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Chateau Curton La Perriere 2005 Bordeaux Cuvee No5

So I just found out this wine is imported by my favorite British Columbia Importer Freehouse wine and spirits so props to them, a great company fantastic people, I have met almost all there stuff at tasting and they have flown in 4 wine makers that I have me and talked to and even cooked dinner for one the guy who brought in a 20year vertical tasting! Oh and they import the St Cosme Rhone and Chateau Pesquie, both wine makers that I met too

That being said, this wine Chateau Curton la Perriere Curvee No5 Bordeaux 2005. Is from what I can tell is 100% Merlot 25year old, not fined or filtered. 17.99 Canadian! and I saw it for 10 British Pounds I mean that's a steal in Canada.

Colour Dark-Purple
Aroma: Spice, fruit, menthol a bit on day two with a prune/spice/molasses combo.
Taste: Good fruit, acidity tamed with decanting very silky def. needs decanting even for 30mins. Day2, fruit is there even darker and more brooding, almost plum/spice/prune combo very very nice

Overall/Reflection:
Score: 90

THE 100-POINT RATING SCALE (Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describes this in more detail.)
• Extraordinary (96-100 points)
• Outstanding (90-95)
• Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
• Good (80-84)
• Average (75-79)
• Below average (70-74)
• Avoid (50-70)

2006 Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Stripe Label - Review


Bottle 2 out of 12, Decided to open this with dinner as my wine fridge is getting low on wines and for dinner there was some Chicken, Fresh Made Pesto (Garlic, Basil were from the farmers market mmmm and didn't have any nuts so I had to grab some of the harder nuts from the Costco Mixed Nut Container Sitting in the Cupboard) Roasted Potatoes (also from the farmers market, water levels were high). Pinot Noir would make a good match and I wanted to take some notes and see how it is doing.

And it is doing just fine, tasty, good acidity,

The Stats:
Blue Mountain Vineyards
2006 Pinot Noir Stripe Label [aka Reserve]
13.5% Alc
Okanagan Falls, BC, Canada


The Eye:
Colour is Purple Red, A Dark Pinot Noir, but can still see your fingers

The Nose:
Day1: Fruit + Rubber
Day2: Eathy, Sweet Cherry hint of Smoke

The Mouth:
Day1: Good fruit coming through on the red fruit side, little spice, really nice acidity, some tannins there, light body definitly a food wine, the fruit popped out even more with the Pesto
Day2: Earthy, Bright Acidity, Medium Body a Bitter Cranberry Skin action little aeration in the mouth brings out some sweetness very nice


Overall/Reflection:
Score: 90 A really well made wine, and that acidity just makes it so nice with food. Some people might be bother by acidity but hey this is a Cool Climate Pinot Noir its what ya get. Tasty tho

THE 100-POINT RATING SCALE (Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describes this in more detail.)
• Extraordinary (96-100 points)
• Outstanding (90-95)
• Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
• Good (80-84)
• Average (75-79)
• Below average (70-74)
• Avoid (50-70)

A Molecular Book on Wine/Food Paring



From Khymos generally a food science blog, but I had to share the link. A Canadian Author (French Canadian) hence the book being in French has a book out on Pairing Food and Wine Molecular So go check out Khymos.

SaltSpring Island Vacation Wines (6)


So I went down to my local wine store [Liberity Wine Merchants, Granville Island] Always so helpful, it must help being in a tourist location so that's great. I mean I know enough about wine but I don't know what each individual wine taste like and that's why you need to ask these people what they have tasted and if its any good, and if so is it worth the money 5$ to 100+$

I wanted wines that I generally don't drink, and one expensive one that I would assume I would like [we will get to that later on]. I wanted a Loire Sauv [check] a sparkling [no-check] why no sparkling didn't really want to buy a bottle of champage shrug. Another white was thinking a Viognier Condrieu [check Viognier, no-check Condrieu]. Italian, I don' drink Italian, have been turned off by Sangioveses [check Nebbilio, Check Chianti] And I wanted a Bandol! [check] Because It was summer - Vacation - warm - water front property - just like Provence minus all the people? Then I had some Coronas too but eh that beer is too sweet for me, I prefer Kronenberg 1664

2007 Domaine des Corbillières Touraine Blanc
This was such a nice surprise for me, I went to a NZ wine tasting and really was turned off by all the Green Pepper [under ripe IMO]. This had a touch of that but with a touch of sweetness, lots of fruit just fantastic, the nose translated to the palate which was really good. Ripe Roaring Acidity which I love, which is why on Cellartracker I gave it 92Pts.

