(Re-Tasted February 2009) ... Released sometime in 2007, this is a non-vintage sparkler made in "Cuvee Close" or charmat method ... it was part of Martronardi's first batch of sparkling wine, which they decided to call "a'Dorah": "the wine of romance and seduction ... that ignites your passion for life." A light, fruit driven sparkler in its youth (and meant to be drunk that way) it has become something quite different and exotic now that it has a few years under its belt. The nose is caramel corn with floral and honey notes, while the flavours dole out honeyed apricots, canned peaches and hints of orange peel, leading to a bruised apple finish with a surprising, and pleasant, Barlett pear linger.
Showing posts with label Non-Vintage Wines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Non-Vintage Wines. Show all posts
February 2, 2012
November 2, 2009
Thirteenth Street 'Reds' Again, Last Bottle
(Re-Tasted November 2009) ... After all these years I am still in a quandry about this wine, even more so now, especially in light of what is going on in the Ontario industry. Yes, I know, it is a Cellared i
n Canada wine made from Ontario Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and Zinfandel from California. Do I mollify myself by saying this is a one-off from the boys at 13th Street, who make incredible VQA wines - in fact I do, but what a one-off it is. No date adorns the bottle, hence I have no idea how old this wine is, but considering my first review is from January of 2006, then it must be at least 3 years old, but the boys at The Street don't have a "blending license" so it must be either a 2003 or a 2005, adding another 1 - 3 years to the bottle. So now that we have accomplished nothing how does this wine taste? Smells needed some coaxing with an aerator revealing some plum and spice with hints of pepper; the palate was still in the very drinkable range of its lifespan offering up plenty of spice and pepper with an array of black fruits that were just beginning to fade. So if you have some of this wine sitting on a shelf, now is the time to drink it. I have to say, reluctantly, this is a very good wine, it shows what kind of wines can be made in this category and that they are not all some form of cheap plonk.
n Canada wine made from Ontario Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and Zinfandel from California. Do I mollify myself by saying this is a one-off from the boys at 13th Street, who make incredible VQA wines - in fact I do, but what a one-off it is. No date adorns the bottle, hence I have no idea how old this wine is, but considering my first review is from January of 2006, then it must be at least 3 years old, but the boys at The Street don't have a "blending license" so it must be either a 2003 or a 2005, adding another 1 - 3 years to the bottle. So now that we have accomplished nothing how does this wine taste? Smells needed some coaxing with an aerator revealing some plum and spice with hints of pepper; the palate was still in the very drinkable range of its lifespan offering up plenty of spice and pepper with an array of black fruits that were just beginning to fade. So if you have some of this wine sitting on a shelf, now is the time to drink it. I have to say, reluctantly, this is a very good wine, it shows what kind of wines can be made in this category and that they are not all some form of cheap plonk.February 18, 2008
Thirteenth Street Winery "Noirs”
(Re-Tasted February 2008) …I was a big fan of the Thirteenth Street “Reds”, which was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Zinfandel; so when the boys brought out “Noirs” (a blend of Gamay and Pinot) you just knew I was going to jump at it. Now, a few years on, this non-vintage wine seems like it just might have had a fighting chance – colour is still good. When I first opened it I smelled earth, sour cherry, cranberry, and … is that corkiness? The taste was also interesting: sour cherries, strawberry, definitely earth and something else ... there was also an effervescent feel on my tongue. I decided to give it some time to breathe to see what developed - and there it was, that slight corkiness I thought I had detected early on, came roaring out of the bottle 30 minutes later ... no doubt about it, this beauty had turned into a beast; too bad.
January 17, 2008
Thirteenth Street Winery “Reds”
(Re-Tasted December 2007) … Those of you who were lucky enough to pick up this wine (13th Street’s first and only non-VQA wine) grabbed yourself quite a treat. A blend of 50% Cab Sauv and 25% Syrah and Zin … this was a reactionary wine that was made to “get rid” of some juice the boys brought in from California and could not sell. So, instead of letting it sour, they made lemonade (mixed metaphor I know). I bought 7 bottles in the short time it was on the shelf and now I’m down to my last one. Today, the nose is black cherry, plum and milk chocolate while the taste is still as lovely as ever, black cherry and plumy with great red fruit nuances. There is a bit of bite at the end, which is not necessarily tannin derived, I recommend opening and enjoying this one right now or in the next 6 months. What a fabulous experiment this was, though never to be duplicated.
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