SOME NEW BEVERAGE SAMPLES SENT TO ME FOR TASTING –
1.Sandbanks Sleeping Giant Foch – Baco Noir 2018 VQA Ontario +164087 LCBO, $19.95: based on marechal foch and baco noir grapes, this wine comes loaded with the intensity of rustic red fruit and mocha tones, tempered by deftly placed wood notes. Try with roasts. OWA Gold Medal 2018 and All Canadian Wine Championships Gold Medal 2018. 14g/L residual sugar and 12.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 90 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
2.Sandbanks Baco Noir Reserve 2018 VQA Ontario +225920 LCBO, $19.95: plenty of full-bodied black fruit here, displaying also some mocha in its development. Some light barrel aging as well. Best with grilled meats. OWA Bronze Medal 2018 and All Canadian Wine Championship Double Gold 2018. 13 g/L residual sugar and 13% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
3.Sandbanks French Kiss Cabernet-Merlot 2017 VQA Ontario +361881 LCBO, $19.95: another full-bodied wine, loaded with charm and character reminiscent of typical Bordeaux. The blend is cabernet franc, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon, all showing black cherry-berry aromatics and textures coupled with some oak tones from extended barrel aging. Best with strong cheeses or (heavily) sauced meats. 9 g/L residual sugar and 13.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
4.Sandbanks Pinot Grigio 2018 VQA Ontario +372219 LCBO, $15.95: this is a competitive category, but Sandbanks goes up very well against other grigios in Ontario. Typical nuances include orchard fruit (peach, pear, apple) with some aromatic tropical overtones. It is refreshing on the mid-palate, finishing with citric notes. 8 g/L residual sugar and 12.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
5.(not to be confused with Sandbanks) Sand Point Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2017 Lodi +11194 LCBO, $16.95: delivers the "California sunshine in a glass" taste, with tropicality and juicy toasted oak and vanilla notes. Lean orchard fruit of pears and apples with a lemon-y finish after the mid-palate. Great at parties for its smoothness. 10 g/L residual sugar and 14.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 88 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
6.(not to be confused with Sandbanks) Sand Point Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Lodi +11193 LCBO, $16.95: another CaliCab that is positioned nicely at a sweet spot of under $17. It's full-bodied with dark red fruit tones of raspberries and cherries. And it has developed after some time in wood (it's three years old now); the low sweetness level is engaging. A good wine to have with conversation. 8 g/L residual sugar and 14% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
7.Santa Carolina Carolina Chardonnay Reserva 2018 Leyda Valley Chile +304022 LCBO, $12.95: one of the better chardonnays available at this price level. It's a cool climate wine from the breezy morning fog contributed by the Pacific. There is strong minerality here with native yeasts: some barrel fermentation and some stainless fermentation. Aged six months in French oak with lees contact and no malolactic fermentation. The creaminess is expected, with vanilla tones, nuttiness, orchard fruit on the mid-palate, finishing with citric flavours. 13.8 % ABV with 3.65 g/L RS. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
8.Santa Carolina Carolina Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2019 Leyda Valley Chile +337535 LCBO, $12.95: Chilean savvies show great value. Here is one from the cooler climate area of the country, all fermented in stainless and kept on its lees for a month. It has all of the savvy character: stones, herbs, grass, zest, lemons, minerality, but also some body from the lees treatment. Very fresh, at this point only 6 months old.
13.5% AVB, 2.19 g/L RS. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
9.Santa Carolina Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2018 Colchagua Valley Chile +275925 LCBO, $13.95: one of Chile's best cabbies at this price level, from a mild dry Mediterranean climate. Done up in stainless and then transferred to French oak for eight months wood contact. Expect intense freshness without the overwhelming hard tannins. Fruit includes raspberries and other members of the rose family, some peppery overtones, and a lush finish. Twist top closure, 13.5% ABV, 3 g/L RS. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
10.Adelaide Wines Estates Victoria Park Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 South Australia +11939 LCBO, $14.95: the LCBO appears to have added more Cabernet Sauvignon to its shelves as the grape is in a comeback mode, principally because of climate warming and softer tannins. Can it replace Merlot??? Well, this one can very easily. Plenty of mocha and dark berries, with a soft tannin finish. It is also vegan friendly, with no animal matter in the fining/filtering process. Selling for far more in the United States, somewhere at $19 USD retail. 13.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
11.J. Bookwalter Winery Readers Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Columbia Valley AVA Washington State +132382, $35.95 Vintages February: comes from older vines at Washington's oldest vineyards. There are about 1000 wineries in Washington, most being family owned. This particular wine comes from higher elevations, and is 82% cabernet sauvignon with 18% syrah added. It has been aged 26 months in all French oak barrels, 30% of which are new. It's a wine meant for aging (I did a double-decant and tasted it over a few days). The wine has power (14.9% ABV) and huge aromatics at this point, with black fruit such as blackberries (both cab and syrah) and coffee/chocolate tones to mesh with the vanilla from the wood. 2 g/L residual sugar, needs aging. Twist top. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
12.Prova Cega 2017 Douro DOC +446054 Vintages, $12.95: a full and generous wine from three varieties used for making port: touriga nacional 50%, touriga franca 25%, and tinta roriz 25%. The emphasis of the fruit is a mix of red first followed by the black after the mid-palate. Some spices are present but none dominate. Both the aroma and the taste are moderately complex, even at this price level. The density of the wine suggests rich meat dishes, and certainly very hard cheeses. A new Vintages entry into the Portuguese red wine sweepstakes, coming in at a low 1.5 g/L residual sugar and a high 14.5% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 89 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
13.Poggio Landi Brunello di Montalcino 2013 DOCG +573980 Vintages, $49.95: 100% sangiovese grosso, aged 38 months in French oak barrels. Fresh ripe red fruit dominates (berry-cherry), black pepper and anise, vanillin, some forest floor complexity showing, but tannins still need resolution. A cellar keeper, or try it over several days after exposure to air. Start with a double-decant. Long finish with some herbaceousness. Best with hard cheese and game. 14% ABV. Quality/Price rating is 92 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
14.Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir 2018 VQA Ontario +461699 $24.95 Vintages Essential: These low yielding grapes come from Short Hills Bench which was planted in 1984. Some of these old vines are still producing, and you can find some of their juice in this bottle. As with their previous baco noirs, HOP has maintained both the rich jammy black currant spicy character and the low price – under $25. Aged in premium American Oak for more than 18 months. It's still young, needing another two years or so for proper aging, but with multiple decanting it can be consumed now. 13% ABV on the label. Works best with pronounced meats such as pork, lamb, farmed or wild game – all either braised or grilled. And spicy foods. Speck Family Reserves are the top tier by HOP. Quality/Price rating is 90.5 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
15.Henry of Pelham Family Estate Chardonnay 2018 VQA Short Hills Bench, $21.95, +268342 Vintages Essential: this bottling continues the tres elegante Burgundian character of earlier years. Some ripeness, pleasant balance of oaking and fruit, integrated style in place, wood integration produces some creaminess in the finish. Overall balance of fruit and wood, vanilla, modest spices. 13% ABV on the label, cork closure, barrel fermentation in French and American oak (25% - 33% new), barrel aging for 8 or more months. Quality/Price rating is 91 points by Dean Tudor of Gothic Epicures.
May we all have 2020 vision.
Chimo! www.deantudor.com
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