todd10

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

On the nose I was smelling cassis and raspberry. I was tasting a well balanced wine. Great dark fruit flavors and smooth tannins. At this point I had to double check the price ($19.95). I was surprised to get a wine with this flavor and this balance at this price point. I was also surprised that as I type this that the LCBO had over 4500 bottles remaining. This is too good and it seems like people are unaware of what is sitting in front of them.
One thing I will add. I see no reason to decant. Over 2 hours the wine did not improve. Overall, I am happy with this wine.
Tasted November 2019

District 7 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, Monterey County, Central Coast

Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2018, Swartland

I was getting a hint of cherry on the nose. The taste was okay, perhaps the balance was off, a little on the acidic side. After about 45 minutes in the bottle, the acidity balanced out but the complexity did not improve. If you buy this wine, I suggest to decant for 30 to 45 minutes. This is a good reasonable priced wine, but if you are hoping to taste many secondary notes, do not get your hopes up.

Malivoire Estate Grown Chardonnay 2018, VQA Beamsville Bench

When I tried this, it might have been around 11C. It had tree fruit aromas such as apple and pear. It had a medium body mouth feel and was tasty but not crisp. Throughout the evening it sat in my wine chiller and must have went down to about 6 or 7C. As expected at those temperatures, the aromas were muted but the crisp taste that I prefer came out.
Not a bad wine at that price.
Tasted September 2020

Stoneleigh Pinot Noir Marlborough 2018

I was pleasantly surprised with this wine. Even though I was expecting more fruit flavor, I did enjoy this wine. I was not expecting the aromas of tobacco, oak and dried herbs but I did enjoy that for change.
The tannins were smooth and the taste had a nice earthy flavor.
Tasted October 2020

13th Street Cabernet Franc June's Vineyard 2019, VQA Creek Shores

I have not had a red wine that has not touched oak in a long time. Although it is nice to taste the grape without any intervention of wood, I have realized that I really do enjoy (and missed) the secondary notes that oak provides. This wine had hints of cherry, stone, and black pepper. It was better as it went to room temperature. Not a bad wine, but like I mentioned before, I really missed the complexity that oak aging provides.
Tasted December 2020

Two Sisters Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Niagara Peninsula

This wine exceeded my expectations. On the nose, I was getting tropical fruit, perhaps guava or passion fruit. This was a nice crisp wine with an acidic zip that I enjoyed. The finish had flavors of citrus zest.
The only issue with this wine was it was so good, I had to do everything in my power not to drink it too fast.
Tasted February 2021.

Heart & Soil Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Langhorne Creek

It had hints of oak and black fruit, but I was not getting any complex aromas.
The tannins were on point, not to soft yet not to harsh.
Through out the evening, I did not find that this wine opened up any further, so I see no reason to decant.
Tasted November 2020

Peninsula Ridge Beal Vineyards Inox Reserve Chardonnay 2017, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula

Aromas of melon with a hint of lemon. Nice acidity, and nice length on the finish. It is hard to describe the flavors of this wine. It is not a fruity wine. After many sips I can say that it has some subtle pear flavor and sort of an oaky nutty flavor. It is very hard to explain. Regardless of the fact that I cannot explain the flavor properly , I did enjoy it.
Tasted October 2021

Lealtanza Reserva 2015, Vegan, Doca Rioja

Aromas of cherry and oak. If you let the wine breath for a while that oak turns into a nice cigar box aroma.
Nicely balanced wine with a good finish. The cigar box aroma that I mentioned is part of its flavor, I enjoyed that.
I always find Rioja Reserva is one of the best wine per dollar that you can get.
I recommend to decant for 30 minutes to help bring out the aromas.
Tasted December 2020