Templeton Smith

Stoney Ridge Vidal Icewine 2007, VQA Niagara Peninsula (375ml)

Pear, lychee, apple and sweet. Ever so smooth. Very nice.

Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port, Douro Valley

Extremely pleasurable. Fresh floral and sweet butterscotch nose and taste. Smooth. Yum.

Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino 2006

A terrific Brunello. Nose of violets, roses and flowers. Intense and dark fruits on the palate. Smooth and Long finish.

Farina Le Pezze Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2006, Doc

Excellent wine. A good example of Amarone and definitely among the best in the vintage. Very nice. Tasted April 2011 and September 2012.

Corte Pavone Brunello Di Montalcino 2005, Docg

Sequillo Cellars Red 2009, Wo Swartland

Very nice, but not a wine over 90. Not memorable.

Inniskillin Vidal Icewine 2007, VQA Niagara Peninsula, With Gift Box (375ml)

Simply wonderful. Sweet, apple and grape. Smooth. Not so sweet it overpowers you. Just the right balance, that makes you keep wanting more and more and more.

Château Saint-roch De Laurens 2007, Ac Faugères

While the nose is fresh with grapes and cherries, on the palate the wine is a bit closed. There are some cocoa and earthy notes on the short finish. I found the wine to be enjoyable but not excellent. It's on a par with Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Tasted January 2012.

Graham'S 20-year-old Tawny Port, Dop, Portugal (500ml)

All the usual hallmarks of a 20 year old port are there: the butterscotch, honey, apricot and toffee. The aroma is heavy on alcohol and not quite as fresh as, say, a Taylor. On the palate the port does, as the reviewer above notes, have a bite fresh out of the bottle. This goes away after a day. A nice port, but not better than a Taylor.

Clos Du Calvaire Châteauneuf-du-pape 2009

Fruity nose. In the mouth it's herbal and fruity w cherries, nice. Finish has some cocoa and minerals. Not impressed but not bad either.