todd10

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

Santa Carolina Reserva De Familia Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Maipo Valley

On first pour, this was overly tannic with sharp acidity that overwhelmed any complexity and made it unpleasant. I capped it and revisited the next day. Initially still aggressive, but with air the tannins softened and acidity settled into better balance. Decanting is recommended. Aromas were simple: black cherry and green bell pepper, with limited depth.

Tasted Feb 2026.

Ontañón Reserva 2011, Doca Rioja

This wine had aromas of tabacco and oak. I was hoping for more complexity for a wine that is 10 years old. This wine did have a nice long finish. I found the wine had a nice balance.
Over the few hours that the wine was opened, I did not find any improvement so I see no reason to decant.
Nice wine but I was expecting more complexity.
Tasted February 2021

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Colchagua Valley

I see that I loved and rated the 2017 vintage a 91. 2018 did not dazzle me so much. I did enjoy the raspberry that was on the nose, but the tannins were so strong that my mouth dried out on one sip. With that said, the tannins did smooth out as the night progressed, so I would recommend to decant to calm those tannins. A long finish with taste of dark fruit. It is an okay wine, but nothing too special (unlike the 2017 vintage that I was very happy with).
Tasted April 2021

Malivoire Estate Grown Chardonnay 2020, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment

Aromas of tree fruit. A nice acidity. A little lacking of any complexed flavours. This is a great wine to sip on a balcony during a nice summer evening.
Tasted July 2023

Tedeschi Marne 180 Amarone Della Valpolicella 2020

Fantastic wine. It was not as complexed as other Amarone's that I have had. This is the basic dark fruit flavours and aroma's. What makes this stand out though is how delicious these flavours are. The balance was great. As the night progressed, the wine tasted even better so decanting is not a bad idea but it is great right from opening the bottle.
Tasted November 2024

Viña Tarapacá Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Do Valle Del Maipo

I’ll admit that I don’t always pick up on the subtle nuances that experts describe, and I didn’t find anything particularly distinctive here. That said, the wine offers a pleasant level of tannins along with the expected dark fruit flavors. Overall, it’s a solid wine for the price point, but for me, it falls well short of a 91.

Tasted December 2024

Westcott Estate Chardonnay 2019, VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario

This wine has aroma's of chalk and lime zest. It is medium bodied. Nice length. I also detected a pleasant buttery flavor on the finish. I was happy with the the acidity too.
I would suggest to make sure not to have this wine too cold or else any character that this wine has will quickly dissipate. 12C was the best temperature for me for this wine.
Tasted Feb 2022.

Trius Red The Icon 2018, VQA Niagara Peninsula

A spicy nose with aromas of green bell pepper. Nice tannins, acidity and long finish. The flavors of black fruit with a little oak. I can say, as the night progressed, I found the flavors to be a little more distinctive. I would suggest to decant.
Tasted May 2021.

Maculan Pinot Grigio 2023, Doc Breganze

I had this at a get together. Perhaps I had it too cold because it was very muted. It was dry as I expected but was not really interesting in any way. With that said, I still enjoyed it but I would say, do not drink it too cold and perhaps you will enjoy more complexity.
Tasted June 2025