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.

Masi Campofiorin Veneto Appassimento 2015

Masi Campofiorin Veneto Appassimento 2015 (SKU 155051, $22.99 tax included)

This was given to me as a present today and my wife happened to cook some pork chop, therefore I opened it for dinner right the way. I was met with a fruity aroma and my tasting panel thought the nose was pleasant. I drank it right out of the bottle and the body was medium to full. There was cherry on the front of the tongue and more dark fruits in the mid-palate. The finish was medium long. It paired very well with the pork chop. I have tasted previous vintage of this wine and the 2015 vintage was definitely better than 2014. There was no Wine Spectator rating and past vintages were never rated more than 88 points. However it is a very good dinner wine which would go well with most food. It is on sale at the LDB stores until October 27, 2018 and there is ample stock in the system.

Chateau Jouanin Cotes de Castillon 2015

Chateau Jouanin Cotes de Castillon 2015 (SKU 130430, $40.25 tax included)

This was one of the least expensive red wines from the recent 2015 Bordeaux release at the LDB. By whatever tradition and custom, the Bordeaux wines are usually released three years after the vintage was harvested and the LDB usually releases them near the end of September or early October. There was a bit of a lineup on Saturday September 29, 2018 but there was some leftover from the initial release. This was one of the ones still available in the liquor stores. One reason may be it was not rated by any of the major wine rating outfits. I tasted the 2009 vintage before and found it to be an easy drinking wine that did not cost an arm and a leg. Cotes de Castillon is one of the wine producing region on the right bank of the Gironde River. As such the predominant grape is Merlot. I tasted it with some roasted pork hog and it was a good match. The nose was fruity. It drank well right out of the bottle and the palate was sweet fruit like plum. The finish was medium and it went well with the pork. In general the consumers are gouged by the LDB for the Bordeaux wines in the past few years as it kept increasing the prices as long as someone would buy them. This wine cost about $20 five years ago and now $40. The other 2015 Bordeaux wines are priced so high that it is difficult to find many "good values" anymore. 2015 is quite a good vintage for the Bordeaux, especially for the right bank. So this is one of the ones I would recommend for early enjoyment. There is plenty of stock in the LDB system.

Peter Lehmann Shiraz Barossa The Barossan 2015

Peter Lehmann Shiraz Barossa The Barossan 2015 (SKU 144937, $25.29 tax included WS 92 pts.)

I bumped into this new offering at the LDB at Cambie and 8th. Since I wanted something with a fuller body for the baked beef ribs at dinner, I thought that a shiraz would be good. Upon opening, with no decanting, the nose was strong and the fruit came right out. The body was medium to full and the taste was full of dark fruit and a hint of pepper. The finish was medium long but the legs hanged in the wine glass forever. That suggested that the sugar content was high and it tasted like a typical Australian fruit bomb. It got up to my head quickly in spite of pairing it with some fatty beef ribs. I checked the alcohol content right the way and found it to be 14.5%. There was some leftover and I tasted it the next night and it mellowed down a bit and was even more enjoyable. Wine Spectator gave it 92 points and labeled it as "Smart Buy". There is definitely good potential for cellaring since the wine is very heavy. The only trouble is that it comes with a screw top and can be opened easily. The temptation to drink it would be too great for most of us. At this price, this is a highly recommended wine for both immediate consumption and medium term cellaring in the order of ten years. I suggest buying a dozen bottles, drink a few this year and save the rest for the next decade. There is ample stock in the LDB system but surprisingly very few bottles at Cambie and 39th. If you want more that six bottles, try the Cambie and 8th or the Alberni LDB store.

Mascota Unanime Mendoza Uco Valley 2012

Mascota Unanime Mendoza Uco Valley 2012 (SKU 814822, $30.81 tax included)

I tasted the 2011 vintage of this wine which was a gift. So the tasting may not be representative of the current vintage. However I found that the Argentinean wines usually quite consistent from year to year. The name translated into "Unanimous" in English. This was a big wine with an alcohol content of 14.5%. When opened, the nose was pleasant and we started drinking it without decanting. It went well with prime rib and rack of lamb. There was some leftover and I tasted it with some Mediterranean food the second night. It held up very well with a full body and subtle berries. The blend was 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec and 15% Cabernet Franc. It was a very good wine to pair with red meat but you can ignore the 93 points label at the top. It is not a 93 point wine, but it is worthy of a good steak. It is currently on sale ($2.10 off) at the LDB stores until March 31, 2018. There is a good supply in the Lower Mainland stores.