Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon California 2018

Apothic Cabernet Sauvignon California 2018 (SKU 253416, $16.09 tax included)

I found this about a month ago at the government liquor stores and decided to give it a try. I previously tasted the Apothic Red and thought it was a joke. I also tasted the Apothic Dark (see my previous blog in March 2018) and did not think much of it as it had no character at all. But since this one is Cabernet Sauvignon predominant wine, I thought I would give it a chance. I first opened it at a Chinese dinner in a restaurant and found it to be easy drinking with a pleasant vanilla note. The body was medium and the finish was so so. I saw it again recently at the liquor store on sale for $2 off and wanted to give it a second tasting. I tasted fragrant black tea on the front palate with vanilla in the mid-palate. There was some kind of herb at the finish. It was paired with some baked pork ribs lightly marinated in Italian spices and rosemary with a pinch of Himalayan salt and the flavour was more noticeable. The finish was medium and went well with the pork ribs. The wine was meant for immediate consumption, do not even decant, just open and drink. There is ample supply in all the LDB stores and is on sale until December 28, 2019.

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (SKU 352583, $45.99 tax included, WS 89 pts.)

I have always enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon from Beringer's Knights Valley. The rating was usually not very high but it tasted like a reserve wine. I saw this on sale ($7 off until October 26, 2019) at the liquor store recently and decided to try it. When I opened the bottle, I was presented with a very warm nose of fruits. The body was full, the palate was filled with dark berries and the finish was medium long. It would definitely go well with a nice juicy steak. The 2015 vintage was rated at 92 points and was number 80 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines. There is no rating for the 2016 vintage yet. The liquor store website mistakenly put the wrong information with its description. The wine can easily be cellared for five to ten years. There is ample supply in the LDB stores.

Meiomi Pinot Noir Monterey Santa Barbara Sonoma 2017

Meiomi Pinot Noir Monterey Santa Barbara Sonoma 2017 (SKU 278937, $25.29 tax included, WS 87 pts.)

I tasted this at a recent  dinner event and found it to be quite fruity for a Pinot Noir. The body was medium to full and the finish was medium. It went well with the food served at the buffet including roast beef, salmon Wellington, some pasta and some sushi. Then I saw in on sale at the liquor store for over 20% off until October 26, 2019. The Wine Spectator rating was not high and it was meant for immediate drinking. Sine this is a very versatile wine and is on sale, I suggest you buy a few bottles for the Christmas turkey. There is ample stock in the LDB stores.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Columbia Valley 2017

Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Columbia Valley 2017 (SKU 232512, $20.69 tax included, WS 89 pts.)

I needed an economical white wine for a dinner party and was scratching my head when I ran into this wine at the liquor store. I recalled that the winery had a good reputation for producing good value wines and I actually visited it four years ago in Woodinville, WA. As with other new world Riesling, the nose was not overwhelming when first opened. It had a medium body with taste of citrus fruits and a hint of honey on the back end. It paired well with the salad course. It should also go well with a Chinese meal. The ladies liked it because it was not too dry. It was meant for immediate consumption. There is ample supply in the LDB stores.

Peter Lehmann Shiraz Barossa The Barossan 2016

Peter Lehmann Shiraz Barossa The Barossan 2016 (SKU 144937, $22.99 tax included)

I found the 2016 vintage at the BC Liquor Store recently and wanted to compare it to the very fine 2015 vintage that I mentioned in my March 2018 blog. Upon opening, it had a fruity nose and dense aroma. It tasted very similar to the 2015 vintage, a big Australian fruit bomb. I like my wines to mellow down a little bit, so I would put it in my cellar for another five to ten years, again similar to last year's vintage. There was no Wine Spectator rating yet but I would guess it would a similar rating of 90 points like last year. I also checked the Wine Spectator vintage rating chart and found the two vintages from Barossa region had similar score. The bonus is that the wine is now on sale this month. Given a similar wine compared to last year and a 10% discount, I would definite buy a few bottles for my cellar. There is ample stock in the LDB stores.

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve Merlot 2014

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve Merlot 2014  (SKU 153213, $33.34 tax included)

You would notice that I have rarely written about B. C. wines. The reason was it was difficult to find good value. Some B. C. white wines were quite respectable and some of the pinot noir and merlot were good as food-paring wines. However their retail prices were unreasonably high compared to offerings from Chile, Argentina and even Australia. I came across this one by accident as it was given to me as a gift. Since my wife prepared a nice pork roast, I decided to open a bottle to see how it would pair with the meat. The nose was pleasant and the body was medium full. The initial taste was that of light berries with a medium finish. My wife liked it because it was more fruity than the old world wines. It went very well with her pork roast. It was definitely meant for immediate consumption, i.e. no need to wait. The alcohol content for the 2014 vintage was 14.5%, a heavy wine. The LDB stores are selling the 2015 vintage (alcohol content 14.8%) and I am debating whether the wine is of good value. This wine pairs well with a good pork roast. There is adequate stock in the LDB stores.

Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2012

Dow's Late Bottled Vintage Port 2012 (SKU 533364, $28.74, WS 93 pts.)

I have always enjoyed an ounce of port in the evening with my dessert and have tried various type of port: Tawny, Late Bottled and Reserve. I found this one as I was doing research on the Vintage port for 2016. The year 2016 was indeed fabulous for Vintage port and most of them are rated above 95 points. The only trouble was one would have wait another twelve to forty years to taste their full glory. So in the mean time I needed something easier to enjoy. I tasted other vintages of Late Bottled vintage port before and always found them to be a bit thin or the finish was too short for my taste. However this one had a balanced taste of dark fruit that was easy to drink. The finish was medium to long. It was one of the highest rated Late Bottled Vintage port wines rated by Wine Spectator and was recommended for drinking from 2020 to 2027. The good thing about port wine is that one can open it and it is stable at room temperature for a month, so one can enjoy a little bit every night. Port usually goes well with a piece of cake. There is ample supply in the LDB system.

Vina Santa Rita Medalla Real Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Vina Santa Rita Medalla Real Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2015  (SKU 275594, $24.14 tax included)

This was one of my usual go-to wines for a good steak or when I was looking for something simple. In the good old days of the 2004 and 2005 vintages, this wine was rated at 91 points by Wine Spectator. Recent ratings were in the 86 to 87 point range, probably due to the economic pressure to make more money. This 2015 vintage was not rated by Wine Spectator yet. When opened, the nose was full with sense of dark berries. The body and the finish was medium with taste of juicy fruit. It went well with a Chinese take-out meal, especially when there was some red meat. This was definitely not in the same class as the 2004 or 2005 vintages but I liked it better than the big Australian fruit bombs. I would put it around 87 points but this price, it is a good food pairing wine. It was meat for immediate consumption. There is ample stock in the LDB system.