Mas de Bressades

A nice dry rose is Mas des Bressades Cuvée Tradition Rosé from the Rhone Valley. The 2009 I tried recently is very nice, nearly dry (probably a 1 on the sweetness scale, though it says 0). LCBO #950576 and sells for $13.95.

Petit Verdot

I tried a wine at a tasting event last fall that I still remember as being exceptionally delicious. It was a rarely produced single-grape wine using the Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot is not usually found alone; it is one of the grapes used in the great classic Bordeaux blends. But though it is seldom found alone in European wines, it is seen occasionally in New World wines.
Sandhill Winery of Kelowna produces a small production (223 cases in 2006) of Petit Verdot at their Phantom Creek vineyard.
I had the 2006 vintage and I, along with some other guests at the tasting, were amazed at its richness and depth. At the end of the evening I managed to snap up an orphaned bottle to enjoy later.
Available only in British Columbia - they can't ship it outside B.C. Pity.

Update: for the latest 2019 vintage they produced only 6 barrels!

Carmenére amour

I tried a 2008 Chilean Carmenére Reserva by Chilensis, a label of Par Via Wines. This was a Natalie MacLean recommendation.

I have only had a few carmenére wines and liked every one. It is now a new favorite grape. Full-bodied, reminiscent of a good Cab but earthier with dark berries. LCBO #657981. Excellent value for $11.95.

Initial entry

This is a blog of my wine tastings, tours, tastings, events and everything else that has anything to do with drinking wine. Most of the time it will be tasting notes of the latest wine I've tried.

As a first entry, I recently tried a 2007 Zonte's Footstep Shiraz Viognier of Langhorne Creek, South Australia. A great pairing of two grapes I really like. Rich fruit from the shiraz and a suppleness from the viognier adds great complexity to this reasonably priced wine. LCBO #72975 for $15.95. This was a Natalie MacLean recommendation.