Jon Speed

Tawse Quarry Road Riesling 2009, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula

Pale yellow, citrus, apple, slight residual sugar, high acid, med long finish. Not overly complex. Jan 2011.

Cordero Di Montezemolo Monfalletto Barolo 2004

Medium garnet. Plum, cherry, raisins, liqeuered, tobacco. A dry full bodied wine with high concentration, a fair amount of tannin balanced with some extra acidity. A very long finish. A big wine, well balanced. March 2011.

Montirius Vacqueyras Le Clos 2004, Ac

Apr 2010

Baron De Ley Gran Reserva 2001, Doca Rioja

Dark fruit, blackcherry, earth, cedar. Med weight, with integrated tannins, balanced. Nice finish. Enjoyable. Jan 2011..

Katnook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Coonawarra, South Australia

Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Napa Valley

Deep ruby moving to garnet, intense nose, blackberry, earthy, forest floor, dried fruit, high tannins but soft, wood, big mouthfeel. Average length. Jan 2011.

Thorn Clarke Shotfire Quartage 2007, Barossa, South Australia

Dark fruit, fairly strong nose, nice mid pallet. Seems fairly well balanced even with the loads of fruit. Just a tad short of delicious.

Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz 2008, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Dark purple, clear, fairly intense nose, dark berry, plum, integrated wood, smooth tannin balanced with some acidity, med long finish. Good. Jan 2011.

Ardal Reserva 2004, Do Ribera Del Duero

Dark Ruby. There is not a lot of fruit on the nose, there is a lot of oak with cedar, toabacco and vegetal notes. On the palate we do get some plum and licorice. Fairly tannic and acidic and a bit hot. The finish is medium length leaving one mostly with somewhat bitter tannin and alcohol. Seems a bit disjointed to me. March 2011.

Masi Serego Alighieri Possessioni Rosso 2008, Veneto

Medium weight, with reasonable balance. Worked well with lasagna, med long finish. Sept 2010.