2008 Marichel Vineyards Viognier
A Viognier Trying to be a Sauvignon Blanc? As weird as it sounds it was maybe the fact that the fruit was very Sauvignon Blanc with good acidity (with no Greenness). Had Aromas of Zestyness with some Candied Orange Peel Day 2. Floral Notes were more pronounced becoming more Viognier but still not there. Tasting it It got my thinking is this a Viognier or a Sauvignon Blanc. Lots of really good acidity pure fruit can start to taste the alc at room temp. This wine is good but I wanted a Pure Viognier! this would be really amazing to I think someone who liked a Sauvignon Blanc but didn't like those under ripe greenness that usually it comes with. I gave this a 90pts

2004 Mauro Veglio Langhe Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo I have had a Barberesco, which I thoroughly enjoyed and so this was better then that one. At First it hits you with all those Tannins that you are going to get, some fruit. I stopped after that glass, and moved to the Bandol and had a glass of that then came to this again, and now the wine was tasting better maybe because of the fruit of the Bandol made it more palatable? I would of liked to decant this a lot longer tho. I have gave this a 90pts I would definitely like to try it again

2004 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico
This was very nice but not my style because of the spiced Plums, its not a smell I generally like myself but it was good in that sense. Aromas of Stewed Spiced Plums Taste not stewed, initial attack was bubble gum then opened up into good dark cherry touch of spice good acidity. I gave this a 88pts

2004 Bunan Bandol Moulin des Costes
Ah Bandol the Warm Climate wine, the Original Fruit Bomb? This was Pure Fantastic Fruit, not over the top but controlled, it was fruit it was real. Just big dark Jammy (but not over cooked jammy) Really Yummy. This wine I could drink all the time just for shear pleasure I mean, want to open a wine for yourself and for someone who doesn't drink wine you both will like this. Maybe even two bottles! I gave this 91pts

2005 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Cornas Brisse Caillou
This was suppose to be my piece de resistance, the most expensive a North Rhone Syrah! I love Northern Rhone Syrah because of the cooler climate Syrah, then after I drank it I read that Cornas is the warmest of the northern, or something like that! Now I know pfft. I think this would of tasted better if Let it sit for 10years but nope I didn't. Day 1. Aromas of Sugar Fruit, over the top crazy not pleasant to me. Day 2. Got more interesting Of Moroccan Dried Olives like really shriveled salty olives with little splash of Cherry Juice over it (Real Juice not that Sugary stuff from earlier). but the olives were in your face. Tasting wise they both followed the same path. I had a beautiful lamb dinner made from Salt Spring Island Lamb and everything it failed to live up to the expectation ah well. 88pts I gave it 89 on cellartracker I just down graded it. Tho maybe in 10years this vintage will be good.

Salt Spring Island 2009

Back from Salt Spring Island. Take the Ferry over, which is stops at 3 other islands first. (Mayne, Pender, Galiano) then Salt Spring the biggest population and size too I think.

Went to Visit my brother who is staying at his fiances dad house that he is remodeling. So Free Rent with a Hot Tub and a View of the Ocean.

Brought over 6 wines to drink and take some notes and relax, visited David Woods Salt Spring Island Cheese Farm/Factory (Awesome Goat Cheese) Bought some local Lamb, and some Fresh Baked bread all in all all right. Couple Raining Cloudy days couple Sunny days

Ok here are the photos, random didn't really delte doubles so there are 250 or so

Here is the link if you want to skim through them the fast way hah


I am Off to Salt Spring Island!



So I Leave tomorrow for Salt Spring Island, going by BC Ferries really the only way unless I want to fly by float plane but a little pricey for me today.

I have 6 bottles of wine for 4 days, really 2 half days and 2 full days.

Plan to Visit Salt Spring Island Winery, David Woods Goat Cheese mmmm, and buy some Salt Spring Island lamb to go with the wine!

Domaine Lafond 2007 Tavel


So this is the final wine for round 2 of the rose battles. A tavel, and Tavel only makes Roses, this one being "aight" I read that some tavel roses are very very "Red"esque. This not so much more Rose, fruity but big


The Stats:
Domaine Lafond
Roc-Epine
Rhone Blend
13.5% Alc
Tavel, Rhone/France


The Eye:
A nice cherry red colour, definitely dark

The Nose:
The nose brings a Fruit forwardness borderline Candied Cherries, but yet at the same time a almost Rich Huckleberry, it has that redness to it yet that full bodied fruit. With a touch of Rubberiness coming through which I assume some people describe as "mineral"

The Mouth:
Light Red Fruit, good acidity, good weight, touch of sweetness


Overall/Reflection:
Score: 88 A nice effort, I think from what I was expecting from Tavel I was a touch disappointed hopefully when I buy that bottle of Bandol I am not but we shall see

THE 100-POINT RATING SCALE (Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describes this in more detail.)
• Extraordinary (96-100 points)
• Outstanding (90-95)
• Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
• Good (80-84)
• Average (75-79)
• Below average (70-74)
• Avoid (50-70)