Alan’s August 29th, 2009 Vintages Release Tasting Notes

August 29th’s release showcases wines from the Rhone Valley and several Zinfandels from California. Unfortunately, due to the lack of excellence, the latter struck little interest with me, but the Rhone wines, for the most part, are stellar and well worth seeking out.

130021 DOMAINE PAUL HENRY CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2006 $14.95
A Grenache-based wine that delivers aromas of cola, black pepper, plum and blackberry. Its palate is laden with spice, clean fruit, good acidity, great wine save for the touch of heat on the finish. Find this wine

130062 DOMAINE MONTMARTEL VISAN 2007, Côtes du Rhône-Villages $16.95
An all black nose of blackcurrant, black raspberry, black olive and black pepper backed up with a layer of enticing mineral and wet earth. The palate contains a creamy feel of blueberry pie yet there is some grip from the dusty tannins. The acids are low and again the heat is more than just noticeable on the finish. None the less, it is a tasty wine. Find this wine

17079 SANTA DUC LES BUISSONS CAIRANNE 2003 Côtes du Rhône-Villages $17.95
Mediterranean spice, a note of caramel and very ripe fruit on the nose confirms this wine is aging nicely. The palate is rich, the tannins are integrating well and the wine is balanced. Although this is a wine from and ultra hot vintage, there is no heat on the well-heeled finish. Find this wine

78790 LE GRAVILLAS SABLET 2007 Côtes du Rhône-Villages $17.95
This has that certain smoky/gamey trait that I love in wines from the Rhone Valley. It is also full of black raspberry and blackberry aromas, good spicy notes and a touch of dusty underbrush. The palate is balanced, has flavours of mineral and fruit with just a kiss of chocolate tannin on the close. Find this wine

127738 OGIER RASTEAU 2007 Côtes du Rhône-Villages $19.95
A nose of pure black fruit, toasty sweet oak, nutmeg, black licorice and a little edge of funky barnyard. There is lots of lively creamy sweet black fruit on the palate with peppery notes on the finish. Find this wine

132548 CHÂTEAU MOURGUES DU GRÈS LES GALETS ROUGES 2007 Costières de Nîmes $14.95
There is a serious problem with this wine. The tar, coal dust and mineral notes soon take second place to layers of rich ripe blackberry fruit, licorice, dried Herbes de Provence and Szechwan peppercorn. On the palate it proves to be powerful, quite viscous, well balanced and more importantly, extremely tasty. The finish has good length, plenty of fruit and a note of pink peppercorn. The problem is Mr. Parker also liked it and awarded it 92 points. Therefore it will fly off the shelves as soon as the LCBO opens on Saturday. Good luck finding this one. Perhaps pleading with your local product consultant might help. Find this wine

74195 DELAS HAUTE PIERRE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU PAPE 2007 $35.95
To me, this is what good Chateauneuf is all about. It donates beautiful aromas of tar, mineral, black fruit, lavender and a faint note of pig poo. The palate of this blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah is intense, but wonderfully balanced with plenty of red and black fruit and tight, but none offensive tannins and lively acidity. A beautiful wine that should age gracefully for a decade or more. Find this wine

67678 DOMAINE DE CRISTIA CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2006 $39.95
Over shadowed somewhat by the Delas Haute Prierre, this is a rustic style of CNP that emits aromas of shoe polish, grapey black fruit, sweet spice and cinnamon. It is a gutsy wine with black cherry and blackcurrant on the palate along with a whack of tannin on the finish. Find this wine

130013 DOMAINE SAINT-PIERRE VACQUEYRAS 2005 $24.95
A beefy wine with a hard-edged nose of black peppercorn, sweet black raspberry, mineral and iron. The palate is full of toasty sweet fruit, mocha, stony mineral and a layer of mouth coating tannin to ensure its aging potential.  Find this wine

127712 FERRATON PÈRE & FILS LA MATINIÈRE CROZES-HERMITAGE 2006 $21.95
This wine was reviewed well by the Wine Spectator crew, but I found little at this point in time to rave about. It is shutting down and only shows traces of black pepper and earthy notes. The palate gives more, showing herbal flavours and currant. Find this wine

