Pietradolce Etna Rosso 2016, DOC Sicily, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Nerello Mascalese 100%

🧐 Alcool 13.5%

🍁 My Score 90 Points 

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A lively and fresh bouquet with aromas of white strawberries, red cherries, autumn leaves, smoke, minerals and a touch of oak spices. On the mouthfeel, light bodied, refreshing with fine silky tannins and bright acidity. This finish is medium length with flavours of red fruit, herbal notes and mineral undertones.

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It’s wine like this one that makes exploring the wine world most interesting. I first tasted this wine over a year ago when the tannins where still quite firm. The added time in bottle, has allowed all elements to blend nicely and allow the tannins to soften up. It’s like a Pinot with more minerality and tannins, which makes it a great alternative for Pinot lovers. Strongly recommended for fans of unique terroir driven wines. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Bodegas Colomé Estate Malbec 2015, Calchaquí Valley, Salta, Argentina 🇦🇷

🍇 Malbec 100%

🧐 Alcohol 14.9%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

🧩 High elevation fruit from four Estate vineyards ranging in altitude of 1700m to 3100m, fermentation with indigenous yeast, aged in French oak for 15 months of which 20% is new oak and the remaining 80% second fill.

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Pleasant, inviting nose with aromas of blackberries, cherries, cassis, spices and floral notes. On the mouthfeel, full bodied with a flavourful, fine texture, silky tannins and refreshing acidity. The finish is long with loads of fresh fruit, creamy chocolate, peppery and minerals.

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I have always enjoyed wines from Colomé and never miss the opportunity to sample their wines. I especially enjoyed their Amalaya Gran Corte 2017 and Autentico Malbec 2017 at last months tasting at the Vancouver International Wine Festival. This wine is definitely on the more elegant style of Malbec, from Argentina. It’s beautiful balanced with a wonderful combination of flavours, freshness and weight. A delicious wine experience 👌 Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Kalala Organic Estate Winery Zweigelt 2017, VQA British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦

🍇 Zweigelt 2017

🧐 Alcohol 12.6%

🍁 My Score 91 Points 

🧩 Aged mainly in Hungarian barrels for 18 months.

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Intriguing and very attractive nose with aromas of cherries, plums, dried strawberries, cassis and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, light bodied, complex flavours, silky tannins and lively acidity. The finish is medium-long with flavours of plums, spices and a charming touch of earthy and undergrowth.

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Not yet available here on a Vancouver Island and generously provided to me by Kalala Organic Estate after having written on Instagram, of my interest in tasting this varietal and my love of cooler climate wines. Oh My! What a lovely wine, there is so much going on; it’s awesome, fruity aromatics, the mouthfeel is complex, well balanced with less fruity flavours than the aromatics would have you believe. Quite a charming Zweigelt with endless pairing possibilities but would easily make a lovely sipping wine. We will definitely be bringing this lovely wine in our store Vintage Spirits in Victoria. It should be an easy sell for wine lovers like me, who are looking for an interesting and different wine experience. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Aldegheri I Lastari Valpolicella Classico Superior 2016, Veneto, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Corvina
🍇 Rondinella
🍇 Other Indigenous varietals

🧐 Alcohol 13%

🍁 My Score 90 Points

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The nose is rather intoxicating with aromas of sour cherries, wild strawberries, leather, vanilla and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, light-medium bodied, bright flavours, lively acidity and smooth tannins. The finish is long with juicy red spicy fruit flavours lingering.

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Tasted this Valpolicella at an industry trade tasting. It was my favourite of the afternoon by far. A wonderful Valpolicella with stunning aromatics, wonderful combination of freshness and easy drinking qualities. Needless to say, strongly recommended my wine friends. Cheers 🍷

Desert Hill Estate Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦

🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon 100%

🧐 Alcohol 14.5%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

🧩 Small production of 490 cases

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Very attractive nose with aromas of black cherries, dark plums, blackberries, spice box, leather and peppery notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, elegant texture, flavourful, smooth tannins and balanced acidity. The finish is medium length with soft seductive fruit flavours and spices lingering.

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This Cabernet from Desert Hill is fully deserving of their Gold medal at the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada 2019. I love visiting Desert Hill winery, there is so many beautiful and well produced wines, made in an elegant style I really enjoy, especially their Gamay, Cabernet, Mirage Bordeaux blend and Ursa Major Syrah. This Cabernet is very aromatic, flavourful and stylish wine. Strongly recommended. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Tenuta Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato 2015, Bolgheri, DOC, Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹

🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon 65%
🍇 Merlot 20%
🍇 Syrah 15%

🧐 Alcohol 13.5%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

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A charming, robust nose with aromas of black cherries, dark plums, black currants, chocolate, spices and espresso notes. On the mouthfeel, full bodied, smooth texture, ripe tannins and low acidity. The finish is medium-long, flavourful with lots of black fruit and exotic spices.

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Another beautiful wine from the 2015 vintage from Tuscany. A few additional years in bottle has made this wine very smooth, easy drinking and a fantastic value. Not my first experience with this blend from Tenuta, but most likely one of the best. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Vancouver International Wine Festival February 27-29, 2020

It’s always a great experience attending this Festival with a total of 163 wineries, from 15 countries; 725 wines and an additional 150 wines available at trade tasting. This year the “Regional Theme Country” was France. I attended the trade tasting of Thursday & Friday with Nathan, the manager of our wine store Vintage Spirits in Victoria. With the goal of researching and purchasing wines to fill the needs and replenish our store.

Here are my top 10 tasted at the Festival;  (In no particular order)

1-Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2017, Mendoza, Argentina 🇦🇷 

2-Bodega Colomé Gran Corte 2017, Salta, Argentina 🇦🇷 

3-Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Grands Crus Blanc de Blanc 2007, France 🇫🇷 

4-Louis Bernard Côte-Rôtie 2016, Rhône, France 🇫🇷 

5-Paul Jaboulet Aîné Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2017, Rhône, France 🇫🇷 

6-Tissot-Maire Crémant du Jura Brut Lapiaz, Jura, France 🇫🇷 

7-Carpineto Molin Vecchio 2010, Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹

8-Il Molino di Grace Gratuis 2011, Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹 

9-Jasci & Marchesani Pecorino Biologico 2017, Abruzzo, Italy 🇮🇹 

10-Feudo Arancio Heddonis Riserva 2015, Sicily, Italy 🇮🇹 

Apart from the trade only wines, the wine poured at the Festival are available to purchase. As a result of my labour intensive tasting, 7 wines are coming home with me. One of those wines, which I really enjoyed and decided to purchase was Jean-Luc Colombo Les Bartavelles Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016. But to my dismay, when I arrived in my hotel room, in my hand was a bottle of the 2018 vintage 🤨 Not cool.

After many recommendations from posts on Instagram, I stopped by Vinã Santa Ema to taste their Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2019, represented by Trialto Wine.  Absolutely stunning 👌 With summer arriving soon, I would definitely like to see this wine on our shelves. 

Cheers my wine friends 🍷🥂