todd10

Hidden Bench Estate Chardonnay 2017, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario

The is a delicious wine. It has a buttery nose with a hint of citrus. I was expecting a very buttery flavor but it was very subtle. Nice balanced wine with flavors of green apple with a subtle buttery touch. Long finish.
Tasted December 2020

Zuccardi Poligonos Malbec 2016, Tupungato Alto, Mendoza

The wine is dark purple. When first opened, it had wonderful aromas of cassis, black pepper and vanilla. Very strong tannin's. It will dry your mouth very fast. At this point, I would have loved to have a steak with it. About an hour later, I found the aromas dissipated a bit but the tannin's smoothed out a bit too. Even though the aromas soften, another aroma started to emerge...dark chocolate. This wine has dark fruit flavors. I would say the sweet spot for this wine is about an hour after opening.

Tasted May 2020

Bodega Garzón Reserva Albariño 2018, Maldonado

Albarino is one of my favorite white wines. However this one disappointed me. The nose was a subtle hint of lychee. The taste I can best describe as apple. The mouth feel was not what I was expecting. It was a little spritzy. When swirling it in my mouth, it almost felt like I was swirling a cola drink in my mouth. Acidity was okay. Overall, I have learned that perhaps when I buy Albarino wines, I should stick with Portugal and Spain.

Domaine Chante Perdrix Châteauneuf Du Pape 2016, Ac

This was a great wine. Aromas of delicious dark fruit and a hint of vanilla. This was a very well balanced wine. Taste of dark fruit combined with dark chocolate. Long tasty finish.
Throughout the evening, I did not notice much change in the wine, so I see no reason to decant. It is great from the moment you open it.
Tasted May 2020

Château Clarke 2015, Ac Listrac Médoc

I feel I should have waited a few more years before I tasted this. I did not fine the aromas or flavors as complexed as I was hoping for. In the nose, I was getting black current with a little oak. On the palate very grippy tannins. That surprised me considering the wine is 70% Merlot. Dark fruit flavors.
The tannins did smooth out a little after the bottle was opened for a while so I do recommend to decant for at least 30 minutes, maybe an hour.

Tasted June 2020

Pierre Amadieu Domaine Grand Romane Cuvée Prestige Vieilles Vignes 2017, Ac Gigondas

I was a little disappointed with this wine. I have enjoyed a few nice Gigondas wines the last few months but this one was missing the charactor and balance of what I have come to expect from a Gigondas. Black fruit on the nose and palate. Grippy tannins. Nice finish. I would suggest to decant for 30 minutes.
My opinion is if you plan on opening this, perhaps wait a couple more years for some more charactor to develop.
Tasted June 2020.

Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, South Island

I had the 2017 vintage a couple months ago. The 2017 was better. This was good too though.
The top take away from this wine was the length. I thought the length was well above average.
Aromas of lemon and fresh cut grass.
Taste of green apple and lychee. Very good acidity.
Although the wine was good at around 8C, while it sat in my wine chiller and got cooler, I did enjoy the wine more. It became more crisp and balanced.

Tasted May 2020

13th Street Chardonnay L. Viscek Vineyard 2018, Creek Shores

Flint and tropical fruit on the nose but nothing realy stuck out. A smooth wine with light acidity and a nice lenght on the finish.
It is possible that I had this wine a little too cool because it seemed muted me. I tried letting it sit to warm up but still no other aromas popped for me.
Tasted December 2020

Montalto Pennon Hill Chardonnay 2018, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

Bravo! This was a great wine. Great complexity. Nutty nose with tropical fruit such as lychee. Also got some melon and apple. A little smokiness to it.
Nicely balanced. Good finish. I was very happy
Tasted November 2020

Il Poggio Taburno Sannio Coda Di Volpe 2018, Dop

This wine had some hints of stone fruit. Medium bodied. A nice acidic and dry taste. A finish that I could best describe as tasting like grape fruit.
Overall, not a bad wine for under $18.
Tasted November 2020