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Tastings: December 2012
31 December 2012
86PTS
Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
South Australia, AustraliaFresh cedar-y minty tobacco nose with a strong cassis character flecked with pepper. The attack is similar with round, spicy, black cherry, earthy, resin cigarette ash and cedar notes all with some acidity poking through. Best with grilled meats of the barbecue to tame the acidity and youthful tannins.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $19.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $18.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $16.45 | 750ml |
| QC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $19.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $19.00 | 750ml |
| PEI | $20.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $18.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Xanadu Next of Kin Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Margaret River, Western Australia, AustraliaLess tart than previous versions which is a good start. The nose is a mix of savoury, dried herbs and cola cedar, and black fruit. The attack is warm and round with more cedar and black fruit flavours with ripe smooth tannins. You can drink this now or wait two or three years for it to mature in bottle. The wine spends 14 months in French oak prior to release. Try this with an old fashioned roast baron of beef.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $16.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $18.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
337 Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Lodi, Central Valley, California, United StatesThe 337 moniker refers to the French cabernet sauvignon clone 337. The nose is open and inviting with bright black berry fruit, with bits of cedar and resin. The attack is smooth and dense with medium weight tannin and more blackberry/black cherry fruit flecked with coffee and chocolate. A simple weekday cabernet for burgers and grilled meats with little or no herbaceous character.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $19.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $19.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $25.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Paradigm Cabernet Franc 2009
Oakville, Napa Valley, California, United StatesHeidi Peterson Barrett makes Paradigm and in the case of the cab franc blends about 18 per cent cabernet sauvignon into the mix. A rare site in Canada this ripe cabernet franc has both structure and quietly but forcefully pulls itself across your palate. Blueberries spice and chocolate mark the mid-palate along with some impressive 'dusty' fine grained tannins and a pure fruit finish. Nowhere near ready to drink it does tempt you to throw a leg of lamb on the grill and finish the bottle. The finish goes on forever.Prices:| BC | $75.00 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Oakville, Napa Valley, California, United StatesAs rich and as round as this wine is in the mouth don't let its graceful elegant styling fool you. This is the full meal deal and it will likely be even better in a decade. The fruit is pure cabernet with intense black cherries, the perfect acidity and a wealth of firm, fine grained, polished tannins that linger until they are subdued by the fruit in the finish. Very impressive bottle of Oakville cabernet that definitely puts a shine back on Napa Valley cabernet. The winery suggest you pair this with renowned Napa chef Cindy Pawlcyn's double lamb chops with tapenade. Prices:| BC | $85.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $175.00 | 1500ml |
| AB | $80.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
James Oatley Tic Tok Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Mudgee - Franklin River, AustraliaThere is an easy drinkability to this juicy red that literally melts into your palate. It's not terribly complicated or dense but it is fun. The mix of Mudgee and Franklin River fruit is cool and more red than black. Try this with a meat pasta dish or your favourite charcuterie dish.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $18.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $18.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $16.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $18.00 | 750ml |
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30 December 2012
89PTS
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Dry Riesling 2011
Clare Valley, South Australia, AustraliaAlways dependable, the Lodge Hill vineyard sits at 480 metres above sea level a big factor in this wine's cool demeanour. The attack is bright and juicy with a citrus, strawberry, talcum powder nose and palate. The finish is crisp and bone dry. You can drink this now with a wide variety of seafood, and white meats or you may cellar it for another decade. Good value.Prices:| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Haywire The Bub Méthode Traditionelle 2011
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaLots of medium fine continuous mousse. Green apple, citrus, toasty brioche with a hint of baked pear. Fresh, crisp, juicy, slightly sweet palate with pear, citrus rind, green apple, lemon, toasty butter flavours. Fairly tart and austere but juicy.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Backyard Vineyards Blanc de Noir Brut NV
British Columbia, CanadaLots and lots of foamy mousse with a light blush colour. Toasty, garlic, tobacco, cranberry aromas. Fresh, juicy, lean but elegant palate with a touch of sweetness. More roasted garlic (lees), spicy, tobacco, cherry, rhubarb flavours. A fresh, simple but elegant style.Prices:| BC | $45.00 | 750ml |
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96PTS
Roederer Cristal Champagne 2005
Champagne, FranceVery fine, continuous tiny mousse. Creamy, green apple, brioche, honey, citrus, floral, butter and ripe pear aromas. Fresh, creamy, juicy, crisp palate with fine mousse. Big green apple, buttered pear, brioche, honey, creamy, peach pit, lemon flavours. Great finesse and texture with balanced sweetness and crisp acidity. Should improve for many years in bottle. A super effort.Prices:| BC | $278.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $288.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $283.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $756.00 | 1500ml |
| NB | $258.00 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Champagne Dom Pérignon 2003
Champagne, FranceAs warm and dry as 2003 was in Europe winemaker Richard Geoffrey decided to declare a Dom Pérignon vintage in 2003. It has turned out to be a very big champagne with more power and minerality than finesse and acidity at least at this point but it should still have wide appeal for most Dom drinkers. There are more candied fruits than red this year and there is a lot more pinot noir in the mix and spice. Baked apple, pear skin, buttered almond, citrus rind, toasty, garlic flavours. Very intense and rich style with ripe fruit characters but also quite strong lees autolysis. There is freshness and minerality but Geoffrey insists the 2003 will be remembered by its intensity. Drink now with the classic foie gras or caviar match or hold for another five years.Prices:| BC | $213.00 | 750ml |
| US | $119.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $230.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $235.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $219.00 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec NV
Champagne, FrancePoor cork with oxidized character. Try another.Prices:| BC | $79.99 | 750ml |
| AB | $79.99 | 750ml |
| MB | $85.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $81.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $79.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $79.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Kanazawa Raku 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBig liquorice, black cherry, gingerbread, meaty, chocolate, leather, poultry spice and floral aromas. Round, soft, fresh, juicy palate with meaty, sausage, chocolate, vanilla, licorice, herbal, liquorice, poultry spice and tobacco leaf flavours. Fairly intense style but reasonably well balanced and ripe.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Clos du Soleil Signature 2010
Keremeos, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, CanadaCoffee, spicy, peppery, minty, vanilla, black olive, tobacco, cranberry, rooty, chocolate aromas. Smooth, round, full palate with some astringent tannin. Smoky, coffee, vanilla, cranberry, cherry, peppery, herbal, tobacco, savoury herb flavours. Finish is very warm and dry with some austere tannin. Needs 2-4 years to soften.Prices:| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Van Westen Vineyards V 2009
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSavoury, pepper, cedar, black cherry, chocolate nose flecked with black olive and tobacco aromas. Rich, ripe, full, round palate but warm and still with some tannin to shed. Coffee, chocolate, prune, black cherry jam, cedar, vanilla and sage flavours with a bit of clove and ginger. Needs several years to round out but has lots of fruit and intensity. Serve now with roasted meats or cellar for five years.Prices:| BC | $35.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Xanadu Next of Kin Shiraz 2010
Margaret River, Western Australia, AustraliaPeppery, tobacco leaf, licorice root, cedar, resin, plum and herbal aromas. Round, fresh, warm and slightly sweet palate with light tannins. Black plum, chocolate, peppery, tobacco leaf, leather, meaty, resin flavours with a pruny finish. Simple stuff.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $18.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $12.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Trivento Reserve Malbec 2011
Mendoza, ArgentinaPrune, black cherry, leather, earthy, sausage meat, peppery, barnyard aromas. Ripe, round, full, warm but sweet palate with black cherry jam, poultry spice, leather, meaty, tobacco and chocolate flavours. Finish is quite sweet and tart. A change to a more commercial, sweet style here.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $15.00 | 750ml |
| YK | $16.25 | 750ml |
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85PTS
St. Hallett Gamekeeper's Shiraz Grenache 2010
Barossa Valley, South Australia, AustraliaPeppery, spicy, meaty, raspberry jam, liquorice, chocolate aromas. Round, smooth, slightly tart and sweet palate with ginger, peppery, chocolate, liquorice, kirsch, cedar, raspberry jam flavours. Hot and tart on the finish but solid fruit.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $15.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $13.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $15.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Rigamarole Red 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBlack olive, cedar, peppery, resin, coffee, tobacco and cranberry aromas. Round, smooth, easy but sweet palate with light tannins. Cedar, olive, green bean, peppery, tobacco leaf and cassis flavours with a warm, very tart finish.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Michel Torino Don David Syrah Reserve 2010
Cafayate, Calchaqui Valley, Salta, North, ArgentinaOpen peppery, coffee, roast bell pepper, spicy, plum nose with smoky, vanilla aromas. Fresh, round, smooth, juicy palate with light sweetness. Prune, coffee, peppery, spicy, plum, meaty, leather, tobacco leaf flavours. A bit tart and leafy but with solid balance. Lamb anyone?Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Catena Malbec 2010
Mendoza, ArgentinaBlack cherry, prune, sausage meat, leather, coffee, savoury, tobacco leaf, peppery aromas. Round, smooth, soft palate with black cherry, tobacco, peppery, savoury, licorice, chocolate, poultry spice and vanilla flavours. Warm, full, juicy style with some intensity.Prices:| BC | $21.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $29.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $17.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $24.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $24.00 | 750ml |
| PEI | $24.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Las Moras Reserve Tannat 2010
San Juan, ArgentinaBig meaty, leather, smoky, chocolate, savoury, peppery, tapenade and cherry jam aromas. Round, smooth, fresh but somewhat sweet and prickly with prune, cherry jam, meaty, leather, chocolate, barnyard flavours with a tart, hot finish. Your barbecue red for meat and spaghetti.Prices:| BC | $13.00 | 750ml |
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29 December 2012
88PTS
Castello Banfi Rosso di Montalcino 2010
Montalcino, Siena, Tuscany, ItalySmoky, peppery, savoury, ash, liquorice root, black cherry, cedar and tobacco aromas. Fresh, round, smooth, juicy palate with peppery, tobacco, earthy, liquorice, black cherry, plum, resin, smoky herb and roast meat flavours. Forward style but solid concentration and fruit for current drinking with meats and stews.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne NV
Champagne, FranceIf you prefer you brut with a bit more sophistication Brut Premier is it. It is easily one of the most consistent styles in the market with its nutty, floral, citrus nose, bits of red fruits and a whiff of oyster shell. The entry is refined with a crisp, creamy mousse textures and more nutty, strawberry, citrus fruit flavours with a biscuity finish. An exemplary brut to pair with stylish seafood appetizers.Prices:| AB | $64.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $68.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $66.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $68.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $319.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $66.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $34.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $70.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $60.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Township 7 Pinot Gris 2010
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaLight butter, fruit cocktail, floral, green apple aromas. Full, round, soft, somewhat hollow palate with baked apple, pear, lees, and grapefruit flavours with a tart finish. Needs drinking.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Township 7 Chardonnay 2010
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaButtery, bruised apple, honey, lees, diacetyl, nutty, waxy aromas. Fat, round, soft palate with butterscotch, baked apple, pear skin, waxy, oily, nutty, citrus rind flavours. Very buttery, mature style for current drinking.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Kanazawa Ronin 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, cedar, black olive, barnyard, leather, resin, Oxo aromas. Dry, tight, elegant palate with light tannins. Cherry, cedar, black olive, herbal, tobacco, resin, barnyard, lees and smoky flavours. Tight, youthful oaky finish. Not a ripe as we would like this needs time in the bottle to dissipate the oak and expose more fruit. The blend is 88/6/6 merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Chateau Grand Renom Rouge 2010
Bordeaux, FranceBlack olive, dill brine, smoky leather, peppery, cherry, tobacco leaf aromas. Dry, lean, somewhat tannic palate with cedar bark, peppery, smoky, herbal, olive, resin, coffee, cherry and tobacco leaf flavours. A bit oaky and cedar-y with a tart edge.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Wither Hills Pinot Gris 2011
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandFloral, honey, candied grapefruit, matchstick, grassy, spicy ginger aromas. Full, round, soft and sweet entry with canned grapefruit, spicy, baked pear, honey and lees flavours. More of a picnic style here.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
181 Merlot 2010
