Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Mas Estela Quindals 2005, Do Empordà
Spain$17.95
Initial tartness on the nose, eventually settling down to ripe blueberries; sour red fruit flavours, but also thick and rich with unpronounced deeper notes, mouth-filling but with a very dry, tannic finish; not terribly complex, but pleasant enough.
2.5 Stars
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Burning Kiln Cureman's Chard Chardonnay 2011, VQA Ontario
Ontario, Canada$17.75
Faint scent of dish soap at first, but not unpleasant; buttery and creamy, but nicely balanced with restrained tropical fruit, particularly pineapple and coconut; very well done.
2.5 Stars
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Domaine Claude Nouveau Bourgogne Hautes Côtes De Beaune 2010, Ac
Burgundy, France$24.95
Very Burgundian, with initial aromas of earth, petrol, and smoked meat, then loads of cherry; dry and cleansing on the palate, dominated by sour cherry, a bit too much but still refreshing.
2.5 Stars
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Domaine Des Ouches Igoranda Bourgueil 2011
Loire, France$12.75
Yuck, what a funky, stinky, pretty much undrinkable mess. There's some fruit in here somewhere, as proven by that initial fleeting whiff of strawberries, but the rest is brettiness in a very bad way, the band-aid smell crushing everything else on the nose, including the leather and dirt, after which it's like drinking wood with a varnish chaser. It's just unpleasant all around, and while much of this could be a bottle-specific problem, it's pretty clear the wine itself has very little, if anything, to recommend it.
2.5 Stars
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Château La Croix Blanche 2010, Ac Montagne Saint émilion
Bordeaux, France$15.95
This is, at first, a quite stunning little right-bank Bordeaux, yet further proof that even lower-tiered châteaux could benefit from the remarkable 2010 vintage and offer exceptional value. It opens with an enticing aroma of smoky, briny olive tapenade, soon joined by wet slate / graphite, earth, green and black pepper, and a curious but not unappetizing medicinal element. If there's an obvious problem it's the lack of fruit, but it's there, some blackberry, raspberry, and dark cherry. The flavours thin out quickly, turning bitter, but it's still a solid entry point into 2010 Bordeaux.
2.5 Stars
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Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Australia$12.95
A basic, hugely popular Cab, understandably so given its excessive sweetness, ripe dark fruit (cassis, blackberry, blueberry), and notes of vanilla, black pepper, and baking spice. But this easy and broad appeal, presumably to many, comes with a lack of structure (it's like drinking sweet/rich alcoholic fruit juice, coming across as quite hot) and, obviously, a lack of anything even resembling sophistication. That's too much to ask for in a wine of this caliber, perhaps, a wine destined for the global market, and it's okay, just okay, for what it is, but it's still overly simple and confected.
2.5 Stars
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Trius Sauvignon Blanc 2013, VQA Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$14.95
It's good to encounter a Sauvignon Blanc without the in-your-face aggressiveness of what this varietal often offers, particularly the globally commercial stuff from New Zealand, and this basic, no-nonsense Trius certainly fits the bill with restrained notes of gooseberry, grapefruit, pineapple, peach, lemon, and herbs, packaged with easy-drinking style (if for the off-putting touch of bitterness that it finishes on). But there's restraint and then there's lack of substance, and at times this seems more like flavoured water than purposeful wine. It's fine for what it is, but that's about it.
2.5 Stars
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Tenuta Sant'antonio Monti Garbi Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2011, Doc
Veneto, Italy$17.95
Quite a light ripasso, this charming, easy-drinking, medium-bodied effort; dominant cinnamon and other baking-spice notes, supported by dense, flavourful fruit, mostly raspberry, lurking unobtrusively and providing lift; there's dried-fruit in here as well, but there isn't the overwhelming raisin and prune character that, for better or worse, defines other ripassos; nothing complicated, nothing brooding, but solid.
2.5 Stars
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Gotin Del Risc Mencia 2010, Bierzo
Galicia, Spain$15.95
I love Mencia, but this inexpensive effort from the generally excellent Bodega del Abad simply falls flat. It opens with a characteristic (for the varietal) burst of aroma, mostly dark fruit like cassis, blackberry, and cherry, along with vague notions of wood and spice, though what's distinctive is the fairly strong, and not unpleasant, meaty note that prevails throughout -- but then the bottom drops out of it, the fruit dissipating and hollowness replacing it. It gets softer with a day or so, some depth showing, but without the fruit it proves to be rather harsh and charmless.
2.5 Stars
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åguia Moura Em Vinhas Velhas Reserva Tinto 2008, Doc Douro
Douro, Portugal$16.95
Rustic and powerful, with ripe fruit notes, but lacking any real definition and little to no sophistication; not entirely unpleasant, and fine with the right food, but forgettable.
2.0 Stars
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