Barry McLarnon
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Reviews (165)
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Reviews
Quails' Gate Pinot Noir 2014, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$31.95
At first sniff, my wife exclaimed "smoked paprika", and I had to agree. With aeration, that smoky note became less pronounced, but still added a nice bit of spice to the nose. A good food wine, with fairly balanced acidity and pleasant cherryish fruit, but I found that it came up a bit short and tart in the finish. Well made, but at $29, the value proposition is a bit questionable.
3.5 Stars
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Cave Spring Estate Bottled Gewurztraminer 2013, Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment
Ontario, Canada$18.95
Although the quality of this wine was obvious from the get-go, the nose was curiously muted, with a slight woody note. The long finish noted by Lawrason was also notably absent. Though there was no blatant TCA corkiness evident, I believe that our bottle was marred by a faulty cork. That's what I hate about cork closures - sometimes the faults are subtle, yet still very annoying. Memo to Cave Spring: screwcap closures, please!
3.5 Stars
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Waterkloof Circle Of Life 2012
Stellenbosch, South Africa$19.95
An idiosyncratic wine to be sure - not fruit-forward, but with considerable earthy minerality and other intriguing nuances. Enough acidity to be a good accompaniment for food, and overall a pleasant side trip off the beaten track.
3.5 Stars
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Hubert Brochard Les Carisannes Pinot Noir 2014, Igp Vins De Pays Du Val De Loire
Loire, France$14.25
Most of my red wine drinking acquaintances would turn their noses up at this thin stuff and go back to their shirazes and malbecs. Their loss. I like the delicacy, the purity of fruit, and the subtle floral hints. Sure, one could wish for a bit more flesh on the bones, but at this price point, you can't have everything.
3.5 Stars
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Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2015, Swartland
Swartland, South Africa$12.95
Meaty, beaty, big and bouncy... not much subtlety or finesse here, but pretty hard to beat for the price, especially when it was on sale a few months back.
3.5 Stars
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St Hubertus Riesling 2014, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$13.75
Not unlike many of its Ontario brethren, laden with limey acidity and minerality, but there's a savoury note that sets this BC riesling apart. Not sure if it's sagebrush, as JS suggests, but whatever it is, I like it.
3.5 Stars
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Dirty Laundry Woo Woo Vines Gewürztraminer 2015, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$15.75
A blowsy gewurz with some decent varietal characteristics and apricoty fruit. Off-dry, despite the rather hefty 13.8% alcohol level. Could use a little more acidity for better balance - might have benefited from earlier picking, perhaps?
3.5 Stars
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Saint Roch Vielles Vignes Grenache Blanc/Marsanne 2015, Côtes Du Roussillon
Languedoc, France$15.95
I had trouble finding this wine here on WA, since the page incorrectly describes it as a grenache/marsanne blend rather than grenache/roussanne. The pictured bottle is wrong too, since the wine has a cork closure, not screwcap. The reviews from the gurus are bang on, though - this is a fine value, reminiscent of some similar white blends from South Africa.
3.5 Stars
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Douloufakis Femina 2015, Aegean Islands
Greece$12.75
Reading all of the critic's reviews gives a good idea of how complex and unusual this wine is, but I think David's review pretty much nails it. Certainly not an everyday sipper, but a fascinating and affordable side trip for the adventurous wine lover.
3.5 Stars
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A To Z Wineworks Pinot Noir 2014, Oregon
Oregon, Usa$24.95
The back label announces "the essence of Oregon", and this description doesn't seem overblown when you taste the wine. This pinot strikes a nice balance between cool and warm climate characteristics, with attractive fruit, fairly deep colour, good varietal typicity, and minimal oak influence. Food-friendly, smooth, and very pleasant to sip - what's not to like?
3.5 Stars
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