't smell like TCA to me). From a warm vintage like 2010, I would expect more stuffing and balance for the long haul, but this one missed the mark. I've always found HoP pinot noirs to be hit and miss in terms of quality, and this is yet another illustration that they are not quite in the top ranks of Niagara producers of that finicky variety.
3.0 Stars
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