Lodi, Central Valley, California, United StatesPruny, cassis jam, burnt tobacco, cedar, olive, leather aromas. Soft, sweet, round palate with light tannins. Candied cherry, tobacco, cedar, olive, peppery, rooty flavours. Too sweet and sour on the finish for our taste.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $21.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $17.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $19.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Bonterra The Butler 2007
Mendocino County, California, United StatesThe '07 The Butler is 81/9/6/4 Rhone-style blend of syrah with small amounts of grenache, mourvèdre and petite sirah made by winemaker Bob Blue. The ranch fruit is certified both organic and biodynamic and has been since 1993. The '07 is the first release of this Rhone-style blend that Blue makes using a mix of "the best varietal and vineyard lots kept separate. "The nose is a mix of smoked meat and floral notes. The attack is rich and mildly wild with full-bodied smoky, gamey, black fruit flavours flecked with spice and cherries. This is going to need another five years before it comes around or serve now with roasted lamb.Prices:| US | $54.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $50.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Township 7 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPruny, barnyard, leather, peppery, tobacco, rooty, tapenade aromas. Round, smooth, fresh palate with liquorice, pepper, earth and coffee flavours flecked with prune, raisin, resin and cedar notes. The finish is a lean and astringent with a pruny edge. Drink up.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Township 7 Merlot 2009
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaChocolate, prune, coffee, cherry jam, peppery, spicy, barnyard, minty, leather aromas. Round, dry, slightly astringent palate with cedar, coffee, chocolate, cherry, cedar bark, tobacco leaf, spicy, vanilla flavours. A bit tart and tannic but should improve over the next few years.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Township 7 Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2011
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaFloral, grassy, red apple, guava, matchstick aromas. Light, fresh, crisp palate with some sweetness. Lime, green apple skin, grassy, passion fruit, floral flavours.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Jacob's Creek Cool Harvest Shiraz Rosé 2012
South Eastern Australia, AustraliaCherry, candied apple, sweaty grapefruit, leaf aromas. Fresh, round, light, sweet palate with a bit of spritz. Cherry jam, strawberry, candied apple, tobacco flavours with a bitter rind note. Simple, easy picnic style.Prices:| BC | $11.75 | 750ml |
| ON | $11.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $13.50 | 750ml |
| NF | $15.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $13.50 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Jacob's Creek Cool Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2011
South Eastern Australia, AustraliaGrassy, nettle, lemon, grapefruit rind aromas with a touch of gooseberry and matchstick. Fresh, light, juicy palate with some light sweetness and spritz. Pink grapefruit, passion fruit, nettle and herb flavours with some green apple notes. Good juicy, elegant style for consumers and solid value.Prices:| BC | $11.75 | 750ml |
| ON | $11.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $13.50 | 750ml |
| NF | $15.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Jacob's Creek Moscato 2011
South Eastern Australia, AustraliaNice floral, nectarine, spicy, lime, minty, peach skin aromas. Fresh, juicy, spritzy, somewhat sweet palate with honey, minty, green apple, nectarine skin and ginger flavours. Juicy, delicate, fresh style that is not too sweet. Solid, easy summer or food style at only 8% alcohol.Prices:| BC | $12.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $11.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $13.50 | 750ml |
| NS | $14.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $14.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $13.50 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Rigamarole White 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaFloral, grapefruit, pear, matchstick, spicy, green apple aromas. Fresh, easy, juicy, slightly sweet palate with red apple, grapefruit, honey, floral, pear skin and light sausage flavours. Finish is a bit tart but clean and creamy.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $15.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Rigamarole Rosé 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaLight cranberry colour with rhubarb, tobacco, sour cherry, grapefruit and tobacco aromas. Round but tart and lean palate with tobacco, candied citrus, leafy, olive, green apple flavours with a touch of strawberry.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Paradigm Rosé of Merlot 2011
Oakville, Napa Valley, California, United StatesPale strawberry colour. Light liquorice, spicy, strawberry jam, tobacco leaf, cooked apple aromas. Round, easy palate but tart and slightly bitter with tobacco leaf, olive, strawberry jam, grapefruit and herb flavours. Has body but not the fruit.Prices:| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
White Bear Riesling 2011
CanadaFloral, grassy, red apple, guava, matchstick aromas. Light, fresh, crisp palate with some sweetness. Lime, green apple skin, grassy, passion fruit, floral flavours.Prices:| BC | $12.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $12.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Opawa Pinot Gris 2012
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandFloral, spicy, pear, honey, grapefruit rind aromas. Fresh, round, juicy, off-dry palate with baked pear, grapefruit rind, honey, lemon oil and nettle flavours. A bit oily and bitter rind on the finish with a warm edge. Expensive for what it is.Prices:| BC | $30.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $25.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Nautilus Estate Pinot Gris 2011
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandSpicy, grassy, nettle, citrus rind, light jalapeno and honey aromas. Full, round, juicy, slightly soft and sweet entry with baked pear, pink grapefruit, green apple, lees, honey and earthy herb flavours. Good juicy style for current drinking. Try this with most West coast shellfish.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $24.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $22.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $23.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $25.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Paradigm Merlot 2009
Oakville, Napa Valley, California, United StatesThe famed Heidi Pedersen Barrett makes this 95/5 merlot/cabernet sauvignon (561 cases). Look for a floral, black cherry jam, chocolate, vanilla nose with flecks of leather and smoky tobacco. The attack is round and elegant with a slightly lean palate and light tannins followed by chocolate, vanilla, cedar, coffee, tobacco, black olive, minty, boysenberry, plum, savoury, saddle leather flavours.Prices:| BC | $65.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $65.00 | 750ml |
| US | $46.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Sperling Vineyards Old Vines Foch 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaChocolate, cedar, tobacco, animal, barnyard, riparian, black cherry aromas. Round, smooth, fresh, slightly sweet palate with chocolate, coffee, vanilla, sour cherry, herbal, tobacco leaf, peppery, sausage flavours. Very warm, tart, leafy finish.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Santa Ana Torrontes Reserva 2010
ArgentinaLemon oil, waxy, nutty, ginger, camphor, baked nectarine aromas. Round, soft, somewhat heavy and flat palate with lemon, ginger, nutty, buttery baked pear flavours. Seems prematurely heavy and mature.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
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28 December 2012
87PTS
Jean Bousquet Malbec (Organic Grapes) 2011
Tupungato, Valle de Uco, Tunuyán, Central Region, Mendoza, ArgentinaTight savoury, resiny, spicy aromas with cherry, mushroom and tobacco leaf notes. The attack is supple and fresh but the palate lean and peppery, with more savoury, herbal cherry fruit. Simple ready to drink red that will show best with grilled foods off the barbecue.Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Bollini Pinot Grigio Trentino 2011
Volano, Trento, Trentino- Alto-Adige, ItalyBollini grigio always has an attractive honey/pear nose with bits of quince and liquorice. The palate is medium rich with a touch of sweetness more pear, bruised apple and mineral/butter flavours. A solid effort under screwcap.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $17.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Francis Ford Coppola Presents Diamond Collection Magenta Label Alicante Bouschet 2008
California, United StatesAn unusual varietal for California this Alicante bouschet (a cross between Petit Bouschet and grenache) has an open, fragrant, herbaceous, smoked meat nose. The attack is soft and flabby with fairy ripe black jammy fruit in the finish. A different wine for mid-week exploration with simply prepared chicken dishes.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Doña Paula Los Cardos Malbec 2011
Luján de Cuyo, Northern Region, Mendoza, ArgentinaOpen soft, smoky, raspberry/pepper nose. Similar notes on the palate with more cedar, resin and black raspberry fruit in the finish. A simple, smooth commercial red wine that delivers for the price. Splash decant and served with grilled meats for best effect.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $13.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $16.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Finca Flichman Misterio Malbec Oak Aged 2011
Mendoza, ArgentinaThis label has had its ups and down but 2011 looks like an up year. There is a smoothness and a sweetness to the wine that should have large appeal to the Tesco, Costco crowd but there is a dash of black fruit and spice with the requisite savoury tones than make it fun to sip. A barbecue red at a fair price.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $13.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $8.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $13.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $13.00 | 750ml |
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27 December 2012
88PTS
Domaine de la Petite Cassagne 2009
Costières de Nîmes, Languedoc, Sud de France, FranceThis 30/40/30 organic mix of grenache, syrah and carignan is comes of the south/south-eastern exposed slopes of the Costières de Nîmes. The stony soils deposited by the Rhone River several centuries ago are the key to its success. The flavours are an intense mix of dark fruits, dried herbs and chocolate far beyond its price. Expect a mineral component and just enough tannin to keep tis together through 2015. Beef cassoulet anyone. Prices:| US | $13.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Le Grand Noir GSM Grenache Syrah Mourvedre 2011
Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, Sud de France, FranceYou can't help but root for this $9 US red from the south of France. The 60/35/5/ GSM blend (grenache-syrah-mourvèdre) is amazingly smooth and composed with bits of red fruit and liquorice on the nose and palate and a warm, spicy, smooth finish. All you could ask for and more in a $9 red. The grapes are selected from sites at Carcassonne and in the Minervois. Great value.Prices:| US | $9.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Cambria Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard 2011
Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, Central Coast, California, United StatesIt is such a shame the KJ folks can't get focused to sell this wine in Canada. This is such a great little vineyard tuck into the upper reaches of the great Santa Maria Bench. This is classic Santa Barbara fruit, tropical and awash in pineapple mango and honey notes but with bright acidity, elegance and style. It's not Burgundy but it's a long way from the heavy handed California chardonnay style. Love the spice and subtle oak treatment. Try this with fresh halibut and a fruit salsa. Found it for $15 in Bellingham.Prices:| AB | $37.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $30.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $34.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $30.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandAlmost three years down the road the DP savvy I still relatively fresh under screwcap. The nose is a lime and nettle concoction with some passion fruit and minerality. The attack is soft and round now, still with good acidity but more tropical melon fruit characters and lemongrass. Perfect now for fresh and aged white cheeses or mussels. Found this in the US retail market for $18.50Prices:| AB | $25.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $21.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $27.00 | 750ml |
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26 December 2012
91PTS
Tamarack Cellars Sagemoor Vineyard Reserve 2006
Columbia Valley, Washington, United StatesThe '06 Sagemoor Reserve (a wonderful growing season) is a mix of Bacchus Vineyard cabernet sauvignon (25 per cent) and 25 per cent each of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc from Weinbau Vineyard. Rich savoury, spicy nose that spills on to the palate. The wine is aged in 63 per cent new French oak. Look for soft, round, creamy textures with black cherry spice and more spice in the finish. Just beginning to show its stuff but should be in fine shape through 2016.Prices:| US | $50.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Amizade Mencia Monterrei 2010
Rías Baixas, Galicia, SpainIt's a shame there isn't more mencia in the market instead of the steady stream of crappy sweet reds retailer insist on shoving down our throats. The style is bright and vibrant, the fruit spicy and alive with fresh red fruit/raspberry flavours. There's a pinch of smoky minerality mid-palate that projects the wine onto the back of the palate with ease. It's a bit of grenache /Beaujolais cross that you can't stop sipping. The grapes are farmed organically in the Monterrei, DO in Galicia. Pick this up in The Market at Lakeway Bellingham for $11.29 before a 10 per cent discount for buying four bottles.Prices:| US | $11.29 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Champagne Veuve Clicquot Brut NV
Champagne, FranceThe big toasty N/V brut defines the house style thanks to some 25 to 40 per cent reserve wine in each edition and 50-55% pinot noir and 15-20% pinot meunier and 28-33 percent chardonnay. It opens with spicy, citrus, baked apple honey fruit character followed by bits of brioche and vanilla. The palate is rich and creamy with more citrus, nutty, toasty, green apple, cherry, mineral flavours with a touch of orange on the finish. A citrusy style with good intensity. VC always improves in bottle; we have enjoyed many cellared more than a decade. Great with variety of food.Prices:| BC | $82.99 | 750ml |
| MB | $80.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $73.58 | 750ml |
| QC | $65.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $65.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $68.97 | 750ml |
| PEI | $78.00 | 750ml |
| NL | $76.49 | 750ml |
| NB | $78.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $142.99 | 1500ml |
| BC | $39.99 | 375ml |
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24 December 2012
88PTS
Gayda Grenache 2011
Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, Sud de France, FranceLook for fresh black raspberry nose with spicy, meaty, savoury aromas. The palate is smooth and juicy with black raspberry jam, candied orange, spicy, red liquorice and kirsch flavours. A touch of sweetness but good fruit and a fun, juicy, easy-sipping style. Lots of potential here with pork, turkey or lamb. Good value.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Laroche Chablis Saint Martin 2010
