Martin Mills

9.3

The top wine from the now defunct producer of what I’d rank as the best wines yet made in Canada, making this perhaps the pinnnacle of Canadian winemaking. This one is mellowing in its dotage, but delivering superbly complex layers of Meursault-like popcorn/toast/smoke on top of a seam of minerality that traces from salinity through to lime citrus fruit. Lovely golden hue in the glass, I expect this to continue to evolve ever more finesse for at least five more years. Seemingly unavailable any more in Ontario, I found this at The Port NSLC in Halifax for $87 and a special occasion. — 7 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.1

First of the two blind Zinfandel blends paired with our turkey burgers and black bean veggie burgers. Deep garnet red. A bit herbal on the nose with dark fruits that became stronger with air. Medium tannins (6.5/10) and light plus to medium bodied. Rich and plush attack, drinking its best between hour one and two. Notes of strawberry jam, boysenberries, blackcurrants, bramble berries, blue fruits, asian spices and a touch of cocoa. Finish lingers for quite a bit. Drink till 2019.

This Prisoner was the first vintage under their new ownership (no longer with Orin Swift). This vintage is made up of 51% Zinfandel, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Charbono, 1% Malbec and 1% Grenache. Needed twenty minutes or so to open up but beautiful fruits after that. — 8 years ago

with Sean and India

Jody Scharf

9.3

Got Pinot? You will love this one. The winemaker's say only love and you can feel it. Thank you Towes. — 9 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

Wow. Wow. Truly a stunning wine. And it's not even one of their top bottlings. Classic Riesling nose. Juicy on the palate with great aromatics. Balanced fruit. Long long juicy finish. Most producers would be thrilled to call this their top wine. Wow. Twenty five bucks or so. — 10 years ago

Cassidy Stirtz

9.3

lovely, smooth cab with a complex finish. i wish i had steak with this one! — 10 years ago

Joan Wamae

9.1

Had this at the restaurant in the Birchwood, South Africa - The Grill at One Twenty. Excellent! — 10 years ago

Nurseblondie

9.0

Liquor depot. Very good for the price! — 11 years ago

Bobby Linsley

9.2

Gave my auntie a sample pack of twelve wines and she swore by this one. I have to agree. For under twenty bucks this wine is terrific value. No need to give a detailed talk about its flavour, just crack a bottle with some pizza and/or pasta and you'll see what I mean. — 11 years ago

Laura Fashoda

9.5

Bright cherry and rose petals. Always one of my favorites — 11 years ago

David Racich

9.1

Pinot and hanging Christmas lights - perfect! No worries, staying off a ladder. I have yet to find a bottle like this one. The information that is given in regards to the vinification, site and BRIX is pretty unique to have on the bottle. Oh yeah - a great Pinot. Tasting blood orange and sour plum. — 12 years ago

with Ashley

CS

Sales Amy Atwood Imports

9.2

Aaaahhh Dirty Durty Duuurty... A little rough out of the gates in the first day, but this wine was just bottled, and judging it now would be as ludicrous as telling a 6 year old he'll never grow up to be a Unicorn Wrangler. Second day it was more intact, more cinnamon spice I associate with good carbonic maceration, not the banana and cotton candy. Bright, fresh red berry fruits, soft mid-palate with sour cherry core, fine but dense tannins and loaded with spice. This wine shows all the right dimensions of being something beautiful, I'd say 6 months and she won't be afraid to show herself to you. 2 years, and you'll wish you'd saved more bottles. Picked at 20.7 degrees Brix, whole cluster fermented, "barely" foot tread, more just pushed down with feet to maintain whole berries under the juice to promote carbonic maceration. A fairly aggressive pressing was done at the end of ferment to try to squeeze some tannins out and add a bit of structure and texture. Aged in one 5 year old Demi-muid and one 5 year old French oak barrel. Never racked until bottling. 82 cases made. 11.6% alcohol 3.9 pH — 13 years ago