130005 DOMAINE DE PIERRE BLANCHE LES CABOLES SAINT-JOSEPH 2007 $24.95
An herbaceous focused wine featuring bay leaf, juniper, thyme and pepper. There is a pleasing layer of dark fruit on the palate; the peppery notes come through on the light to medium finish. Find this wine

133389 CANDOR LOT 1 ZINFANDEL California $19.95
A non vintage blend of Zin with fruit from Lodi, Sonoma County, and Paso Robles. It is full of sweet black raspberry, cherry pie and sweet candy bar, Turkish Delight to be precise. It has a juicy palate with plum and berry flavours, good acidity, but a short finish. Find this wine

38000 CLOS DU BOIS ZINFANDEL 2006 North Coast $18.95
Lots of black cherry upfront followed by a layer of caramel and stewed fruit. The mid palate fails to excite, the oak is a little high at least for my tastes. Pleasant fruit flavours on the finish along with some chewy tannin. Find this wine

590216 CLOS DU VAL ZINFANDEL 2006 Napa Valley $21.95
Violets, cinnamon, briar and underbrush are abounding, but the fruit is not. The palate is best described as elegant, with notes of raspberry and chocolate. It is nicely balanced, with gentle tannin and a light to medium finish. Find this wine

57356 HOWLING MOON OLD VINE ZINFANDEL 2005 Lodi $18.95
I like the nose of chocolate, black fruit, sweet black licorice, pepper, mocha and plum, but the palate is liken to sipping sweet and sour sauce, chunky red fruit and vibrant acids. The finish is a little syrupy lacking solid fruit flavours. Find this wine

678698 GNARLY HEAD OLD VINE ZIN ZINFANDEL 2007 Lodi $17.95
I have enjoyed previous vintages of this wine from Lodi, a region that tends to produce ripe and juicy wines. This has plenty of sweet red cherry, a complimentary note of Herbes de Provence, a little mocha and tar. The palate contains flavours of black currant, caramel and cough candy. There is some heat on the finish, but all in all it is a decent wine. Find this wine

126607 NAPA CELLARS ZINFANDEL 2005 Napa Valley $23.95
Some berry notes, a little herb, bay leaf, and cola on the nose lead to a lackluster and sugary palate and almost no finish. Find this wine

903237 GRGICH HILLS ESTATE ZINFANDEL 2006 Napa Valley, Estate Grown $48.95
A funky wine full of mineral, earth and toffee. It takes a while for the fruit to take centre stage and when it does its performance is far from dynamic. There are notes of blackberry and red currant, but they struggle to show well on the palate. The finish comes across with black fruit, Caribbean spice and plenty of dusty tannin. I am not really sure where this wine is going at this point in time.  Find this wine

942151 SEGHESIO SONOMA ZINFANDEL 2007 Sonoma County $28.95
This is Zinfandel and clearly the best of the bunch. It is full of dark chocolate, black cherry, blackberry and blueberry aromas all deftly seasoned with a touch of spearmint and sage. The palate is thick and viscous, tannins are there, but they are already integrating nicely. The fruit is balanced by lovely black fruit acidity. Sonoma, at least in my opinion, is the place where true Zinfandel excels. Find this wine

122267 ROSEHALL RUN CUVÉE COUNTY CABERNET FRANC 2007 Prince Edward County $18.95
Up front red fruit jam, mineral and cherry. Very light on the palate, it has that taste of carbonic maceration and a hint of oak. Find this wine

996777 MALIVOIRE PINOT NOIR 2006 Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula $24.95
A textbook nose of vibrant strawberry, red fruit, hay, dried Asian mushrooms and mineral. It is from the vintage of 2006, a tough year to ripen Pinot in this part of the world, but this is elegant, well structured, ripe and pleasing right through to the finish of sweet red berry and lively acidity.  Find this wine