Chablis, Burgundy, FranceRipe apple, nutty, lemon, floral, light honey and seashell aromas. Fresh, dry, juicy, elegant palate with green apple, lees, nutty, spicy, herbal, grassy, citrus flavours. Good finesse if a touch light on concentration. Try this with simply prepared and lightly spiced seafood dishes.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $22.00 | 750ml |
| PEI | $23.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Laroche Chablis Premier Cru Les Vaudevey 2009
Chablis, Burgundy, FranceGreen apple, seashell, lees, spicy, nutty, matchstick, seaweed, floral, lemon aromas. Dry, tight, elegant but slightly austere with lemon, green apple skin, lees, seashell, grassy, pear skin flavours. Finish is a bit austere but very juicy. Will benefit from a few years in bottle or serve now with sole meunière.Prices:| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2010
Chablis, Burgundy, FranceSpicy, nettle, green apple, pear, honey, floral, seashell, waxy aromas. Fresh, juicy, creamy, elegant but dry palate with seashell, green apple, pear skin, vanilla, spicy lees, creamy, lime flavours. Very good finesse and length with 3-7 year aging potential. Excellent quality here in affordable white Burgundy. Prices:| BC | $68.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $55.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $65.00 | 750ml |
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93PTS
Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon Cuvée Guy Moreau 2010
Chablis, Burgundy, FranceSpicy, vanilla, green apple, seashell, lemon, chalky, honey, floral, nutty aromas. Fresh, crisp, juicy, concentrated palate with vanilla, spicy, lemon, green apple skin, pear, seashell, nutty lees, grassy, honey flavours. Excellent concentration and length with juicy, crisp acidity. Will age well for 2-5 years. Well worth trying and experiencing.Prices:| BC | $44.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $35.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $37.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon 2010
Chablis, Burgundy, FranceLemon, seashore, nutty, green apple, nutty lees aromas. Fresh, juicy, round, crisp palate with nutty lees, seashell, green apple skin, oatmeal, lemon lime, spicy, grassy flavours with a touch of vanilla. Very good intensity and acidity. Very fine effort, drink now or keep for a few years. Sealed under Diam cork.Prices:| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $40.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $40.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Summerhill Pyramid Winery Cipes Ariel Premier Cuvée 1998
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSummerhill has had its ups and downs over the years but lately there are more ups than down and the new ups are higher. Case in point is the stunningly fine Cipes Ariel bubble. Mysteriously lost in the depths of the cellar the 1998 has emerged as one of the finest sparkling wines ever made in British Columbia. The fruit is estate grown at Summerhill's Kelowna vineyard and is now a delicious, old, 59/40/1 blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier. Expect a rich, powerful yet delicate nose of complex aromas including citrus, brioche, apricot skin and hazelnuts. The texture is equally impressive and creamy with a fine lees character that adds to its complexity. The flavours are more gout Anglais than fresh but it remains in fine shape with bright lemon, toasted ginger and bits of red apple fruit. Very food-friendly and ready to drink.Prices:| BC | $85.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Las Perdices Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Mendoza, ArgentinaPeppery, cassis, rooty, liquorice, compost, vanilla, coffee, black olive aromas. Fresh, juicy, round, supple palate with savoury, peppery, black olive, cassis, blackberry, tobacco leaf, leather flavours with a coffee, warm prune finish. A bit hot and ripe but with fine overall balance. Try this with grilled meats, meat pasta dishes and soft cheeses. Good value.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Alamos Malbec 2011
Mendoza, ArgentinaA blend of fruit from across Mendoza, Alamos spends about nine months in 50/50 French and American oak. This very commercial stuff with a soft, round warm spicy front end followed by a dollop of sweet fruit. It seems more Australian these days than Argentine. A soft, fleshy, simple malbec with a twist of acidity in the finish. Try it with hamburgers.Prices:| AB | $11.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $12.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NFLB | $15.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Jean Bousquet Cabernet Sauvignon (Organic Grapes) 2011
Mendoza, ArgentinaPeppery, compost, tobacco, earthy, savoury, olive, herbal, cassis aromas. Round, smooth, easy palate with cassis, black olive, peppery, rooty, tobacco, inky, earthy, blackberry and herb flavours. Forward, ready-to-drink- style you can enjoy now with hamburgers, grilled chicken and mushroom pasta dishes.Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
| YK | $18.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $12.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Amalaya Vino Tinto de Altura 2010
Calchaqui Valley, Salta, North, ArgentinaA sleeper style red you can lay away three to five years and watch it improve. There is plenty of fresh, juicy, plum, black cherry fruit with a smoky, tobacco leaf, peppery, meaty, cassis, coffee and liquorice undercurrent. Good finesse and intensity with a juicy, warm finish and light tannins to shed. Finesse and value that will improve with time.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $20.00 | 750ml |
| YK | $21.00 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Trivento Amado Sur Malbec Bonarda Syrah 2010
Mendoza, ArgentinaBadly Corked, try another. This is two times in a row.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $20.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $17.00 | 750ml |
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23 December 2012
89PTS
Chartron et Trébuchet Pouilly-Fuissé Cuvée de la Chapelle 2010
Pouilly-Fuissé, Mâconnais, Burgundy, FranceRipe floral red apple nose with smoky, mineral, flinty notes. On the palate the attack is fresh and lean with fine underlying acidity supporting fruit reminiscent of baked pear, green melon and butter. A touch lean but otherwise typical for the appellation. Best with seafood or white meats.Prices:| BC | $33.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $32.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 2010
Napa Valley, California, United StatesOne of California's most reliable whites from one of the coolest vintages in decade. Look for a strong nose of citrus, lime and guava with bits of orange and dried herbs that carry right onto the palate. The wine is 70 percent barrel- fermented and aged on its lees so look for a creamy palate and rich textures among the long persistent finish. A tighter cooler version that should have wide appeal north of the border.Prices:| BC | $27.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $27.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $23.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $27.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $25.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $27.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $25.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Louis Latour Ardèche Chardonnay 2011
FranceMaybe the best Ardèche we have tasted. The nose is fresh and complex with lemon toast and lees notes. The attack is bright and fresh with ripe red apple fruit and flecks of butter and nuts. Impressive for the price and wonderful with white meats. Excellent value.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $13.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $12.45 | 750ml |
| QC | $15.70 | 750ml |
| NF | $14.50 | 750ml |
| PEI | $16.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
The Show Malbec 2011
Mendoza, ArgentinaCharles Bieler, Roger Scommegna and Joel Gott are the 3 Thieves Wine Company and The Show Malbec is a blend of high-altitude fruit from Lujan de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. The '09 is a touch better than last year with ripe sweet fruit, all aged in soft sweet American oak. The style is warm and ripe with black fruit and vanilla undercurrents. There is a bit of a savoury element that saves this red from being too sweet. Serve this with grilled ribs or steaks to best effect.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $20.00 | 750ml |
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22 December 2012
88PTS
Twin Islands Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandConsistently pungent, the Twin Islands style is all Marlborough from its passion fruit and nettle nose to its crisp lively mid-palate stuffed full of asparagus, pink grapefruit, passion fruit and lemon. A ripe style that is made for West Coast mussels. Excellent value.Prices:| AB | $20.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $21.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandThis edition is tightly round with intense herbal nettle notes and sulphur on the nose with a smoky, leesy, mineral undercurrent. The attack is similar with smoky, sweaty grapefruit, nettle, gooseberry and jalapeno flavours flecked with melon and nectarine skin notes. Seafood is an obvious match but white meats are an excellent as well.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $17.20 | 750ml |
| MB | $15.35 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaOxidised, Try another.Prices:| BC | $38.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $41.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Quails' Gate Merlot 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, carrot top, smoky, light barnyard, sour cherry, espresso, tobacco leaf, herbal aromas. Dry, tart, astringent palate with espresso, stewed tomato, prune, vanilla, tobacco, compost flavours.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $24.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $25.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $24.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $25.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Quails' Gate Old Vines Foch 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBig smoky, resin, toasted espresso oak with tobacco leaf, tomato leaf, peppery, sappy, resin, meaty, cherry aromas. Dry, fresh, smooth but light extract with very smoky oak, charred, resin, peppery, cherry, vanilla, tomato puree, tobacco and leather flavours. This needs a big piece of meat to temper its rusticity.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $24.99 | 750ml |
| ON | $24.99 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Vina Albali Gran Reserva 2004
Valdepeñas, Castilla-La Mancha, SpainBig roast meat, barnyard, walnut, tobacco, saddle leather, caraway, coffee, vanilla, prune aromas with a volatile, medicinal menthol edge. Very dry, full, round but astringent palate with peppery, tobacco leaf, leather, prune, Band-Aid, resin, sour cherry, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, leather flavours with a tart, meaty, medicinal finish. A very old, rustic style to drink with food.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, cassis, weedy, smoky, light bell pepper, tobacco leaf, green bean, olive aromas with some smoky oak. Dry, fresh, elegant but astringent palate. Very chunky with prune, coffee, cassis, peppery, leafy, olive, cassis, tobacco, meaty, chocolate flavours. Too rustic and green and needs time.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Black Sage Vineyard Merlot 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPrune, herbal, coffee, tomato puree, resin, floral, poultry spice and olive aromas. Round, dry, fresh palate with some light tannins. Coffee, prune, vanilla, peppery, tobacco leaf, cherry, resin, smoky, savoury flavours. A bit rustic and chewy but solid.Prices:| BC | $22.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSmoky, resin, tobacco, cranberry, prune, coffee, vanilla, herbal, meaty, barnyard aromas. Dry, fresh, round palate with light tannins. Smoky herb, tobacco leaf, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, peppery, resin, tart cranberry and cedar flavours. A bit stewed and dry but solid concentration.Prices:| BC | $22.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Castello di Gabbiano Pinot Grigio Il Cavaliere 2011
Veneto, ItalyLight pear, apple skin, honey, matchstick aromas with a bit of grapefruit skin. Dry, round, slightly flat palate with lees, grapefruit, apple skin and lemon oil flavours. Lacks intensity.Prices:| BC | $13.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $13.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $13.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $14.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $12.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $12.20 | 750ml |
| PEI | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $14.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Van Westen Vineyards Vino Grigio 2011
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSpicy, floral, pear, grassy, green pea, grapefruit, bruised apple and a strong matchstick streak. Crisp, fresh, juicy, light palate with grapefruit, green apple, canned pear, melon rind and herb flavours. A bit too tart in the finish.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Monte Nobile Nero d'Avola 2010
Sicily, ItalyRemarks This simple Italian red is both dry and fresh with meaty, cherry, liquorice and dried floral aromas. The palate is similar if slightly astringent with cherry, prune, coffee and tobacco flavours with a bit of chocolate in the finish. There is good fruit and concentration. Good value in a spaghetti red.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Summerhill Pyramid Winery Alive Organic Red 2009
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, meaty, smoky, tobacco, vanilla, black cherry, riparian, dried herb aromas. Round, dry, smooth palate with vanilla, smoky, herbal, peppery, tobacco, tomato leaf, meaty, espresso flavours. Well balanced and very oaky but a solid organic effort.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Averill Creek Vineyard Foch Cab 2010
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaHuge green pepper, pyrazine, leafy, animal, tea leaf, sappy cassis, tobacco aromas. Lean, light, tart entry with similar flavours and some oak. Lacks ripeness and fruit.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Averill Creek Vineyard Foch Cab Reserve 2009
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaBig chocolate, espresso oak, vanilla, cherry jam, tobacco leaf, peppery, savoury, barnyard, sweaty saddle aromas. Dry, round, light, somewhat tart entry with menthol, meaty, tobacco leaf, stewed meat, peppery, herbal, smoky, resin, sappy, leather flavours.Prices:| BC | $38.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Averill Creek Vineyard Prevost 2009
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaSmoky, tobacco, prune, riparian, black cherry, meaty, stewed vegetable juice aromas. Round, soft, fresh palate with smoky, tobacco, leather saddle, meaty, compost flavours. Very oaky finish and light. Best with grilled meat entrees.Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Inniskillin Okanagan Merlot Reserve 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSpicy, peppery, barnyard, leather, tomato puree, tobacco, savoury aromas. Dry, light, tart and slightly astringent palate with smoky, herbal, peppery, tobacco leaf, resin, coffee, smoked tomato and sour cherry flavours. Oaky, green, tannic finish.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
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81PTS
Aquaherbs Cabernet and Ginseng NV