Bryce Wiatrak

9.2

Tawse is one of Canada’s best wineries, bringing a Burgundian ethos to their site-specific wines. This Chardonnay is lean and mean - tart lime zest meets wet stones. A fascinating juxtaposition with the richness of the creamy Laliberté cheese. #i4c18 — 7 years ago

Eric Vrtis

9.5

I have never tasted a better Cabernet Franc. So cab franc-y in it's pepper and Earth, yet so dense and fruity. More perfectly ripe blueberries and fragrant violets than one could dream up. — 8 years ago

TheSkip

10

So, I came home yesterday and there was a package at the door. I wasn't expecting anything and looked at the sender. @Martin G Rivard ! Well then! I knew santa was over, but perhaps Easter Bunny Rivard had struck?

I opened the box with haste. Surely anything from @Martin G Rivard would be of high quality. I saw a flash of orange and though, oh my! But there was only one bottle and it was oddly shaped. This must be the limited edition, double magnum of @Jason Chang's Nine Suns cuvée! I ripped open as if it were Christmas and out came Carlo Rossi.

I'd never heard of this producer but I trusted Martin. This bottle came with a very handy pour handle at the top. I was excited. Although it was only 4pm, I remembered what @Bill Bender said about 3pm so, I thought to myself, why not?

Hurriedly, I came into the kitchen and got my favorite Zalto glass, as inspired first by @Roman Sukley. I retrieved my corkscrew and opened the knife only to discover that this was a convenient screw cap! How thoughtful of Martin!

Open it went and the room filled with a lovely sweet grape must. I knew this would be special. I grabbed my winestop given to me by @Ron R and inserted to to insure there would be not a drop wasted.

Into the glass and my excitement prevented any thought of a decant.

What a wine! Those Concord grapes - what has Welch's been thinking? They've missed out on one of the finest varietals I've ever encountered. I knew I was truly lucky to try this rare wine.

But something felt...off. And I realized, I had nothing to pair with this! Thankfully there was a full 4L in this bad boy. And the screw cap allowed for prompt resealing.

Away I went in the car. What oh what to have? Aih! Exactly! @Paul T told me about the heaven of pairing McNuggets. Off to Ol' McDonalds I went.

Twenty McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce please!

I scurried to the back, and carefully withdrew my Zalto from my backpack. Opening the McNuggets, I knew this would be special. And indeed, I am with words to describe the experience. Yet, again, I knew something just wasn't right. The wine wasn't presenting itself. So I thought, how can I classy this up? And then I remembered all of @David L's posts with the classy silver wine coaster.

I had to have one. I asked the chap at the counter of McDonalds, but the response I received was less than satisfactory. I had to solve this issue myself. Thankfully , while returning to my table, I spotted a HomeGoods store immediately next door. I ran across and found a lovely silver charger.

And finally, returning to my table, I was now all smiles! More smiles than @Mike R !

What a special evening. I really wanted to end this off right. I grabbed a dozen roses and rushed home to the wife. Half a bottle Rossi still intact!

I showed her the bottle and wow! You should have see her eyes. I then suggested we retire to the bedroom and this was met with prompt approval.

And with such a great night, I wanted a lovely memento. I gently placed the bottle against her and snapped a lovely shot that is sure to be on the cover of the next issue of BBB with @Bill Bender !

Thanks for thinking of me @Martin G Rivard ! — 9 years ago

Debbie Shing

8.9

Thanks @eugene_vin for this bottle! Fleshy, rich Chardonnay, very Meursault-like in style w toasty nuts, floral & spice complexity. The intensity & ripe nature of the fruit flavours (vs subtlety) being one of its only signs of New World-ness. Yummy. — 10 years ago

Lara Dunphy Guest

Director Sales & Marketing Black Cordon Vineyards, Sixteen by Twenty Wines

9.4

This Pinot from Anderson Valley has been in top form lately and it is truly one of my favorites. I think earth-soaked cherry is the best way to describe it. It's a cab-lover's Pinot with complexity, intense flavor, and a full mouthfeel that isn't always easy to find in California Pinots. I would definitely pop the cork on one of these and see how it has matured since its release. The earthy undertones make me happy. — 11 years ago

