Robert Kischuk

Tawse Quarry Road Chardonnay 2010, VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula

JS nails it...the oak is VERY subdued, which allows the wildly interesting and fun fruit/mineral flavors to have their say.
I will be getting more of this.
Lovely wine; makes me proud to be a local.

Ken Forrester Reserve Chenin Blanc 2010, Wo Stellenbosch

Agree with DL on this one.
Acrid sulfer notes; disagreeable; not enough fruit/aroma character to make my amateur palate want more than a couple sips.
Will cellar my second bottle for a couple years and see if it improves as JS suggests.

Update: Blair makes me wonder if my bottle was 'off'. Will give my second bottle a year or two and try again.

Penfolds Bin 138 Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre 2009, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Tasted as a 'new world CdP' against a vintage-matched Beaucastel.
It did very well, with bright fruit and a slightly harder tannic edge. Well-liked by all.

Easily worth the price esp c/w the CdP.

Pannon Tokaj 3 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú 2005 (500ml)

Another great discovery thanks to winealign and DL.
A nice bottle to 'test' beside the local late-harvest dessert offerings (and at 500 ml is actually at a $16-ish price point for 375 ml).

Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2008, Grampians/Bendigo, Victoria

Oz Shiraz for a person who turned away from over-the-top Oz Shiraz in the 90's (ie me).
Seppelt can thank WineAlign for a new fan...I would never have bothered trying it otherwise.

Amarone Classico Sartori Corte Bra 2004

Very nice for what it is.

I wish my brain didn't say 'Vintage Port Table Wine' every time I have a good Amarone...would make it easier to enjoy.

Le Clos Jordanne Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Chardonnay 2009, Twenty Mile Bench, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Full malo and sensible oaking give this the easy going buttery 'chard appeal' that was destroyed by the zealots in the 90's.
Excellent value; a Chard that defines why people went buttery-oak in the first place...without the excess of a craze out-of-control.

Delicious and perfect example of why Chards were king in the 80s and 90s (before the over-the-toppers killed it).

Think 'Nights on Broadway' smooth and classy before disco killed everything and you have this wine.

Stratus White 2008, VQA Niagara On The Lake

I've tried this at least five times (most recently at a Cheese Boutique event at the winery).
It's always a pleasure.
Easily worth the price point.

Château Fonplégade 2008, Ac St émilion, Grand Cru Classé

This is very very good...what every premium Merlot should aspire to.
I wish I waited for a few years to let the tannins mellow, but I couldn't resist trying after reading the praise.
Now I have to scoop a few of the 125 left at the LCBO and ignore them for a while.

La Gravette De Certan 2009, Ac Pomerol, 2nd Wine Of Vieux Château Certan

No dispute with the experts....ZERO buyer's remorse....tried it with grilled beef tenderloin...superb.