Oban Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

A beautiful December evening at the @obaninn, where we are staying in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Duck confit is one of my favourite dinners, when I see it on a restaurant menu it’s a no brainer.

-Duck Confit with smashed sage potato, roasted Brussels sprouts in a Dijon cream sauce

-Maple berry crème brûlée with pistachio biscotti

Nothing has ever bested my favourite meal of duck confit that was prepared at Algonquin College, culinary school @RestaurantInternational where I received my Sommelier Certification. I have to say that Oban Inn’s duck confit challenged my previous favourite with it’s crispy skin, delicious tender meat and served with a flavourful Dijon cream sauce and beautifully prepared smashed potatoes. So good 😋 The dessert was also very good, almost forgot to take a photo in my rush to get started 😂 I almost forgot the wise words of @wyn8969. The camera eats first 😜

And the wine?

Megalomaniac Cabernet Frank 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦

The winery description "Forthright and sincere, our Cabernet Franc delivers a knockout punch with a velvet glove"

Right now it’s more like a soft leather glove, the velvet will come later after another year in bottle. Still a very enjoyable wine but it would have been hard to upstage this duck confit.

Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Wine acquisition from the Liquor Board of Ontario (LCBO)

What a joy to be returning to the LCBO. Did you know that after Costco, the LCBO is the second largest purchaser of wine and spirits in the world? This kind of leverage can make for ideal pricing. I am here to find my personal favourite wines and explore products recommended by their very knowledgeable staff. I was lucky to run into @torontovino  at the Queens Quay LCBO location. I had already nabbed the Muga Selección Especial (a favourite 🙂) but Victor helped me select a few more beauties to bring home. Thank you.  🙏 It was great chatting with you.

🍇 from Spain 🇪🇸
-Muga Selección Especial 2014
-Urbina Rioja Gran Reserva 2006

🍇 from France 🇫🇷
-François Villard Jouvet Cornas 2016

🍇 from Italy
-Caparzo La Casa Brunello di Montalcino 2013

Pretty happy with the new addition to the family 😊 Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Maxime Magnon Rozeta 2018, Corbières, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 🇫🇷

🍇 Carignan 40%
🍇 Grenache 30%
🍇 Cinsault 30%

🧐 Alcohol 13.5%

 🍁 My Score 90 Points

🧩 50-60 years old vines, grapes are fermented together, aged wine in previously use Burgundy barrels from a producer in Chassagne-Montrachet, natural, organic and biodynamic, neither fined or filtered and no sulphur added at bottling

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Beautiful nose with aromas of red cherries, raspberries, blueberries, floral, peppery and light earthy notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, very fresh with an elegant texture, silky tannins and crisp acidity. The finish is medium length with savoury and slightly tangy flavours lingering.

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Lovely dining experience at Damas restaurant in Montréal this last Monday. Like always, I research the wine list before arriving at a restaurant. Unfortunately it was a waste of time since the wine list was out of date 🤷‍♂️ None of the wines which had caught my attention where available. Now, I did take up the offer for the Sommelier to review the wine list and help with my selection. Good wine list, mostly from France and Italy, with many natural wines. I was very happy with the wine selected, it went beautifully with our mix grilled platter. The food and the presentation as usual, was amazing. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Wine acquisition from the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ)

It’s always enjoyable returning to Montréal. There is so much to like, great restaurants, cafés and my favourite pastime of visiting the SAQ to find wines I can’t find in British Columbia. Such variety; One varietal that continues to evade me is Barbera d’Asti, there certainly was a very good selection of Beaujolais 👌 I finally settled with these six wines which will be returning home with me;

🍇 from Italy 🇮🇹
-Arianna Occhipinti Il Frappato 2017
-Prá Morandina Valpolicella 2018
-Castello di Neive Barbaresco 2016

🍇 from France 🇫🇷
-George Descombes Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2016
-Paul Jaboulet Ainé Saint-Joseph Le Grand Pompée 2016

🍇 from Spain 🇪🇸
-Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja 2010

Looking forward to enjoying some of them soon. Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Bodegas Cepa 21 Hito 2016, Ribera Del Duero, Spain 🇪🇸

Bodegas Cepa 21 Hito 2016, Ribera Del Duero, Spain 🇪🇸

🍇 Tempranillo 100%

🧐 Alcohol 13.5%

🍁 My Score 91 Points

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Lovely nose with aromas of black cherrie, blackberries, plums, leather, cloves, vanilla and earthy notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, seductive texture, flavourful, fine grainy tannins and fresh acidity. The finish is medium-long with flavours of black fruit, peppery, earthy flavours all wrapped up in fine tannins.

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This wine ticks all the boxes for me, from it’s beautiful aromatics, superb texture and it’s flavourful and smooth finish. A powerful but elegant Tempranillo, with many pairing possibilities but also enjoyed on it’s own. Even better on the second night, which tells me it’s should keep improving over the next few years. Strongly recommended 👌 Cheers my wine friends 🍷

Unsworth Vineyards Allegro 2018, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦

🍇 Sauvignette 40%
🍇 Petit Milo 40%
🍇 Amiel 20%

🧐 Alcohol 12.5%

🍁 My Score 88 Points

🧩 Stainless steel tank fermented, extensive lees contact and full malolactic fermentation.

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Beautiful, expressive nose with aromas of peaches, pineapple, pink grapefruit, light floral and mineral notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, intense, electric texture and crisp acidity. The finish is long with bright delicious flavours of sweet tree fruit and crisp tart green apple with a touch of minerality.

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The word Allegro is a musical term referring to a cheerful, playful and lively tempo. Well it’s certainly lived up to the name, exotic and tasty, quite an oral experience. On the second night the acidity softened up a little bit. I recommend serving it well chilled. A well enjoyed first experience with Allegro. Recommended, even if it’s just to experience the taste of those hybrid Blattner varietals. Cheers my wine friends 🙂

Summers Andriana’s Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, California, USA 🇺🇸

🍇 Cabernet Sauvignon 77.5%
🍇 Merlot 16.5%
🍇 Petit Verdot 2.1 %
🍇 Petit Sirah 2.1%
🍇 Malbec 1.8%

🧐 Alcohol 14.1%

🍁 My Score 89 Points

🧩 Fruit 67% from Sonoma County and 33% from Napa County
      Oak treatment: 16 months in French oak, 50% new oak

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Very attractive nose with aromas of cherries, wild berries, black currants, violets, leather and vanilla notes. On the mouthfeel, medium bodied, creamy oak covering the palate with silky tannins and low acidity. The finish is medium length with ripe fruit flavour and oak spices lingering.

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A most interesting blend here. I recall a few years ago, this was 100% Cabernet. It’s definitely a wine with great appeal, beautiful aromatics, well integrated oak, smooth texture and most enjoyable. An uncomplicated Cabernet that goes down easy. Cheers my wine friends 🍷