Courtney Cochran

Sommelier/Host hiptastes.com

9.7

*ultimate pizza wine alert*
It's like a four-chair turn on The Voice, if the judges were all pies seeking their perfect match...stay with me...this one manages to have it all, from blk olive, bell pepper, pepperoni, even tart-sweet tomato and portobello. It's also juicy and begs another sip...yep, looks like it's got it all, so long as you've got the will to fork over a twenty to pair with your pie :/ — 11 years ago

Lois Bloom

9.7

One of my favs! — 12 years ago

Vincent D'Itri

10

Literally one of the best Zinfandels (and wine overall) I've ever had. Whatever Duane Rieder is doing bringing grapes back to Pittsburgh from California, it's working. Dark, smokey and jammy. Reasonable at $62 restaurant pricing. Found it at Original Fish Market. — 13 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

Luminous pale straw-yellow. Slightly reticent aromas of honey, banana, and sweet spices. Big, rich and dense with lively but harmonious acidity providing clarity and cut to the ripe stone fruit and honeyed flavors. Finishes long and pure. A very good wine, but the hot year makes this less typical of the Tocai Friulano variety than in past vintages; readers should note that the Ronco della Chiesa is usually one of Italy’s best twenty or so whites in practically every vintage. (Ian D'Agata, Vinous, May 2018) — 8 years ago

Dana Wagner

9.5

Phenomenal. Drinking perfectly after twenty-one years. Worth the wait. — 8 years ago

Michelle Baily

9.2

Fairly expensive. Not too sweet. — 9 years ago

Evelyn Ignatow

Owner, Hyde Park Gourmet Food & Wine

9.2

Beautiful and graceful. Hard to believe this wine is twenty one years old. Tasted with Larry O'Brien MS — 9 years ago

Dorit Handrus

9.0

Familiar and foreign together in one easy to open bottle! Thanks @Michelle Handrus for making this happen 😘 — 10 years ago

with Jason, Jesse and 2 others

David Sanchez

8.9

Wow, a beautifully aged chardonnay. Held up very well, bringing out the nuttiness, vanilla and spices of an aged Chard. Paired great with a Fungi y pollo risotto which I don't believe it would have done in its prime. I'm so pleased with the way this wine aged. — 10 years ago

with Veronica

Alex Wettersten

9.7

2004. One of my favorite sparkling wines. So robust. — 10 years ago

Jordan Moore

9.2

After twenty minutes this one showed its true color and flavor! Absolute stunner! Balanced terroir and light berry flavor. Beautiful balance of acid and tannin. Loved it. — 11 years ago

Tim Shaw

9.8

I don't even have a frame of reference for how incredible this wine is !!! The closest was an Ornellaia I had but that was twenty years ago. Powerful, taut, but balanced. Bought two bottles so I can try one in 10 years or so. — 11 years ago

Beth Nelson

9.0

Wine glasses one of the first things unpacked! — 11 years ago

CS

Sales Amy Atwood Imports

9.1

John Lockwood ladies and gents, keep and eye out for his name. Blind tasting yesterday revealed 50% lovers of this wine, 50% felt it was one dimensional. I'd have to disagree... I think it's textbook Syrah. Yesterday I noted it "smells like a Pax or Arnot-Roberts Syrah" because of the white floral tones and the unmistakeable Syrah characteristics. Had a touch of EA, but I felt it made the wine more lofty, carrying other esters up from the glass. Blueberry, red currant, baked olives and a touch of cream. Standing great on day 2, EA is still there but still a positive note, not a nail polish remover, more like blueberry magic marker meets blueberry pie, brown spices- nutmeg and clove, a little walnut hull, dark chocolate. Color looks extracted, aroma's would imply the same, but its not overly so, soft yes, acidity is there but shaded by the fruit. The grapes are sustainably farmed, harvested at 23.5 Brix 100% whole cluster, gentle foot tread 1-2 times per day for a short cold soak, followed by a cool 10 day fermentation with native yeasts, pressed to barrel before dry to finish ferment, native ML. 13.7% alcohol 3.7 pH. 125 cases — 13 years ago