David Brodati, DipWSET
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Reviews (611)
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Reviews
Upper Bench Pinot Noir 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$26.88
Good sour cherry fruit with a spicey herbal almost minty nuance. Medium bodied, medium plus acidity with tannic presence and fairly hot. Very good length, but still needs a year or two to fully integrate. Aug. 2015.
3.0 Stars
Strewn Two Vines Riesling Gewurztraminer 2013, Niagara On The Lake
Ontario, Canada$13.95
Gewurz provides the perfumed aromatics for Strewn's Rielsing/Gewurz blend. It's off dry, citrusy with a bitter late palate. Not well balanced in my opinion, but at this price point it does a decent enough job. June 2015.
3.0 Stars
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Time Syrah 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$35.00
A fairly expressive nose of dark fruit, smoked meat, pepper, herbs, anise and oak (vanilla, mocha). The palate reveals dark cherry, dark plum, blackberry and mid/late palate black pepper with more oak influence. A mid/full bodied syrah, the tannins are somewhat soft and acidity is medium plus. I wanted a bit more structure, but good length nonetheless. A touch hot. July 2015.
3.0 Stars
Tabor Galil Cabernet Sauvignon Kp 2013, Galilee
Israel, World$25.95
This non mevushal kosher cab from the foot of Mt. Tabor in northern Isreal offers good cab sauv typicity with some dark fruit, herb and graphite in a fruit forward style. Not the best structured cab with rounder medium tannins, but it has good length and fits the bill for a meat based passover seder meal. It's an ok value at $20 (better priced than Tabor's merlot in the same release). Tasted April 2015.
3.0 Stars
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Domaine Glinavos Primus Zitsa 2013, Zitsa
Greece$6.40
A nice, clean medium greek wine - medium everything: aromatics and flavour intensity, acidity, body, alcohol. There's a creaminess (malo?) on the palate that has medium length. The flavour profile is citrus, apple, with a slight almond bitterness, spice and salinity. Just a good middle of the road white, that at a delisted price of $6.40, can't be beat on value. Jan. 2017.
3.0 Stars
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Muscedere Vineyards Syrah 2011, Lake Erie North Shore
Ontario, Canada$40.00
It's hard to do Syrah well in Ontario and 2011 wasn't a vintage to make things any easier. But Muscedere is a favourite LENS winery and they do a decent job here. An interesting nose with dark fruit, meat, herbs, licorice, spice and graphite with similar notes on the palate. Oak is present with mocha/vanilla, but there's a certain liveliness from the medium plus acidity. Medium-full bodied, tannins are fine grained. Very good length. Oct. 2015.
3.0 Stars
Château Godard Bellevue 2011, Ac Côtes De Bordeaux Francs
Bordeaux, France$19.50
This is a pleasant affordable Bordeaux. Oak slightly dominates the red and dark fruit. Notes of cedar, pencil shavings, herb, vanilla, dark chocolate, and peppery spice. Medium acidity and good tannic structure in this medium/full bodied wine. Not any great length, but nicely packaged considering the price point. Some alcohol burn on the late palate. Sept. 2015.
3.0 Stars
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Boschendal The Pavillion Chenin Blanc 2015, Western Cape
Western Cape, South Africa$11.95
This is an off dry version of South African Chenin that is very fruity with canned peach, pear, melon, apricot and tangerine. It's spicy, medium bodied with medium plus acidity to provide structure. Very good length. Pair with spicy Asian cuisine, fried chicken or glazed ham. At under $10 on sale, it's a no brainer. Aug. 2016.
3.0 Stars
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Domaine Salmon Grande Réserve Muscadet Sèvre & Maine Sur Lie 2014, Ac
Loire, France$13.75
Showing good typicity for Muscadet, but not a very balanced wine. There's some complexity with ripe (warm 2015 vintage) and somewhat tart fruit ranging from pear to citrus to peach, with distinct minerality. Lees add a yeasty note and contribute to a creamy texture. Elevated acidity, medium bodied, but alcohol provides too much warmth despite 12% declared. Very good length. Stick to the classic shellfish food pairing. March 2018.
3.0 Stars
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Signae Montefalco Sagrantino 2009, Docg
Umbria, Italy$28.95
Ah, dissonance and divergence amongst the pro critics. As the self appointed final arbiter on who is closer to the mark, I proclaim: Sara d'Amato! Sagrantino is a big tannic high alcohol grape from Montefalco Umbria. This offering has eight years under it's belt and the tannins are starting to resolve, making the wine approachable, but make no mistake, they're still intense. Complex aromas of violets, red and dark fruit, balsamic, tea, dark chocolate. 15% ABV but doesn't sit heavy on the palate, rather there's a litheness to this big guy. Very good length. Bring on the lamb stew! Oct. 2017.
3.0 Stars
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