British Columbia, CanadaA most intense pyrazine (reminiscent of ladybug infection), earthy, resin, medicinal, peppery, leafy nose with a muddy potato note. Fresh, drier palate with a very medicinal, earthy, peppery, rooty, herbal palate. Too much of a good thing here with a bitter finish. We hope it is a least healthy.Prices:| BC | $0.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Aquaherbs Bouquet of the Okanagan Herbal Red Wine NV
British Columbia, CanadaAn herbal-wine-honey blend that smells of menthol, nettle, earthy, rooty, spicy, herbaceous aromas. Fresh, off dry palate with some bitterness and that very earthy, medicinal, citric, peppery, herbal, resiny flavours with some astringency on the finish. Truly an herbal infusion. Might be best served in a hot tea.Prices:| BC | $0.00 | 750ml |
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21 December 2012
85PTS
Kim Crawford Pinot Noir 2009
Marlborough, South Island, New ZealandOpen soft, rooty, commercial-style pinot. Soft edges and a smooth palate attract but the flavour profile is a bit to green and herbaceous for our liking. You need to serve this with grilled chicken or an equally smoky, fatty dish to balance off the beetroot and earthy characters. Average at best.Prices:| BC | $23.99 | 750ml |
| AB | $20.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $23.99 | 750ml |
| NF | $24.00 | 750ml |
| PEI | $24.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $22.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $22.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $25.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Mas fi Cava Brut NV
Penedès, Catalunya (Catalonia Cataluña), SpainMedium fine mousse with light floral, citrus, biscuit, green apple, quince and pear skin aromas. Fresh, off dry, juicy palate with nutty biscuit, floral, pear, honey, grassy, peach pit flavours. Creamy with good fruit and acidity but a tad too sweet. Solid value here in cava.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
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15 December 2012
90PTS
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2009
North Coast Region, California, United StatesMedium fine mousse. Very biscuit-y, butter, baked apple, spicy acacia, honey, pear aromas. Fresh, rich, full with somewhat foamy mousse. Lemon, biscuit, nutty, buttery, baked apple, quince and citrus flavours. Rich but austere finish with a real butter lees and apple skin finish.Prices:| ON | $45.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Kosta Browne Pinot Noir 2010
Russian River, Sonoma County, California, United StatesThe Russian River Valley pinot is a mix of eleven vineyards in 2010. The nose is a fresh rooty spicy affair with bright, sweet red fruit aromas raspberry and black cherries flecked with dried herbs. The palate is smooth and rich with cola, mocha cherry flavours. The finish is long, warm and smooth reflecting a fair bit of alcohol all with a rich pinot fruit character. The wine is age in 48 per cent new oak for 16 months.Prices:| US | $110.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Kosta Browne One Sixteen Chardonnay 2010
Russian River, Sonoma County, California, United StatesOne Sixteen Chardonnay (Gravenstein Highway 116) is a mix of three Russian River Valley vineyards that bask in warm days and cool nights. The style is rich and while modern definitely on the ripe powerful side. The aromatic nose is offers bright lemon-lime notes along with baked apples flecked with orange peel. Flavours are similar with vanilla and crème brûlée highlights. Could be skinnier to really show off the terroir but this a style that is well appreciated in North America. The wine is 100 percent barrel fermented in 47 per cent new French oak.Prices:| US | $120.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Schramsberg Blanc de Noir Brut 2007
North Coast Region, California, United StatesGood continuous mousse. Honey, acacia flower, pain grille, butter, nutty, baked red apple, spicy, cherry aromas. Rich, full, round, creamy mousse with baked apple, nutty, toasty, honey, floral, citrus, butter, orange flavours. Very rich style with good acidity and length. Fine effort, serious bubble.Prices:| BC | $46.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Schloss Reinhartshausen Rheingau Riesling Dry 2011
Rheingau, GermanyFloral, ripe apple, peach skin, matchstick, minty, guava aromas. Round, fresh, off dry palate with slate, lime, granny smith apple, spicy, lees, peach pit flavours. Finish is dry, zippy and austere. Will be best with food. Try this with a chicken salad.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Villa Wolf Riesling 2011
Pfalz, GermanyLight smoky, slate, almond, green apple, green pineapple, matchstick and peach pit aromas. Fresh, juicy, off dry palate with light petrol, slate, green apple, lime, guava, earthy, honey flavours. Very juicy, crisp finish but good fruit and intensity. Will be good with Asian food or smoked salmon.Prices:| BC | $22.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $16.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Josef Drathen Bereich Bernkastel Riesling QBA 2011
Mosel, GermanyBig matchstick, slate, petroleum, apple skin aromas. Fresh, juicy, sweet palate with spicy, red apple, honey, earthy, slate flavours. Simple, commercial, entry level style riesling for pork spareribs.Prices:| BC | $13.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $15.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Piesporter Treppchen Riesling QbA 2011
Mosel, GermanyHoney, spicy, red apple, guava, slate and light petrol aromas with a touch of matchstick. Fresh, juicy, somewhat sweet palate with red apple, honey, slate, pineapple and citrus flavours. Solid fruit and balance for the price.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $13.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Selbach Riesling (Fish Label) 2011
Mosel, GermanyFloral, matchstick, green apple, slate, honey, waxy, grassy, citrus aroma. Fresh, crisp, juicy palate with balanced sweetness. Green apple, lime, grassy, slate, nectarine skin flavours. Good intensity and balance. Excellent value here. Turkey anyone?Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Summerhill Pyramid Winery Alive Organic White 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaCorked, try another.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Jackson-Triggs Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaGrapefruit, asparagus, floral, light passion fruit aromas. Fresh, juicy, soft, round palate with canned grapefruit, nettle, grassy, asparagus flavours. Finish is a bit light and skinny.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Inniskillin Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaResiny, dried herb, light bell pepper, cedar, cassis, cranberry, tobacco leaf, smoky, leather, coffee aromas. Round, lean, slightly astringent palate with cedar, chocolate, cranberry, herbal, olive, coffee grind and green bean flavours. A light, oaky style with some leafy tannin on the finish. Needs food to tame the edges.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $19.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
White Revolution NV
California, United StatesLemon oil, floral, almond, grassy, grapefruit rind and matchstick aromas. Fresh, crisp, slightly oily palate with canned grapefruit, light jalapeno, spicy, green apple skin and almond flavours. Tart, simple, white wine.Prices:| BC | $11.50 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Spadefoot Toad Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon 2011
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaOxidative, try another.Prices:Read Full Note
83PTS
Spadefoot Toad Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPrune, smoky, tobacco leaf, tomato paste, and meaty, earthy, black olive aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant but tart and slightly astringent palate. Cassis, candied cherry, herbal, spicy, coffee, tomato paste, tobacco and leather flavours. There is some textural concentration as you would expect with cabernet but the finish is too tart.Prices:Read Full Note
14 December 2012
86PTS
Three Winds Syrah 2011
Vin de Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, Sud de France, FranceTypically smoky meaty, liquorice nose with leather, barnyard aromas. The attack is dry and supple with fresh acidity and more smoky, gamey black cherry flavours with a pinch of dried herbs. Try this with lamb chops or lamb osso buco.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
St. Hallett Faith Shiraz 2009
Barossa Valley, South Australia, AustraliaBig spicy, floral, black pepper, blackberry jam, blueberry, smoky, tobacco, coffee and meat aromas. Round, smooth, warm and tart palate with black cherry, blueberry, cedar, tobacco, savoury, smoky herb and coffee flavours. Much like last vintage it has fruit but that comes with an alcoholic and tart finish.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $25.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $22.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $23.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $24.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $25.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Castello di Gabbiano Solatio 2010
Tuscany, ItalySpicy, black cherry, plum, meaty, smoky, savoury nose flecked with cassis, black olive, tobacco and liquorice aromas. Fresh, elegant but dry palate. The flavours are a mix of plum, cherry, spicy, dried thyme, cedar, tobacco, cassis and light coffee flavours. A bit young and astringent but with a solid core of fruit and some complexity. Needs a year or so to round out in bottle or try now with beef.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico 2009
Tuscany, ItalyPeppery, garrigue, cherry jam, smoky, plum, tobacco and leather aromas. Fresh, smooth, round palate with very light tannins. Tobacco, meaty, smoky, peppery, savoury, cherry and dried herb flavours with a bit of red liquorice and cedar on the finish. Solid fruit and balance for accompanying meat dishes.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Il Cavaliere 2011
Tuscany, ItalySpicy, cherry, plum, meaty, smoky, dried rosemary and licorice root aromas. Fresh, light, easy palate but a bit lean with cedar bark, peppery, savoury, spicy, resin, cherry, tobacco and meat flavours. A very basic Italian red for pizza and barbecued meat.Prices:| BC | $13.50 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $15.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $14.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $14.95 | 750ml |
| NS | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $15.00 | 750ml |
| PEI | $20.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $15.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Barossa Valley Estate E Minor Shiraz 2009
Barossa Valley, South Australia, AustraliaSmoky, peppery, savoury, rooty, licorice, resin, cedar, black cherry and rosemary aromas. Smooth, light, somewhat tart palate with black cherry, smoky, herbal, peppery, licorice, resin and meat flavours with a bit of cedar and prune on the finish. Warm and a bit acidic. A simple style shiraz for current drinking.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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13 December 2012
87PTS
Monmousseau Cuvee J.M. Blanc de Blancs Brut 2007
Touraine, Loire, FranceMedium mousse with nutty, honey, baked apple, pear and citrus aromas. Juicy, somewhat foamy palate but balanced with some sweetness with pear, green apple, pear, honey, biscuit and floral flavours. A fun, fruity, all round style just on the sweeter brut side.Prices:| BC | $19.99 | 750ml |
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10 December 2012
90PTS
Champagne Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut NV
Champagne, FranceThe Brut Impérial has a light, consistent, fine mousse that reflects its blend of 30/40 percent pinot noir, 30/40 percent pinot meunier and 20/30 percent chardonnay as selected from some 200 individual cru vineyards. There is also a generous 20 to 30 percent reserve wine in the blend. Moet considers it to be a fruity style sparkler and you sense that in its mix of green-apple, citrus fruits on the nose with hazelnut and cherry underneath. The palate is round and fresh with bits of honey, baked apple, citrus and mineral flavours. The style is full-bodied with fine intensity and just a hint of bitterness. Best as an apéritif but works equally well with sushi, dumplings, and lightly prepared seafood.Prices:| BC | $77.99 | 750ml |
| AB | $71.10 | 750ml |
| SK | $85.99 | 750ml |
| MB | $87.99 | 750ml |
| ON | $80.55 | 750ml |
| QC | $77.15 | 750ml |
| NS | $77.99 | 750ml |
| PEI | $79.99 | 750ml |
| NL | $78.99 | 750ml |
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08 December 2012
89PTS
Kanazawa Diamond Flower Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThe Diamond Flower is a beautiful aromatic white that relies on pure fruit flavours and intensity grab your attention. Oranges, apricots and nectarine skin mix with ripe apples and bright acidity to make this a memorable sip. Sweet but hardly cloying this is a wonderful addition to a small group of excellent 'late harvest" wines made in BC. Try this with fruitcake for the holidays. Prices:| BC | $22.00 | 200ml |
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07 December 2012
96PTS
Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vig 2011
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceIt is always a good day when this bottle is opened but with only 6000 bottles made it is a rare occurrence. The "Vieilles Vignes" as the Perrin family refers to it, is made with 90+ year old roussanne vines that are always picked just past their due date. The palate is powerful and rich with a strong floral (white flowers) aromas and mixed with similar floral/honey flavours and the ever elusive minerality. There is enough acidity to keep this complex wine fresh and inviting sip after sip. I love this wine young (under five years old) otherwise the Perrins suggest you leave it alone until it is fifteen years old.Prices:| AB | $130.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $160.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $151.00 | 750ml |
| US | $160.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2011
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceRenewed interest in white Rhone is a good thing in North America and if you want to know how good it can be check out the Beaucastel Blanc, an 80/15 mix of roussanne and grenache blanc with bits of picpoul . The vines are between 10 to 40 years old and the wine often gets a dollop of the famed 'Vieilles Vignes' cuvée and other white grapes. Only 30% of wine is fermented in old wood; the rest in stainless steel while about half is aged in French oak for 8 months. The nose is an aromatic painting of white flowers, tangerine rinds and honey with a freshness and minerality that doesn't quit. The palate is creamy and precisely textured with more minerality and tropical fruit flavours. A simply delicious white wine that would be great with most pork dishes.Prices:| AB | $82.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $95.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $92.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $89.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $90.00 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2005
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceWow this wine is really looking good at the moment. It's just starting to open up and show its real worth. Expect a warm soft silky texture with plenty of ripe juicy fruit. The flavours are mix of garrigue black fruits dried herbs and raisins with flecked of chocolate throughout. There is still plenty of tannin but it is very well balanced and as I say fun to look at right now at seven years old. Small amounts are being shipped into private wine shops in Vancouver.Prices:| AB | $130.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $131.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2008
