Chateau des Charmes for Spring

2014 Gamay Noir – LCBO 57349 – $13.95 – ****+ – In a recent social media post I called this “liquid awesome”. The nose is inviting with red and dark cherry with a subtle earthiness. The nose on this wine feels a little heavier than when it hits your mouth. When this wine hits your mouth it is light and delicate with lots of ripe cherry flavours. This wine is dangerously smooth with nice acidity. Simply put this is a fantastic easy drinking, medium bodied red wine to enjoy as long as it’s available on the shelves.

2011 “Old Vines” Pinot Noir – LCBO 256834 – $18.95 – ***1/2+ – Earthy aromas with dark cherry waft out of the glass in this wine. This is very typical of Pinot Noir from Niagara on the Lake, it is heavy on earth and balanced with ripe cherry flavours. I always remain sceptical of Pinot Noir from Ontario at this price point, but Chateau des Charmes consistently delivers great wine in this category. Good acidity and nice earthiness on the finish will make this a great match to lamb chops or even burgers off the grill.