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Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, 2015
From the cellar: You can’t easily find Au Bon Climat in Vancouver anymore. There is an occasional bottle down at Marquis (they have an alternative Pinot in stock right now retailing for nearly $80). We scored this duty free Pinot Noir in Hong Kong a few years back, before Covid-19, before the democracy protests. And […]
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Chateau de Laborde Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune En Cuillery, 2016
Have you ever read a professional review where they say the wine has “tension”? That’s this red. We wanted to jump up and down: A red from Volnay under $50 in BC? Shurely shome mishtake? For us, it didn’t shine. It was good Pinot. The “delicate violet flower” was too delicate to last; […]
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Saint-Damien Plan de Dieu Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, 2018
It might be a CDR villages, but it’s old vines CDR villages, and it shows. Big time. A spectacular “common” red. To find a wine in BC around $30 that has this much finesse without dripping in oak or insipidly acidic, is a treat. Amen to Côtes-du-Rhône. Grenache and Mourvèdre get married, the former […]
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Trapiche Terroir Series Malbec, 2014
The Trapiche TSM sells for $46 before tax. There is no way. No way. But it was $10 off recently at BC Liquor, and we picked up a bottle. Light up a Cohibo. Big, juicy, plummy on the front with a back end loaded up in tobacco leaf, medicine cabinet and nuanced spice. Just […]
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Cune Cava Brut, NV
Thank you Marquis: A dry, palatable, superb summer sparkler, much more enticing than umpteen local rose offerings and some plain un-outstanding local fizz. A most perfect mixing faux-champers, a dash of Campari or put a Spanish twist on an Aperol spritz. Not too effervescent with some heady, yeasty, earthiness and a touch of shale. Decent […]
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La Frenz Freedom 75 Chardonnay, 2018
It’s smooth, it’s caramel butterscotch-y so that it veers towards Werther’s Original. Fortunately, the freshness and zestiness of some acid keeps the cloying at bay. It was decent with light fare, easy sipping, and enjoyable. But remarkably forgettable and seemingly commonplace on the finish. If you are averse to oak, this is an ideal local […]
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Rocca Bernarda Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, 2016
Wow, what a mouthful. The title I mean. Makes you think you’ll get more than you do. Like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; just too bad it wasn’t funny on film. Mixed feelings over a mediocre red. Forcefully acidic, aggressively musky in that wet forest floor sort of fashion, […]
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Blue Mountain Reserve Pinot Noir, 2015
It opens up beautifully. But it opens up slowly. There is definitely a matrooshka doll onion skin Pandora’s box motif going on. It’s beauty does not give it the full marks the vintner and pointsters do: it is a tad thin and not nearly as eloquent as other PNs in this price range, and of […]
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Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Franc, 2017
I’m surprised that the last time we blogged about Black Sage was 2014, a full six years ago. And that was a Cab Sauv; lovely and yummy. But, as I like to say after a few glasses, “we’ve drunk a lot of BS over the years.” It’s time to just come out and say […]
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Natte Valleij Cinsault, 2018
We are always up for novelty. After all, isn’t that what drinking wine is all about? Unusual varietal? Bring it on. But first, oh my dear God, please, please get rid of the wax on the neck; it’s somewhere between a cut your wrist suicide attempt and wedding reception confetti (a mess either way, and […]