2011 Flat Rock Riddled Sparkling – Vintages 383315 – $34.95 – ****+ – Value for sparkling from Ontario is always going to be the story here – as this bottle is easily in the same league as entry level Champagne selling for double the price. The aromas are fantastic orchard...
I really love the wines from Icellars. I look forward to stopping by whenever I get the chance. Simba, the golden retriever, and door greeter is quickly gaining notoriety to match Brix, the Bernese mountain dog and door greeter at Sue-Ann Staff’s winery. In short, this is one of the...
2016 13th Street Cabernet/merlot – Vintages 056598 – $19.95 – **** – Juicy and lush red fruit with very soft tannin. This is very easy drinking and a great reminder that not every bottle of red wine from a stellar vintage in Ontario needs to spend time in a cellar...
2016 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Chardonnay – Vintages 616466 – $29.95 – **** – Rich and heavy, great toasted oak and spice is well integrated with ripe peach, tangerine, and pineapple. A great reflection of the warm 2016 vintage. With a year or two in cellar this should...
There’s 106 miles to Chicago Sonoma, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark out, and we’re wearing sunglasses. – Hit it! When I rented my Mustang convertible on that Saturday in May I couldn’t help but think of that quote, one of my...
2015 Leaning Post The Fifty Chardonnay – Vintages 578864 – $21.95 – **** – Wonderfully complex, and showing some restraint. This checks a lot of boxes that make me excited to grab a few bottles of this. The aromas of green apple, melon, and just a hint of spice. There...
I had an opportunity to stop by Organized Crime Winery to chat with their new winemaker Greg Yemen. After recent discoveries of their 2012 PIpe Down and 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, I needed to see how the rest of the portfolio stacked up. This winery is going to be a regular...
2016 The Hare Crown Land White – Vintages 547786 – $18.50 – **** – A blend of Gewurztraminer and Riesling – this bottle offers fantastic balance of these two grapes. The aromas are unapologetically rosewater and lychee in spades. On the palate this matches the nose and has me wondering...
I was thrilled to taste through some Redstone wines earlier this year. It’s always a treat to get to taste these wines. 2015 Sparkling Rosé – $29.95 – **** – This Pinot Noir sparkler is so fruity and delicious. The aromas are very pretty red fruit. On the palate this...
I had a chance to taste through some wines from Pelee Island. It’s been a while since I’ve visited some of these wines. I know that I’ve said it many times on this blog, but my go to cooking wine is the VQA Cabernet Franc. What’s really cool about this...
2016 Flat Rock Chardonnay – Vintages 286278 – $19.95 – **** – I offer this to anyone who gripes about the price of Ontario wine. I defy you to find a bottle of Chardonnay from anywhere in the world that delivers on quality the way Flat Rock has with this...
2016 Locked and Loaded Red – $19.95 – ****+ – The blend from this vintage is 34% Merlot, 27% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. Given that 2016 was an unusually hot and dry summer it’s remarkable the amount of restraint that is in the...
