Chateau Peyros Madiran Tannat-Cabernet Franc 2014

Chateau Peyros Madiran Tannat-Cabernet Franc 2014 (SKU227918, $22.99 tax included)

I was given this as a present by a friend who came to dinner and opened it later with some Chinese take-out. The grape was Tannat and Cabernet Franc. Madiran was a wine region in the Southwest of France and Chateau Peyros only grew these two grapes. There was not much of a nose upon opening the bottle. However it had a very fresh taste with hints of spices. It was a lighter body wine suitable for general food pairing. I had Chinese style beef tenderloin in tomato sauce, spare ribs in butter sauce and oyster in hotpot with it and it paired well. At this price, it was a good daily home drinking wine. There is ample stock in the LDB stores.

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2018

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2018 (SKU168054, WS90, $13.79 tax included/375 ml.)

I found this sitting on the LDB shelf in the half bottle section. I normally do not buy half bottles since wines age better in full bottles. But since I cannot finish a whole bottle and the Wine Spectator rating on this vintage was decent, I thought I would give it a try. It had a fresh nose upon opening and a medium body. The palate had tastes of citrus fruits. It went well with seafood and even tasted good with mild curry. The finish was medium. Compared to the 2019 Cloudy Bay, it was slightly less appealing. But at one third the price, it was still a decent dinner wine for any Chinese dinner. Note that the price is for half a bottle. The full bottles at the LDB stores were all 2019 vintage and was rated at 89 points by Wine Spectator. There is ample stock in various LDB stores. This wine is also on the wine list of a lot of restaurants since the price point is affordable.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2019

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2019 (SKU304469, WS93, $39.09 tax included)

I went by the LDB store to look for a wine to bring to a friend's dinner. I saw this offering at the 39th & Cambie store and recalled that Cloudy Bay was one of the top producer of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand. Further research showed that the 2019 vintage was rated at 93 points by Wine Spectator. I bought the last one on the shelf and brought it to the dinner to pair with some seafood. Upon opening, everyone present was impressed with the very fruity nose. Some of the guest tasted passion fruit while I tasted some citrus fruits. They body was full and the finish was long. Wine Spectator indicated that it was ready for consumption now. It was a bit pricy but you would be drinking the top Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. It is now one sale until July 4, 2020. LDB website shows there is ample stock around the various stores including the 39th & Cambie one.