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceAlways one of the best Châteauneufs, the Beaucastel '08 has handled the vintage perfectly. A little more forward and linear in the mouth it is a good example of a slightly cooler edition. The nose relies more on aromatics and florals than chocolate and rich black fruit notes. The tannins are slightly stiffer but after reducing the crop and production by some fifty percent the Perrin family has achieved their goal of keeping the brand intact. As always the fruit is organically grown. Grenache and mourvèdre split the first 60 percent followed by roussanne, syrah and counoise and then balance is spread across the remaining permitted varieties to total 13. Small amounts are being shipped into private wine shops in Vancouver. Enjoy this wine through 2018 with lamb.Prices:| BC | $92.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $90.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $92.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $90.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Famille Perrin Rasteau L'Andéol 2010
Rasteau, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceRasteau L'Andéol comes off a two hectare vineyard, on a bowl-shaped site (gravel over sand and clay) that faces south which is well-protected from the Mistral. The result is very ripe (sweet tasting) grenache that is best over five to six years. The 2010 benefits forma great growing season and only ten percent sees and wood (foudres). Expect dense, sweet, supple, glossy red fruit flavours with flecks of cocoa, earth. Ready to drink. Try this with grilled lamb chops. Prices:| BC | $22.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
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95PTS
Chateau de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2010
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceThere is Châteauneuf and then there is Beaucastel. Surely one of the top ten bottles made in the region of hundreds. A great vintage demands time but the balance and freshness of this wine suggests it will be drinking well throughout its long life. The fruit is organic and in 2010 pristine. The mix is classic Perrin 30/30/10/10/ grenache, mourvèdre, syrah, counoise and the balance is spread across the remaining nine permitted varieties. Rich in aromas that remind of blueberries and cassis jam with plenty of liquorice and meaty notes but with no baked fruit or over sweetness. More than anything this young wine displays the finesse and a floral savoury character that will help this age for two decades. A superb bottle and one for the ages form Perrin. Prices:| BC | $92.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $90.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $90.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $90.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $180.00 | 1500ml |
| ON | $410.00 | 3000ml |
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83PTS
Red Diamond Chardonnay 2010
Washington, United StatesFloral, butter, honey, nutty aromas. Fat, sweet, round palate with honey, butterscotch, earthy, baked apple flavours with a burnt butter finish. Very sweet, commercial style from a different era.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
| US | $9.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Blue Mountain Chardonnay 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaEarthy, spicy lees, butter, vanilla, pear, honey, baked apple with a light citrus note. Dry, fresh, juicy, creamy but somewhat austere with oatmeal, butter, vanilla, citrus, green apple, nutty, garlic and cream flavours. Finish is juicy but just a bit of citrus and butter bitterness. Needs a year or two to develop.Prices:| BC | $21.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $25.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $26.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
White Bear Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Fresh grassy lemon oil/passion fruit floral nose. The attack is fresh, round and slightly sweet with more grassy, lemon oil, pink grapefruit flavours. Simple, easy- sipping style for warm weather patio settings or try it with spicy sushiPrices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Alamos Chardonnay 2011
Mendoza, ArgentinaCologne mixed with honey, butter, diacetyl, apple skin aroma. Round, soft, slightly sweet palate with earthy, butter, baked pear, apple skin and floral flavours. An innocuous commercial style for drinkers not thinkers.Prices:| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $14.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $15.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc Charlotte's Home 2011
Sonoma County, California, United StatesThe Charlotte's Home sauvignon continues to impress with its fresh dried herbs and tropical notes on the nose. Expect a mix of warmer Alexander Valley fruit with fresher cooler Russian River grapes. Love the grassy, lemon/lime, passion fruit, bitter sweet flavours that all finish clean, fresh white made for clams, mussels or seafood pasta. Love the screwcap too.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $19.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Jackson-Triggs Chardonnay Reserve 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaCitrus, butter, spicy lees, nutty, baked apple and popcorn aromas. Fresh, juicy, slightly lean entry with buttery, honey, baked pear, apple skin and citrus flavours with a bit of vanilla and nut. Light bodied but some complexity. Solid value here for an entry level wine.Prices:| BC | $13.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Inniskillin Okanagan Chardonnay Reserve 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaEarthy, citrus, light garlic lees, pear skin and matchstick aromas. Thin, light, flabby palate with apple skin, butter, earth and cedar flavours. No concentration or fruit here with a thin finish.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $16.60 | 750ml |
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81PTS
Primal Roots Red Blend 2010
California, United StatesBlack cherry, menthol, cedar bark, earthy, compost, light barnyard, resin aromas. Round, tart, slightly sweet entry with black cherry, resin, coffee, vanilla, cedar bark, menthol and compost flavours with a burnt caramel finish. Acidic commercial stuff with a sweet finish.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
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81PTS
Red Revolution NV
California, United StatesMenthol, cedar bark, resin, peppery, tobacco leaf aromas. Sweet, tart, slightly astringent palate with similar flavours and a pruny, compost, chocolate, herbal finish. Boring 'modern' plonk.Prices:| BC | $11.50 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Canapi Rosé 2011
Sicily, ItalyLight raspberry salmon colour. Cherry, floral, apple, tobacco, licorice aromas. Fresh, juicy, off dry palate with earthy, licorice, tobacco, cherry, orange peel and apple flavours. A clean, fresh, juicy style. Solid value again here.Prices:| BC | $13.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Mistaken Identity Debut Merlot Cabernet Franc 2009
Salt Spring Island, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaTobacco, sappy, cassis, peppery, vanilla, rooty, meaty, light barnyard aromas. Fresh, taut palate with some astringency. Cassis, cedar, prune, blackberry, green tea, rooty, meaty, oaky chocolate flavours with a bit of sweet and sour on the finish. A solid first effort.Prices:| BC | $30.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Rafter F Chardonnay 2011
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaLight floral, matchstick, citrus, and apple skin aromas. Fresh, light, simple palate with lees, citrus, baked apple and honey flavours. Not much intensity but juicy.Prices:| BC | $21.00 | 750ml |
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81PTS
Aquaherbs Ginseng Wine NV
British Columbia, CanadaGinseng berries, seeds and roots used here the colour is from the berry skins. Clove, spicy, peppery, riparian, earthy, leafy aromas. Dry, tight, austere palate with some astringency. Soapy floral, peppery, clove, resin, rooty, menthol flavours with a very bitter edge. Needs some sugar or less seed.Prices:| BC | $0.00 | 375ml |
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85PTS
Quinta Ferreira Merlot - Cabernet 2009
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBig Oxo cube nose mixed with barnyard, prune, gamey, compost, saddle leather and coffee, clove, vanilla aromas all with an oxidative note. Round, dry, fresh, slightly astringent palate with big coffee, vanilla, espresso oak, clove, peppery, blackberry jam, resin, licorice, prune flavours. The finish is oaky and dry. Needs bottle aging to settle down.Prices:| BC | $30.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Spadefoot Toad Vineyard Petit Verdot 2007
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaTobacco leaf, smoky tomato, savoury, meaty, cedars, resin, sour cherry aromas. Round, fresh, soft palate with weedy, tobacco leaf, black olive, cassis, cedar, savoury herb flavours. A very herbaceous style from a grape notoriously tough to ripen.Prices:Read Full Note
89PTS
Domaine de Cabasse Séguret Côtes du Rhône Villages Les Primeveres Blanc 2010
Séguret, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceFloral, green apple, honey, spicy, quince, minty, nectarine aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant, juicy palate with pear, lemon oil, quince, green apple, floral, spicy, ginger and butter flavours. Very juicy, tight finish but good intensity. Drink now or keep a few years. Good effort here.Prices:| BC | $23.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Entwine Chardonnay 2010
Livermore, San Francisco Bay, California, United StatesHoney, citrus, green apple, nectarine skin aromas with a light nutty butter note. Fresh, round, soft and somewhat sweet entry with baked pear, citrus rind, honey, green apple flavours. Juicy style but a bit too sweet.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $19.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010
Central Otago, South Island, New ZealandThere is something delicious about entry level Central Otago pinot noir and Mud House often hits the mark with its estate label. The fruit grown at Bendigo and gently de-stemmed leaving a portion of whole berries that seem to deliver bright vivid fruit throughout the palate. Plums and dark cherries sprinkled with savoury dried herbs finish round and supple without too much oak showing through. Grilled chicken mains or salads would be a solid match for this terrific value New World red.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay 2010
Columbia Valley, Washington, United StatesCitrus, apple skin, butter, honey, light vanilla, nutty, matchstick aromas. Round, fresh, somewhat sweet entry with butterscotch, honey, baked apple, nutty lees, garlic flavours. Easy going, commercial entry level wine.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $21.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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06 December 2012
89PTS
Vie Cave 2008
Maremma, Tuscany, ItalyThe Fattoria Aldrobrandesca, an Antinori family property, is located in the southern Maremma. The wine is dedicated to the "vie cave" or ancient Etruscan roads dug into the countryside. After much research malbec was chosen to be grown here and the result is terrific. Expect a medium dark coloured red wine with an intense fresh black fruit and liquorice nose. The attack is similar with spice and tobacco highlighting, spices and tobacco leaf. On the palate it is silky and enveloping with a fine density and persistence. The finish and aftertaste show notes of ripe black fruit, liquorice, coffee, and dark chocolate. Drinkable now it will peak over the next three years.Prices:| BC | $31.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva 2008
Tuscany, ItalyQuite a big sangiovese bolstered by 10 per cent cabernet. Look for spicy, earthy red cherries flecked with tobacco and dried herbs, liquorice and plenty of acidity. The mid-palate and finish are well polished with minerality and freshness shining through. It is all aged in mostly small French oak barrels and kept separate by vineyard lots before finally coming together in the final blend. Only made in the best vintages this is almost a baby Tignanello. Best with rich dishes like mushroom risotto.Prices:| ON | $30.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $45.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $30.00 | 750ml |
| PEI | $27.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $35.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Antinori Pèppoli Chianti Classico 2010
Tuscany, ItalyA well-managed somewhat 'iffy' vintage produced sangiovese (90%) and merlot picked between September 10th and 20th and syrah during the last ten days of September that still satisfies. The wines sees some nine months in oak in mostly larger Slavonian casks with 10% of the wine aged in smaller American oak barrels. The overwhelming notes are cherry with red florals, minerality and vanilla/chocolate notes. The finish is fairly long and silky smooth. A good result for 2010. Roast chicken anyone?Prices:| BC | $29.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $23.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $24.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $26.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $26.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $30.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $31.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Antinori Badia A Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva 2007
Tuscany, ItalyBadia a Passignano Riserva is produced from the best grapes of the property in the Chianti Classico area. A terrific vintage has spawned some impressive grapes picked in last ten days of September and the first part of the month of October. Expect an attractive fragrant nose of savoury plums and red/blue fruits with liquorice everywhere. The attack is similar with slightly bitter savoury austere character you can attribute too Chianti but with bright fruit to counterbalance the austerity. On the palate it is structurally ripe and sweet with substantial but well managed tannins that are dissipating in the bottle. Passignano is getting extra bottle ageing and that aspect is really helping the end product. Prices:| BC | $77.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $44.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $43.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $46.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $47.00 | 750ml |
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93PTS
Le Mortelle Poggio Alla Nane 2009
Maremma, Tuscany, ItalyThe single cru at Moretelle is a 60/40 mix of cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. The property is located in the heart of the lower Tuscan Maremma, in the province of Grosseto, at approximately five miles from the town of Castiglione della Pescaia. It extends over a total of 675 acres (270 hectares), 400 of which are planted to vines. Poggio Alla Nana is fermented in stainless steel using natural yeast before spending 14 months in wood and almost a year in bottle. I love the fragrance here; you can smell the Tyrrhenian Sea. The palate is a complex mix of savoury red and dark fruits flecked with liquorice, cedar and tobacco. The finish is long and persistent but the tannins are all fine-grained and slippery. I tasted this first without food and finished it with Bistecca Fiorentini. This is a wine to watch.Prices:| BC | $75.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Le Mortelle Botrosecco 2009
