Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico 2016, DOCG Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Sangiovese 85%
🍇 Merlot 15%

🧐 Alcohol 14.5%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

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A very inviting nose with aromas of cherries, blueberries, violets, forest floor, cedar and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, flavourful with fine grainy tannins and vibrant acidity. The finish is long with flavours of sweet and sour fruit, earthy and spicy notes.

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With Merlot in a supporting role, compared to Italian indigenous varietals, this is a more muscular and structured Chianti. Don’t be worried, the Sangiovese definitely comes through, giving us that sweet and sour excitement I love from this varietal and gives us both power and elegance.  This Chianti should blossom in your cellar. I will definitely need to repurchase this Chianti, highly recommended. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Turley Old Vines Zinfandel 2016, California, USA 🇺🇸

🍇 Zinfandel 100%

🧐 Alcohol 15.5%

🍁 My Score 88 Points

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Classic Zin nose with aromas of wild berries, black cherries, violets, light cloves and burnt brown sugar. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied with fruity flavours, baking spices, soft tannins and low acidity. The finish is medium length with flavours of ripe berries, dried raisins, vanilla and peppery notes.

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I really enjoyed this Zinfandel with a BBQ steak but by the end of the evening, on it’s own, it tasted a little jammy. Would have preferred more depth, structure and acidity. Base on my notes, I enjoyed the 2015 more than this vintage. Still a good Zin experience. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Cantina del Pino Barbera d’Asti 2016, DOCG Piedmont, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Barbera 100%

🧐 Alcohol 14%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

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Gorgeous bouquet with aromas of cherries, plums, pomegranates, violets, soft leather and wood spices. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, beautiful, elegant texture, lively acidity and soft tannins. The finish is long with a red berry fruit explosion and peppery notes lingering.

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Purchased this gorgeous Barbera @vesselliquor  felt so lucky. The only bottle remaining, definitely calling my name. I am not sure why it’s so difficult to find Barbera d’Asti in British Columbia. There seems to be one bottle of Barbera from Asti compared to five from Alba. I prefer the style of Barbera from Asti, they are lighter, more elegant, with less oak and extraction, and still have that classic Italian acidity. This Barbera from a cooler vintage suits my palate just right, with wonderful freshness and bright fruit flavours. Strongly recommended. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Domaine de Longue Toque Gigondas 2014, Rhône, France 🇫🇷

🍇 Grenache 60%
🍇 Syrah 40%

🧐 Alcohol 15.5%

🍁 My Score 92 Points

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Such a sensuous nose with aromas of black fruit, plums, leather, incense, old church wood, vanilla and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, full bodied with an entirely elegant texture, silky tannins and fresh acidity. The finish is medium-long, very smooth with soft fruit and savoury flavours lingering.

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It’s been way too long since I have opened a Gigondas. Purchased this a little over a year ago. This wine is in a great place right now. Every element of this wine is well integrated at this stage, resulting in beautiful aromatics, seductive flavourful mouthfeel and very smooth Gigondas. Enjoyed with a pasta dish of lamb sausage, which turned out to be a perfect pairing. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

River Stone Estate Merlot 2016, VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦

🍇 Merlot 100%

🧐 Alcohol 14.1%

🍁 My Score 90 Points

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Beautiful, vibrant nose with aromas of cherries, plums, black currants, leather, stony minerals and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, dry with sour-edged flavours of berries, cherries and plums, fine grainy tannins and balance acidity. The finish is medium-long, slightly tangy with bitter chocolate with an underlying minerality lingering.

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Absolutely love this terroir driven Merlot, it’s definitely more old world style than new world. This wine needs food to really shine, like beef, lamb, pasta, pizza or cheese. It should blossom with an additional few years in your cellar. I purchased this one bottle at the winery last September and I definitely need to resupply, thankfully our store is the only one in Victoria that stock this Merlot. A fantastic value 👌 Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Available @vintagespiritsvictoria

Herederos del Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva 2014, Rioja, Spain 🇪🇸

🍇 Tempranillo 90%
🍇 Graciano 7%
🍇 Mazuelo 3%

🧐 Alcohol 14%

🍁 My Score 90 Points

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Sensuous nose with aromas of blackberries, dark plums, dried figs, spicy, oak and vanilla notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, smooth and elegant texture, grainy tannins and fresh acidity.The finish is medium-long, smooth with flavourful toasty oak and earthy flavours.

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Few meals makes me more happy than a charcuterie and cheese platter paired with a classic Spanish Rioja. With an strong umami flavoured meal like this platter it’s hard for me to think of any other wine that would work this well. As for this Rioja Reserva from Marqués de Riscal, a Classic Rioja with plenty of well integrated oak at this stage, beautiful texture, seductive mouthfeel and very flavourful. Definitely a great value.

I would especially like to mention my favourite butcher shop, here in Victoria @farmandfieldbutchers. It’s always a great shopping experience, beautiful layout, clean store, friendly and helpful staff and beautiful appetizing meat counter. Their selection of cured meat is top notch. For this platter;

-Bison and elk salami
-Duck noisette salami
-Triple fennel ale salami and
-Two rivers spicy Coppa

All of them very delicious. Cheers my wine friends 🍷🙂

Meyer Family Vineyard Old Block Pinot Noir 2015, McLean Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦

🍇 Pinot Noir 100%

🧐 Alcohol 14%

🍁 My Score 91 Points 

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Intriguing nose with aromas of wild strawberries, plums, tart cherries, pomegranate, violets, baking spices, smoke and mineral notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, flavourful with balanced acidity and silky tannins. The finish is medium length with flavours of smoky cherries, sweet oak and leafy underbrush.

Purchased this gorgeous Pinot at the winery in September of 2017. For me, it beautifully blends of sweet and sour fruit and earthy flavours. The result is a complex and very flavourful Pinot with superb texture. An exquisite wine from the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir specialists at Meyer’s. Needless to say, I am a big fan of this winery. Cheers my wine friends 🍷