todd10

Gabriel Meffre Sainte-catherine Gigondas 2015, Ap

Aromas of plum and cassis came bursting out. A little vanilla in the back ground.
The aromas were not as complex as you may think of my score of 92. The reason for this score was mainly due to taste and balance. I found this wine very well balanced. The tannin's were smooth but not too smooth. Flavors of dark fruit filled my mouth. I even enjoyed the slight heat on the finish.
Through out the evening (2 hours) I did not find that this wine opened up much more then when I first opened it, so I see no reason to decant.

Tasted April 2020

The Chocolate Block 2019, Wo Swartland, South Africa

This wine was okay but to me nothing too special. I was getting your basic dark fruit aromas. I will say that you should decant or wait a bit before you drink this. When I opened it at first it was very tight with no character. After about 30 minutes it did open up and I did enjoy it more.
Tasted Aug 2024

Zuani Vigne Bianco 2018, D.O.C. Collio

Aromas of citronella and lemon zest. Long finish. Great balance. The taste was fantastic, pear, apple and a hint of peach.
NOTE: I got these aromas and tasting notes at the recommended 14C. Of course these were not as strong as I cooled the wine. I will say that I was worried about drinking a white on a warm day at 14C, but it was not bad at all.
Tasted June 2021

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

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

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2019, Okanagan Valley

This was a nice wine but nothing stood out for me that makes it deserve a 90+ review. It does have aromas of tree fruit with a hint of lime zest. Nice length. I once even had a nice buttery flavor on the finish. This wine was very finicky when it came to temperature. I started with 12C but it did not suit this wine. I say around 8 or 9C was the sweet spot. When it got cooler than that, it closed up as expected.
Tasted April2022

Undurraga Terroir Hunter Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Cauquenes, Maule Valley

Terroir Hunter wines are wines were Underraga looks for new terroir to grow grapes in Chile. I think with this wine, the hunt is over. The nose has a wonderful mix of black current and toffee. Very well balanced wine with smooth tannins. A nice tasty finish. Flavors of dark fruit. The wine was fantastic from the moment that I opened it so I see no reason to decant. As it breathed for a while, the aromas of toffee dissipated to a spicier black pepper aroma.
This $25 dollar wine could easily go head to head with some $75 bottles that I have had recently.
Tasted June 2020

San Pedro Sideral 2016, Do Cachapoal Valley

This wine displayed aromas of cassis, but what I really enjoyed was the earthy scents. The finish was long. Nice acidity and smooth tannins. I enjoyed the taste because it was not all about fruit but it had a little of that earthy flavor to it too. Through out the night, it did not evolve, so I see no reason to decant.
Tasted March 2020

Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2019, Wo Stellenbosch

I found the nose a little muted with just hints of apple and honey. What was outstanding was the flavor of the wine. I was tasting a medium bodied wine nice balance. Some acidity but not too much. Flavors of apple, lime and lemon come to mind.
Fantastic wine at such a low price point.
Tasted March 2021.