Maremma, Tuscany, ItalyAntinori has got something going on in Maremma with this 60/40 blend of cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc. The Fattoria Le Mortelle is located in the heart of the lower Maremma, approximately 9 km from the town of Castiglione della Pescaia. The nose is fresh and fragrant with red fruits and cedar with a dusting of vanilla. The attack is soft and round displaying rich but fine grained tannin. A delicious elegant red that over delivers for the price. Try this with whole roasted chicken. The Fattoria Le Mortelle is located in the centre of the lower Maremma, approximately 9 km from the town of Castiglione della Pescaia in the province of Grosseto. Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $22.95 | 750ml |
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89PTS
La Braccesca Vino Nobile de Montepulciano 2009
Tuscany, ItalyVino Nobile de Montepulciano still struggles in Canada likely because drinkers confuse the label with the much more ordinary Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. In the case of La Braccesca the farm extends over 420 hectares and includes two key vineyard blocks. The first is located in Montepulciano (103 hectares) while the second (162 hectares) is situated at the foot of the hills which surround the city of Cortona. Expect a fragrant nose with ripe cherry notes flecked with tobacco and spice. On the palate expect more cherry and blackberry fruit with soft fine grained tannins and minerality. A supple style red with finesse. Try this with veal chops. The blend is 90 percent prugnolo gentile and 10 percent merlot.Prices:| QC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $32.00 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Antinori Tignanello 2009
Tuscany, ItalyThe colour is typically deep the nose fragrant and suggestive of red fruits with an enticing harmonious mix of liquorice floral notes and spice. The palate is fresh and packed with cherries, vanilla and chocolate. If anything the 09 is restrained and more linear in style with excellent finesse suggesting it will age well for decades. In 2009 Tignanello is a mix of 80% sangiovese, 15% cabernet sauvignon and 5% cabernet franc from a terrific vintage. The aging takes place in both French and Hungarian oak barrels and lasts for about 16 to 18 months. Tignanello is produced exclusively from a 57 hectare site about 375 metres above sea level in the heart of Chianti Classico. The wine has been produced continuously since 1970 with the exception of the 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984, 1992, and 2002 labels.Prices:| BC | $100.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $99.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $103.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $98.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $95.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $110.00 | 750ml |
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05 December 2012
83PTS
Mapu Reserva Carmenere 2010
ChileTypically savoury peppery bay leaf nose with bits of cocoa powder and other dried herbs. The attack is soft and simple with a resiny, leafy dark fruit character with a dusting of chocolate and tobacco. Drink now with grilled meats for best effect.Prices:| BC | $13.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $13.25 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Blanc de Lynch Bages 2009
Bordeaux, FranceSpicy lees, vanilla, baked grapefruit, passion fruit, cashew, floral, grassy, matchstick aromas. Dry, fresh, juicy but slightly lean on entry. Passion fruit, gooseberry, grapefruit, floral, light lees and vanilla flavours with a slightly warm and tart finish. Good solid effort but seems a bit hollow and tart without much texture. Needs a couple of years perhaps to flesh out.Prices:| BC | $60.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Chateau Belle-Vue 2009
Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, FrancePeppery, cassis, tobacco leaf, olive, cedar, vanilla, prune, minty, saddle leather aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant and slightly tannic but juicy. Cassis, peppery, spicy, tobacco, black olive, carrot top, coffee, vanilla, rooty, cedar flavours. Shows some greenness in flavours and tannins but solid intensity for the price in lesser Bordeaux.Prices:| BC | $35.00 | 750ml |
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93PTS
Chateau L'Evangile 2009
Pomerol, Libourne, Bordeaux, FranceFloral, plum, black cherry, spicy, earthy, licorice, vanilla, smoky, peppery, waxy, five spice aromas - ripe and bright but a bit closed on the nose. Rich, full, concentrated and moderately tannic and chunky but ripe. Chocolate, prune, coffee, meaty, clove, earthy, liquorice, cedar, tobacco, smoky herb and cherry jam flavours. Good balance and concentration in a bigger version than normal. Needs a minimum of 7-10 years. Extremely fine but pricey.Prices:| BC | $500.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Rouge 2009
Pessac-Léognan, Graves, Bordeaux, FranceEarthy, spicy, waxy, prune, coffee, black berry, vanilla, tobacco leaf, leather, smoked meat, iron, savoury aromas. Ripe, round, rich and suave with good acidity and some tannins. Cassis jam, black berry, earthy, coffee, vanilla, iron earth, waxy, meaty, peppery, tobacco, graphite flavours. Good length and balance in a suave, modern style but lots of ripe tannins here to age.Prices:| BC | $300.00 | 750ml |
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93PTS
Chateau Rieussec 2009
Sauternes, Graves, Bordeaux, FranceHoney, spicy, vanilla, peach, floral, melon, baked grapefruit, creamsicle and lees aromas. Rich, full, round and fat and sweet with good acidity. Spicy, honey, baked pear, floral, creamy, waxy, baked peach, apricot, vanilla and orange marmalade flavours. A bit too hot and soft but has great ripe fruit and fatness without being too heavy. Medium term aging.Prices:| BC | $75.00 | 375ml |
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91PTS
Chateau Doisy Daëne 2009
Barsac, Sauternes, Graves, Bordeaux, FranceApricot, guava, honey, vanilla, orange marmalade, baked grapefruit, lees aromas. Ripe, round, rich, soft and slightly oily but juicy palate. Baked apple, honey, apricot, grapefruit, mango, pineapple, waxy, spicy flavours. Great fruit and concentration with a baked nectarine finish. Early maturing with the softer acidity but no lack of flavours.Prices:| BC | $50.00 | 375ml |
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93PTS
Chateau Léoville Poyferré 2009
St. Julien, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, FrancePeppery, spicy, rooty, barnyard, black berry, cassis, saddle leather, gamey, tobacco, menthol aromas. Rich, full, round, suave and fresh with good concentration but somewhat tannic and astringent. Peppery, coffee, cassis, black berry, spicy, tobacco leaf, vanilla, black olive, earthy, savoury flavours. Big, good concentration but fairly tannic with a long finish but finesse. Starting to close down but has lots of potential here in 7-12 years' time and more. A relative bargain for Bordeaux.Prices:| BC | $288.00 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Chateau Pontet Canet 2009
Pauillac, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, FranceSpicy, cassis jam, black berry, compost, tobacco, peppery, savoury, barnyard, vanilla, coffee, waxy, liquorice, meaty aromas with fine complexity. Rich, ripe, full, round and juicy with supple but substantial tannins. Warm and intense with huge cassis, black berry, licorice, tobacco, vanilla, coffee, peppery, plum and cedar flavours. Long, big and concentrated with big tannins and very good acidity. Will need 10-15 years minimum. Great potential but the finish is just a bit coarse especially compared to Margaux. Once of the greats for the vintage. I suppose we should be grateful it is only 4x the 2005 price.Prices:| BC | $388.00 | 750ml |
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96PTS
Château Margaux 2009
Margaux, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, FranceVery spicy, waxy, vanilla, coffee, barnyard, black berry jam, plum, smoky, gamey, tobacco, savoury, five spice and tobacco aromas. Rich, dry, full, tannic but elegant and suave with intensity. Back cherry jam, smoky, prune/plum and coffee flavours with meaty, vanilla, tobacco, resin, liquorice root and five spice. Very fine balance and intensity with good supple tannins but plenty of them. Lots of oak right now, needs 10-15 years at least. One to keep for the future.Prices:| BC | $1800.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $2000.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Fabiano Valpolicella La Piazzola 2011
Verona, Veneto, ItalyCoffee, cologne, prune, cigar, barnyard, meaty aromas. Round, soft, slightly sweet palate with sausage meat, peppery, coffee, stewed cherry, prune, spicy, vanilla flavours. Simple, easy consumer style.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Reius 2007
Pedemonte Valpolicella, Verona, Veneto, ItalyVery peppery, spicy, black cherry, raisin, prune, tobacco, compost, coffee aromas. Rich, round, smooth palate with light tannins. Glossy with coffee, cedar, tobacco, black cherry, prune plum, savoury, orange spice, herbal, saddle leather flavours. Good concentration, still young with a warm finish.Prices:| BC | $60.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Sartori di Verona Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corta Bra 2006
Pedemonte Valpolicella, Verona, Veneto, ItalyPruny, chocolate, lifted coffee, black cherry jam, raisin-y, tobacco, somewhat oxidative aromas. Full, rich, round, slightly tannic palate with cedar, coffee, prune, raisin, chocolate, peppery, menthol, resin, ash flavours. Tannic finish but still very pruny and oxidative.Prices:| BC | $60.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $50.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Iperico Valpolicella con Uve Biologiche 2011
Veneto, ItalyTobacco, caraway, peppery, rhubarb, cherry, cologne, savoury aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant, simple palate with floral, cherry, herbal, tobacco, cedar, coffee, licorice root and caraway flavours. Easy going organic for current drinking.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Syrah 2009
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, carrot top, caraway, herbal, menthol, incense, barnyard aromas. Smooth, supple entry with blocky tannins but fresh. Savoury, peppery, spicy, cologne, cedar bark, menthol, carrot, fennel, vanilla, prune compote and herb flavours with a somewhat acidic finish. Seems to lack fruit ripeness.Prices:| BC | $35.00 | 750ml |
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82PTS
Quinta Ferreira Syrah 2010
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, savoury, tomato paste, garrigue, gingerbread, licorice, sage, prune, prickly aromas. Dry, light, thin palate with some green tannin. Cologne, coffee, peppery, rooty, herbal, sour cherry, lactic, weedy flavours. Very tart, lean finish. Not much fruit here.Prices:| BC | $30.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Tenuta Sant'Antonio Scaia Corvina 2010
Veneto, ItalyVery savoury, peppery, spicy, herbal, cherry, tobacco, cedar, slightly smoky aromas. Fresh, juicy, slightly astringent palate with cedar bark, minty, cherry, prune, herbal, olive flavours. Finish has some astringent tea-like tannins for tomato sauces.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
White Bear Pinot Blanc 2010
CanadaPear, baked green apple, light honey and grapefruit aromas. Fresh, juicy, somewhat sweet entry with honey, baked apple, pear, skin, grapefruit and buttery lees flavours. Simple, clean and easy style.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $14.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Grigio 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaLight lees, lemon rind, quince, apple skin aromas, not very gris like. Fresh, elegant but slightly austere and thin palate. Almond, lemon oil, grassy, grapefruit, quince flavours. Finish is a bit tart and lean.Prices:| BC | $15.99 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Blanc Dark Horse Vineyard 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaGrapefruit, gooseberry, matchstick, pear and light garlic lees aromas with floral hint. Crisp, juicy, off dry palate with green apple, honey, pear, grapefruit and slate flavours. Good solid effort here with some fruit and balance but just a bit too sweet. Try this with spicy dishes.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $19.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Monte del Frà Lena di Mezzo Scarnocchio Amarone del Valpolicella Classico 2006
Verona, Veneto, ItalyBlack plum, black cherry jam, raisin, chocolate, coffee, peppery, cigar, meaty, vanilla, barnyard, saddle leather. Dry, rich, tannic palate but a bit tart and astringent. Oxo, tomato paste, peppery, chocolate, stewed cherry, raisin, coffee, vanilla, resin, leather and tobacco flavours. A bit too oxidative and astringent in style.Prices:| BC | $80.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Monte del Frà Ca del Magro Custoza Superiore 2010
Verona, Veneto, ItalyRipe pineapple, floral, guava, butter, honeysuckle, orange, melon, minty, chalky, quince aromas, good complexity. Full, dry, juicy palate with honeysuckle, guava, baked peach, floral, spicy, ginger, gooseberry, pineapple and orange flavours. Good acidity with a slightly lean finish but excellent fruit balance and complexity. Try with Asian food or grilled tuna.Prices:| US | $22.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Morar Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006
Veneto, ItalyVery ripe plum, raisin, black cherry, coffee, chocolate, peppery, tobacco, Christmas cake, orange spice aromas. Rich, full, juicy, slightly sweet entry with some suave tannin. Smoky, peppery, black cherry jam, prune, earthy, tobacco, coffee, vanilla, orange peel, licorice and sage flavours. Lots of intensity here and still young. Needs a good lamb leg or stew.Prices:| BC | $73.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Iperico Valpolicella con Uve Biologiche 2010
Veneto, ItalyOpen peppery, lifted cherry, prune, balsamic aromas with orange peel, barnyard and rooty notes. Dry, fresh, slightly tannic palate with prune, dried cherry, cedar, tobacco, peppery, orange, balsamic flavours with some light, astringent tannins.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Rafter F Pinot Gris 2011
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBruised apple, leesy, spicy, bready aromas. Flat, lean, austere palate with leesy, yeasty, cooked apple skin, bruised core flavours. Not a lot to love here.Prices:| BC | $21.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Aquaherbs E & H NV
British Columbia, CanadaA honey wine with two species of Echinacea blended in. Big waxy, green olive brine, stemmy, spicy, earthy, resin, honey, floral aromas. Fresh, juicy, slightly astringent and sweet with herbaceous, floral, waxy, honey, spicy, medicinal, citrus, earthy, menthol flavours. Like a mead with the herbs and flowers added. Not a drinking wine but unique for a shot or two with a coconut dessert.Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 375ml |
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85PTS
8th Generation Vineyard Syrah 2009
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, sausage meat, black cherry, pruny, floral cologne, poultry spice, tobacco, weedy, coffee aromas. Round, smooth, elegant but tart palate with spicy, savoury, meaty, peppery, herbal, caraway, carrot, tobacco, savoury flavours. Solid fruit and herbal flavours but too acidic.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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04 December 2012
90PTS
Chateau Beau-Séjour Bécot 2009
Spicy, peppery, smoky, coffee, black cherry jam, waxy, floral, menthol, liquorice and meat aromas with a touch of saddle leather and carrot top. Dry, round, supple, warm but elegant palate that is rich and smooth. Black cherry, smoky, graphite, leather, coffee, vanilla, five spice, waxy, tobacco, meaty flavours. Warm finish but good concentration and structure if a bit flat. Good ripe fruit and not too pruny despite the warmth. Needs 4-7 years.Prices:| BC | $120.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Chateau Cantenac Brown 2009