128652 WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES NO. 99 CABERNET/MERLOT 2007 Niagara Peninsula, Estate Series $18.95
A dark intense wine full of mocha, sweet candy, blackberry and blackcurrant with toasty sweet oak, plenty of tannins and decent acidity on the palate. It needs time to let the concentration of fruit shine through and deliver its best. Find this wine

129056 WAYNE GRETZKY ESTATES NO. 99 PINOT NOIR 2007 Niagara Peninsula, Estate Series $21.95
Very dark for an Ontario Pinot, this pounds out punchy aromas of damson, violet, red cherry, currant and cedar. It starts out on the palate with dark fruit, couverture chocolate, red currant and cherry, but the surprisingly massive layer of tannin takes over with the grace of a bull in a china shop masking every component of the wine. This is one of the most tannic Pinots I have tasted and I hope there is enough fruit to last the time it will need to let the tannin soften. Find this wine

560052 QUAILS' GATE PINOT NOIR 2006 Okanagan Valley $24.95
Very much a Burgundian-style of Pinot delivering notes of earthy mineral, plum, mushroom and a little barnyard. The palate offers plumy, red berry flavours enhanced with a touch of mocha and cherry. Find this wine

665158 MÉNAGE À TROIS RED 2007 California $15.00
Ménage à Trois, a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is a fun wine full of red fruit, bubblegum, bramble and sweet red licorice aromas. It carries sweetness on the palate, with plush fruit and a Zin dominated finish. Find this wine

127555 BALLAST STONE MERLOT 2006 Currency Creek, South Australia $16.95
Here is a tasty good value wine from down under packed with sweet cherry and blueberry aromas and a touch of treacle in the background. The palate is fruit laden, well balanced and clean. Find this wine


96586 JJ HAND MADE WINES MERLOT 2006 Stellenbosch $17.95
A wine that starts out with plenty of promise judging from the level of concentrated black fruit, plum and tobacco on the nose. It fades on the palate and the finish is really quite short. Find this wine

613208 KLEINE DRAKEN PINOTAGE 2007 Paarl $15.95
Dusty, a note of coconut shell, shiny new leather, nail polish remover and plenty of black fruit aromas all leap from the glass. The palate has good fruit flavours, a little funk, and decent acids. Not my style of wine, but pleasant. Find this wine

501213 CHÂTEAU L'ARCHANGE 2005 Saint-Émilion $62
Minty and herbaceous at first, then blackberry, blueberry and currant aromas rise to the top. After a few minutes pastry and vanilla notes also surface. The palate is full of luscious fruit, a low degree of acidity and it is not long before the tannins start to shut it down. There is a hot note on the finish. It is a big bold wine that should prove to be of interest years down the road. Find this wine

611152 GOLAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON Golan Heights Winery 2007 Galilee $17.95
Very upfront notes of medicinal blackcurrant and sweet black cherry flavours. There is a pleasing note of lavender in the background. It has a blackcurrant coulis feel to the palate. It is nice, but rather one dimensional.  Find this wine

117234 SARTORI RIPASSO VALPOLICELLA SUPERIORE 2006 DOC $16.95
Sexy aromas of cola, nutmeg, damson and vanilla. It packs power on the palate, tannins are there, but controlled, the finish is creamy, tasty, but oddly a little light. Find this wine

681346 ÈTIM SELECCIÓN 2006 $15
A young and solid wine packed with lots of ripe fruit, mineral, dried herb and a great finish. Acidity is spot on, there is a touch of oak, but it does not overpower. Be quick on this one too as Jay Miller, Mr. P’s counterpart, loved it. Find this wine

131862 QUINTA DAS AMORAS COLHEITA SELECCIONADA 2006 $12.95
Imagine wandering the depths of a dark damp moss laden cave whilst devouring a bowl of your mum’s hot and steamy Christmas pudding coated with vanilla and brandy laden Crème Anglaise and you have captured the essence of this wine. It is full of plum, sweet spice, pure dark fruit, wet stone, mineral and mossy. An exhilarating wine far away from mainstream that is well priced and bloody tasty.
Find this wine

Cheers

CZ

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