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Edgebaston David Finlayson Camino Africana Chenin Blanc, 2015
Marquis had a spring cleaning sale and we picked up a bottle of this South African Chenin for a song. Then we went back and bought four more. YOWZA. It’s only May, but this feels like the white wine of the year. It’s absolutely, totally, over the top sensational. Not one bottle we’ve had this […]
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Domaine Grand Nicolet Les Esqueyrons Rasteau, 2016
Screw you Jeb Dunnuck. Honestly, 94 points with a “thrillingly concentrated vibe on the palate.” Can I tell you what the vibe is? It’s fortified wine. This bottle (lovely, yes, silky, smooth as fabric softener, heady and toxic) is 16.5% alcohol. This is a silent derringer. It’s a killer. A silent effing killer. And all […]
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Undurraga Gran Reserva “Sibaris” Pinot Noir, 2020
We came across this wine at a social event then started serving it to guests. Instead of a review, because review wise we don’t have much to say, here’s our alternative take: People love it. We’ve served it to guests umpteen times. It never seems to disappoint. It’s a remarkably affordable bottle, you don’t feel […]
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Clos du Soleil Signature, 2013
There are a couple of old posts on the site for the CdS Signature which, once upon a time, many moons ago, we dubbed BC’s best red. So much has happened in the last decade across the province it would be both wrong and a disservice to stake the same claim today. And then a […]
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La Frenz Vivant, 2017
Heavy and veering towards cloying. Not La Frenz’ finest hour. It sips a bit closer to Muscat than you expect, and fights with fish at dinner. Believe it or not, some plain potato chips paired a dream. We haven’t blogged about a Vivant since the 2013 vintage where we felt, well, pretty much the same: […]
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Sign of the times. Sigh.
Wow: Blue Mountain won’t bottle this spring. We got the email last week. Smoke, from forest fires last summer, have left them with a difficult decision: Bottle a less than desirable wine, or face the fact that smoke has irreparably harmed the harvest. BM made the right choice. Wow: This is disheartening on so many […]
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Coterie Cabernet Franc & Malbec, 2018
For years we’ve written some variation on how exceptional the wine is in the Cape region and how it rivals many much more established wine regions, and how dire and uninspired the South African selection is at BC Liquor (and bemoaned the discrepancy). This is more of the same. Despite, I must point out, being […]
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La Primera Rivancha Chenin Blanc, 2020
We like us our Chenin Blanc. Like the simple Axle. Like the not too easy to find old vines Bellingham. Which, you know, we liked before. And before. And like the Le Parc. Or just search Huet on the site; it’s awash with short shoves for Vouvray So we had high hopes for this Argentinian […]
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Mazzei Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva, 2018
95 points from James Suckling. Seriously. 95 points. I have no idea what that even means. For what? It’s not the best Chianti at BC Liquor let alone the best Chianti available in the province. It’s a very good Chianti. Period. It’s like a 90 point red wine if in fact you must rate wine. […]
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Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Grenache, 2018
Breathtakingly good. The best North American Grenache we’ve ever had the privilege to drink. To sip. To take deep, deep pleasure in. After a “dry-ish” January we splurged. Gorgeous maraschino cherry with a nutty sharp turn towards licorice, clove and pepper. Elegant notes the way you catch a sweet scent passing a florist. Both forward […]