Margaux, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Bordeaux, FranceEarthy, cedar, peppery, olive, cassis, mint, cherry, medicinal, coffee, vanilla aromas. Round, dry, supple and juicy with smooth tannins. Elegant with cassis, cedar, cherry, vanilla, savoury, tobacco, meaty, coffee, carrot top flavours. A bit of a green edge to this but has good finesse and length with tannins to age. Needs 3-7 years. Better value here.Prices:| BC | $98.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Blue Mountain Pinot Blanc 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaFloral, light nectarine, earthy, pear, green apple and butter aromas. Fresh, crisp, juicy palate with a hint of sweetness. Red apple, grapefruit, honey, butter, lees, peach pit and baked apple flavours. Good freshness and finesse for any seafood.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $22.00 | 750ml |
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03 December 2012
87PTS
Blue Mountain Gold Label Brut NV
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBright white, medium mousse. Toasty, cream, butter, baked green apple skin, earthy, citrus and pear aromas. Crisp, off dry palate with lots of mousse. Green apple, lime, toasty, honey, chalky, baked pear flavours. A bit foamy and tart but has some finesse. Best with seafood.Prices:| BC | $31.90 | 750ml |
| AB | $36.85 | 750ml |
| ON | $28.95 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Segura Viudas Metodo Tradicional Reserva Cava NV
Penedès, Catalunya (Catalonia Cataluña), SpainMedium fine, continuous mousse. Floral, waxy, citrus, peach, nutty, toasty, lime and baked green apple aromas. Creamy, somewhat foamy palate with a medium sweet brut. Soapy floral, toasty, nutty, quince, apple skin, citrus, earthy, cane flavours. A bit coarse and sweet but good intensity for the money.Prices:| BC | $20.99 | 750ml |
| AB | $19.95 | 750ml |
| SK | $20.49 | 750ml |
| MB | $19.99 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.95 | 750ml |
| QC | $19.95 | 750ml |
| NB | $19.79 | 750ml |
| PEI | $18.39 | 750ml |
| NFL | $18.99 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Mumm Napa Brut Prestige NV
Napa Valley, California, United StatesMedium, slightly large mousse. Toasty, citrus, honey, baked apple, pear and quince aromas with a touch of peach. Fresh, juicy, slightly sweet palate with light, creamy mousse. Toasty, nutty, apple skin, lemon, earthy, spicy flavours. Good solid, more restrained style.Prices:| BC | $23.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $26.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $28.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $24.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $28.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $29.00 | 750ml |
| YK | $28.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $34.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Chandon California Brut Classic NV
California, United StatesGood fine, continuous mousse. Toasty, honey, baked apple, creamy, citrus, peach skin and strawberry aromas. Creamy, slightly foamy mousse. Juicy with medium brut sweetness and nutty, toasty, honey, earthy, strawberry, citrus and tobacco flavours. Good balance and flavour intensity if a bit short. Consistent effort here.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $33.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $28.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $27.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Krone Borealis Cuvée Brut Twee Jonge Gezellen 2008
Light, medium mousse. Toasty, honey, baked apple, nutty, strawberry aromas with a touch of strawberry. Fresh, foamy entry with good acidity and some sweetness. Nutty, earthy, apple core, baked pear, toasty, citrus rind flavours. Finish is a bit austere and oxidative with light astringency.Prices:| QC | $23.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Cuvee Brut Travel Pack NV
Champagne, FranceMedium fine mousse. Toasty, nutty, light butter, honey, creamy, baked pear, light strawberry and tobacco aromas. Fresh, creamy mousse with nice acidity and sweetness balance. Honey, baked pear, baked green apple, spicy, nutty, butter, and quince, citrus and strawberry flavours. Good finish with length and elegance. Continued improvement here.Prices:| BC | $69.99 | 750ml |
| QC | $60.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $54.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $61.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $36.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $55.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $50.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $50.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $52.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Chamdeville Blancs de Blancs - Brut NV
FranceDry, firm toasty sparkling wine that is impressively consistent from year to year. Look for light notes of fig, baked green apple and floral aromas. The attack is fresh and crisp with bits of honey, grass, dried herbs and green apple. A simple style you can add to early morning orange juice or late afternoon aperitifs with crème de cassis.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
| YK | $16.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Toso Brut NV
Maipú, Northern Region, Mendoza, ArgentinaHuge foamy mousse but continuous with nutty, spicy, baked pear, green apple, and earthy, matchstick aromas. Fresh, foamy, somewhat sweet style with honey, earthy, nutty, toasty, baked pear flavours with a bitter, nutty finish.Prices:| BC | $15.95 | 750ml |
| MB | $17.99 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs Brut 2007
North Coast Region, California, United Statescorked, try anotherPrices:| ON | $45.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $50.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2008
North Coast Region, California, United StatesMedium fine continuous mousse. Creamy, toasty brioche, pear, light hone, spicy, citrus, baked apple and buttered cashew aromas. Fresh, somewhat creamy but foamy mousse in a sweeter style brut but solid acidity. Toasty, nutty, honey, apple core, earthy, citrus, leesy, peach flavours. Finish is biscuit-y with lemon drop notes. Riper style with good finesse.Prices:| ON | $45.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain NV
Champagne, FranceMedium fine mousse. Floral, honey, buttery, toasty, peach, strawberry, nutty, earthy aromas. Creamy, slightly foamy entry in medium brut sweetness. Toasty, nutty, buttery citrus peel, baked pear, apple core and tobacco flavours with a toasty, strawberry finish. Good flavour spectrum and complexity but just a bit coarse.Prices:| BC | $72.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Rocky Creek Jubilee NV
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaLike last edition, pale salmon with medium fine mousse. Rhubarb, leafy, tobacco, earthy, tomato leaf and toasty aromas. Fresh, creamy, foamy palate with light sweetness but soft. Earthy, tobacco leaf, olive, peppery, nutty, soapy, rooty flavours. Not much fruit here.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Rocky Creek Katherine's Sparkle Brut 2011
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaSomewhat foamy mousse with lychee, floral, spicy, honey, sausage, nectarine skin and apple skin with a bit of lees. Foamy, somewhat austere entry with good acidity and some sweetness. Sausage meat, spicy, honey, lychee, nutty, bitter citrus rind and apple seed flavours. Definitely intense.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Averill Creek Vineyard Cowichan Black 2010
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaNice spicy, warm blackberry jam, earthy, clove aroma. Ripe, round, juicy, somewhat sweet entry with floral, soapy, blackberry jam, clove, spicy flavours. Intense flavours with good balance. Try for dessert or to mix as a kir.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 375ml |
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87PTS
Spadefoot Toad Vineyard Gewurztraminer 2011
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaFloral, green apple, citrus, light lychee, nectarine, and minty aromas. Fresh, round, soft, somewhat sweet entry with lychee, sausage, red apple, earthy, spicy, floral flavours. A bit soft and sweet but good intensity and balance for spicy food. A very good start for this producer.Prices:Read Full Note
85PTS
8th Generation Vineyard Integrity Frizzante Style 2011
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBig white foamy mousse with pear, green apple, honey, citrus and almond aromas. Sweet, fresh, juicy palate with honey, baked pear, baked apple, spicy, candied citrus flavours. Simple, fun, sweeter style fizz.Prices:| BC | $22.50 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Tommasi Arele Parziale Appassimento 2010
Veneto, ItalyOlive tapenade, tobacco, rooty, menthol, cherry, raisin, barnyard and leather aromas. Full, round, slightly astringent palate with a hint of sweetness. Cherry, rooty, menthol, riparian, tobacco, olive, savoury, cocoa and prune flavours. Finish is a bit astringent but will be fine with grilled meats or hold for a year.Prices:| MB | $22.50 | 750ml |
| QC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $26.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $22.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Layer Cake Primitivo a.k.a. Zinfandel 2010
Puglia, ItalyMeaty, tobacco leaf, cherry jam, peppery, rosemary, savoury aromas. Fresh, sweet, round, soft but slightly skinny palate with coffee, cocoa, cedar bark, black cherry, rosemary, rooty, rubbery flavours. Finish is both pruny and sweet but should have appeal with meat and tomato dishes.Prices:| BC | $23.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $23.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $22.00 | 750ml |
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02 December 2012
89PTS
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV
Sonoma County, California, United StatesSonoma Brut is a blend of more than 40 separate lots of mostly pinot noir and some chardonnay grown on the 340-acre estate in the Sonoma Carneros district. The style is fresh, floral and delicate but with some creamy toasty notes with hints of cherry, citrus and apple flavours. There is a mineral streak throughout. Try it with most seafood including shellfish, crab and or sushi.Prices:| BC | $28.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $34.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $27.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $23.00 | 750ml |
| NF | $30.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Louis Bouillot Perle d'Aurore Rosé Crémant de Bourgogne NV
Burgundy, FranceThis 80/20 mix of pinot noir and gamay has a pale raspberry colour with a fresh floral, cherry, mineral, liquorice aromas flecked with nutty/toasty note. Bubbles are light and the style is slightly sweeter with very fresh acidity and tobacco, cherry, strawberry, anise and citrus/lees flavours. The ending is an attractive, sweet fruit finish.Prices:| BC | $23.49 | 750ml |
| AB | $20.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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0PTS
Blue Mountain Gamay Noir 2011
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canadacorked, try anotherPrices:| BC | $21.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $25.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Wolf Blass Yellow Label Sparkling Brut Mousseux NV
South Australia, AustraliaThe wine is tank fermented and sports a clean fresh muted nose of pear, apple skin and earthy notes. The attack is dry with citrus rind, apple, strawberry and honey. Finish is fresh with a mix of sweet and bitter flavours. A solid bubble for large crowds or mix with kir or orange juice.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $18.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $17.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
The Vibrant Vine Gewurztraminer 2011
East Kelowna Slopes, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaCooked red apple, peach skin, light floral and spicy aromas. Round, full, sweeter but soft style with honey, spicy, baked apple and candied ginger flavours. Simple, more picnic style sipper.Prices:| BC | $22.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Mission Hill Compendium 2009
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThe latest Compendium blend is 40/35/20/5 mix of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. The grapes come off specific blocks in Oliver and Osoyoos and end up in 100 percent French oak for 14 months. Nose is remarkably floral with a strong sense of minerality and a hint of seashore. The attack is sleek and sophisticated. The tannins are small firm and chalky; the flavor profile is very Bordelais with tobacco, black olive savoury notes throughout. An impressive young red wine.Prices:| BC | $50.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $45.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $45.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $107.00 | 1500ml |
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90PTS
Mission Hill Quatrain 2009
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThe 09 Quatrain is a 30/30/20/20/ blend of merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc fermented in large French oak vats. Expect a fragrant nose cherry with sweet liquorice and spicy warm mocha, meaty notes. All the fruit comes off the best blocks farmed in the south Okanagan and spends 15 months in French oak. The finish is warm and long with chalky but firm tannins and will need some time to come around in the bottle.Prices:| BC | $50.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $45.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $47.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $50.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Averill Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaSpicy, rhubarb, sour cherry, floral, compost. Carrot top aromas. Dry, tart but elegant and light palate with sour cherry, raspberry leaf, peppery, spicy, herbal, tobacco, tea leaf flavours. Juicy but too lean and tart.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Jackson-Triggs Riesling Reserve 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaLight petrol, honey, guava, citrus, grassy, baked apple aromas. Fresh, off dry, austere palate with baked apple, yeasty, citrus, honey and guava flavours. A bit weird and wild.Prices:| BC | $14.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Mistaken Identity Pinot Noir NV
Salt Spring Island, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, CanadaBrick amber colour with earthy, barnyard, rhubarb, spicy, tobacco and compost nose. Dry, thin, light, slightly astringent palate with rhubarb, leafy tobacco, earthy, sour cherry flavours. No real fruit or balance here.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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79PTS
Covert Farms MDC 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaTight peppery, cassis, smoky, cedar, meaty, roasted bell pepper, coffee, olive and prune aromas with a bit of cooked green bean. Dry, tart, lean entry with coffee, oaky vanilla, dill, olive brine, peppery, tobacco leaf, bell pepper and sage flavours. Tart and astringent and oaky. Back to the drawing board.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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79PTS
Covert Farms Rosé (Organic) 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaVery pale raspberry colour with bready, yeasty, rhubarb, sweaty, grapefruit aromas. Dry, lean entry with bruised apple, yeasty, bready flavours. Poor quality.Prices:| BC | $17.00 | 750ml |
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81PTS
Covert Farms The Bluff Red Blend 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaTapenade, tobacco leaf, tea, peppery, resin, roasted tomato, compost, cedar bark and herb aromas. Dry, tight, somewhat tart palate with green tannins. Sappy, peppery, tobacco, rooty, resin, coffee oak, rhubarb, resin, smoky, compost flavours. Too green and tart to enjoy. Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
Covert Farms Amicitia Red Blend 2009
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaHuge herbaceous, compost, tobacco, resin, caraway nose with prune and menthol aromas. Again very green. Dry, full, round but lean and astringent palate with similar flavours and a lot of green olive tapenade with smoky oak and cigar leaf. No fruit, no future.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Foxtrot Erickson Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPale amber cherry colour. Barnyard, leather, vanilla, coffee, tobacco, vanilla, worsteshire aromas. Smooth, round, elegant, light palate with coffee oak, herbal, compost, meaty, leather, tobacco, cooked rhubarb flavours. Finish is dry and slightly astringent with a green tea and olive note and lots of oak. Coming along slowly.Prices:| BC | $45.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
3 Mile Estate Winery Cabernet Merlot 2010
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSpicy, peppery, roasted bell pepper, prune, Oxo, sage, tomato paste and sappy cassis aromas. Dry, tight, light, acidic palate with smoky oak, coffee, cedar bark, olive, tobacco leaf, herbal, tomato, prune flavours. No ripe fruit or concentration and very oaky to boot. Back to the drawing board.Prices:| BC | $0.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
3 Mile Estate Winery Gewurztraminer 2010
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaRose petal, soapy floral, sausage meat, honey, ginger, butter aromas with a bit of cooked apple. Round, elegant, off dry palate with litchi fruit, sausage, apple skin, bitter citrus and ginger flavours. A bit flat and sweet with a bitter edge but offers varietal characters.Prices:| BC | $0.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
8th Generation Vineyard Riesling 2011
Summerland Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaFloral, green apple, slate, matchstick, guava aromas. Fresh, juicy, somewhat sweet entry but elegant with green apple skin, smoky, citrus, honey and nectarine flavours. Good fruit if a bit sweet and yeasty. Should improve over the next year or two.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
8th Generation Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaReminiscent of 1970s Monterrey cabernet relocated to Naramata. Look for quintessential roasted bell pepper, menthol, leafy, tobacco, and green bean and herb aromas. Round, smooth, light, lean palate with similar flavours and a bit of smoky cigar and green olive. Very green style.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
8th Generation Vineyard Pinot Meunier Rose 2011
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPale rose amber colour. Tobacco, earthy, rhubarb, spicy nose. Fresh, juicy but sweet entry with cooked rhubarb, cherry, red apple, tobacco and herb flavours. Simple, juicy style.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
8th Generation Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010
British Columbia, CanadaCool minty, rhubarb, strawberry, leafy, gamey, worsteshire, coffee, vanilla aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant, smooth palate but a bit lean with strawberry, rhubarb, tobacco, herbal, tobacco, vanilla and carrot flavours. Solid, simple, slightly oaky style.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Max Mann Riesling Classic 2010
Nahe, GermanyGreen apple skin, matchstick, slate, green peach, floral, light almond aromas. Crisp, juicy, odd-dry palate with honey, floral, green apple, nectarine and light lees flavours. A bit soft and lean but solid fruit.Prices:| BC | $15.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
JoieFarm PTG 2010
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaIntense peppery, meaty, tobacco leaf nose with smoky, caraway, menthol, compost aromas and flecks of rhubarb. Round, fresh, smooth, elegant palate with sour cherry, smoky, spicy, carrot top, tomato puree, rhubarb and pepper flavours. A bit tart but offers some juicy fruit and intensity to go with duck or pork dishes. The mix is 48/52 pinot noir and gamay.Prices:| BC | $24.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $24.80 | 750ml |
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87PTS
JoieFarm Reserve Pinot Noir 2010
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPeppery, worsteshire, tobacco, rooty, rhubarb notes mixed with stewed cherry, caraway nose and a strong leafy, oaky vanilla streak. Dry, round, supple, juicy palate with rhubarb, strawberry, leather, coffee, vanilla, tea leaf and compost flavours. Well balanced and promising but it would be better with less new oak and slightly riper fruit.Prices:| BC | $40.00 | 750ml |
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01 December 2012
89PTS
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Reserve NV
Champagne, FranceThe blend is 40% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay, 40% pinot meunier. The blue label is light and fresh with plenty of persistent, tiny bubbles. The attack is gentle with light floral notes, mixed with quince and green apple, citrus fruit. The finish is medium long and with nits of pear and almonds. A fruity style that would be perfect with smoked salmon appetizers.Prices:| BC | $52.49 | 750ml |
| QC | $48.50 | 750ml |
| ON | $50.55 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Cline Ancient Vines Mourvèdre 2010
Contra Costa, Central Coast, California, United StatesThe excellent Ancient Vines series features Rhone varietals such as this Mourvèdre or Mataro. Look for a ripe lifted fruity nose of blueberries and pepper. The plate is super smooth and glossy with sweet blueberry meaty fruit dusted with chocolate and pepper. Rich hedonistic and ripe this wine will appeal to a wide audience. Drink or hold for another three years. The winery suggest try this wine with grilled lamb, wild mushroom ragout, duck confit or peppercorn crusted beef tenderloin.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $22.35 | 750ml |
| NF | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $25.00 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Wine Thieves Cuvee #2 2008
Washington, United StatesPeppery, prune, spicy, blackberry, coffee grind, vanilla aromas. Dry, fresh, slightly lean entry with light tannins. Coffee, smoky, herbal, savoury, peppery, blackberry, vanilla, liquorice and menthol flavours. A bit rustic and oaky but fine with grilled beef.Prices:| BC | $28.99 | 750ml |
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87PTS
Camaraderie Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Washington, United StatesTobacco leaf, compost, peppery, resin, minty, coffee, meaty, light barnyard, riparian aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant but slightly astringent palate with minty, herbal, coffee, compost, tobacco, spicy, vanilla, cassis, licorice flavours. Solid if a bit backward and herbaceous. This needs another year or two in bottle.Prices:| BC | $33.99 | 750ml |
| AB | $29.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Stags' Leap Petite Sirah 2009
Napa Valley, California, United StatesThe Stags' Leap Petite Syrah comes from a handful of very old vines on the estate and from other sites in the north and south of Napa Valley. The attack is rich and intense with complex aromas and flavours that mix black pepper, raspberries and chocolate. There is sufficient acidity to keep the wine fresh and linear with a sweeter finish flecked with vanilla and brown sugar. Winemaker Christophe Paubert also sues a small but varying mix of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre to add complexity and balance to the blend. A super wine that is always outstanding when served with lamb.Prices:| NB | $46.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $45.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $45.00 | 750ml |
| BC | $50.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $48.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $55.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Curious Beast Blood Red Wine 2011
California, United StatesMenthol, green bean, peppery, herbal, chocolate, candied cassis aromas. Round, somewhat tart and sweet entry with some astringency. Tobacco leaf, olive, herbal, savoury, cassis, menthol, sappy, riparian, chocolate flavours. Simple red wine at best.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
La Crema Chardonnay 2010
Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, United StatesLa Crema Sonoma Coast chard is comes off a bunch of cool vineyard sites planted to a mix of clones that include Clone 4, Dijon, Robert Young, 809, Rued and Wente. Some 95 per cent of the juice is barreled and fermented in French oak (just over 20 percent is new) and it all goes through malolactic fermentation. Expect a fresh citrus honey nose with a touch of lees. The textures are creamy and smooth with more intense, juicy red apple, baked apple, pineapple flavours. A classy modern Sonoma chardonnay.Prices:| BC | $29.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $33.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $30.00 | 750ml |
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85PTS
Canti Estate Prosecco Extra Dry NV
Piedmont, ItalyMedium fine, white mousse with an earthy, ripe pear, honey, almond nose. Fresh, somewhat foamy and sweet style with honey, earthy, nutty, pear skin and floral flavours with a touch of bitter citrus. Simple, easy style.Prices:| BC | $15.50 | 750ml |
| AB | $13.00 | 750ml |
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83PTS
14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend 2010
Columbia Valley, Washington, United StatesCocoa, coffee bean, vanilla, cedar bark, rooty, prune aromas. Soft, round, easy and sweet palate with similar flavours. Very commercial and flat with an added cedar bark and candied prune finish.Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $18.75 | 750ml |
| MB | $15.25 | 750ml |
| ON | $15.65 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Quails' Gate Late Harvest Totally Botrytis Affected Optima 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaBig floral, ginger, apricot, spicy, honey, waxy, citrus aromas. Fresh, crisp, juicy, elegant palate with well-balanced sweetness and acidity. Lychee, apricot, honey, ginger, spicy, lime, baked apple and lanolin flavours. Nice and fresh with good juicy fruit flavours. Consistently fine from year to year.Prices:| BC | $30.00 | 375ml |
| AB | $30.00 | 375ml |
| SK | $30.00 | 375ml |
| MB | $30.00 | 375ml |
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84PTS
Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot 2009
Columbia Valley, Washington, United StatesSmoky oak, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, blackberry jam, prune aromas. Round, soft, easy palate with some sweetness. Compost, tobacco leaf, peppery, prune, cherry jam, cedar bark and green bean flavours. A sweeter, commercial style for immediate consumption.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Clos du Soleil Saturn Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Keremeos, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, CanadaHoney, egg, passion fruit, apricot, minty, floral and orange aromas. Ripe, round, full, juicy and sweet but elegant palate with apricot, honey, grapefruit, grassy, egg yolk and mint flavours. Good fruit and intensity with some finesse. Drink now or keep for a few years. Very solid effort.Prices:| BC | $29.00 | 375ml |
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87PTS
Little Tribune Winery Viognier 2011
Hornby Island, Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, CanadaFloral, grassy, grapefruit, ginger, lees, sausage, green apple aromas. Fresh, juicy, round, off dry palate with lees, sausage, spicy, ginger, canned grapefruit and butter flavours. A very cool version of viognier but balanced and clean. A first for the south coast and a very fine effort.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Covert Farms Pinot Blanc 2011
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaEarthy, matchstick, honey, pear, floral aromas. Dry, elegant but somewhat austere style with apple skin, earthy, lees, butter, grassy, pear skin flavours. Very fresh, green apple core finish. Solid effort.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Cline Syrah 2009
Sonoma County, California, United StatesMuch like the last version we tasted with smoky leather, gamey notes with a touch of white pepper on the nose. The attack is fresh and somewhat acidic with more meaty peppery floral fruit flavours. The finish is dry, tart and short with light tannins. Best with rustic meat dishes, stews or hamburgers. BC price is ridiculous.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $9.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $18.00 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Cline Zinfandel 2010
California, United StatesCline mixes Lodi and Contra Costa County fruit in its introductory zinfandel. The wine is bathed in 30 percent new French oak that you can taste in the back end. The nose is fruity with cherry berry brambleberry notes with vanilla and spice. Still young and raw but would be fine with a wood-fired pizza or grilled hamburgers.Prices:| BC | $19.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $13.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $16.35 | 750ml |
| AB | $18.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $17.80 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel 2010
Contra Costa, Central Coast, California, United StatesNinety-seven percent of Cline's Ancient Vines Zin comes from the oldest vines in Lodi and Oakley. The nose is rich and warm with spicy liquorice blackberry notes mixed with cedar and red fruits. The attack is round and supple with fresh boysenberry and candied black cherry fruit flavours. A slightly more intense version of the regular zin. Try this with grilled steak or meaty pasta sauces.Prices:| BC | $26.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $25.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $25.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $21.25 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Bleasdale Second Innings Malbec 2010
Langhorne Creek, South Australia, AustraliaOpen minty, savoury, spicy nose with peppery, tobacco, boysenberry, vanilla and coffee aromas. Rich, round, soft, slightly sweet entry with prune, coffee, blackberry jam, plum, tobacco, coffee bean, vanilla and savoury flavours. Finish is warm with a sweet and sour structure. Best with grilled meats.Prices:| BC | $16.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $16.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $16.00 | 750ml |
| SK | $16.00 | 750ml |
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84PTS
Tommasi Pinot Grigio Le Rosse 2011
Verona, Veneto, ItalyPale yellow with honey, almond, spicy, buttery aromas. Ripe, round, soft palate with apple skin, canned grapefruit, butter and nut flavours. Very mature and ripe, needs drinking.Prices:| BC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $18.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $17.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $18.00 | 750ml |
| MB | $17.00 | 750ml |
| NB | $16.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Chateau St. Jean Fumé Blanc 2010
Sonoma County, California, United StatesA small amount of oak fermented wine is blended into the mix for texture. The nose is a smoky. Citrus affair with plenty of underlying green apple, mineral, grapefruit flavours. A smooth, ripe, gentle version of sauvignon that seems to appeal to the American taster. Prices:| BC | $21.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $20.00 | 750ml |
| ON | $20.00 | 750ml |
| QC | $20.00 | 750ml |
| NS | $31.00 | 750ml |
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January 2013