This week’s wine reviews and value picks cover all price points, styles and regions: I’ve recommended a total of 46 wines.
You can add my Top Wine Picks to your custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. Here’s to the haunting memories these wines will bring you on October 31!
Natalie
2010 Tawse Riesling Sketches Of Niagara, V.Q.A., Niagara Peninsula, Ontario 2010 Loosen Bros. Riesling Dr. L, Qualitätswein, Mosel, Germany 2010 Matua Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc Series Paretai, Marlborough, New Zealand 2008 Freestone Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California 2008 Famiglia Bianchi Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2008 Concha Y Toro Syrah Winemaker's Lot 54, Los Brujos Vineyard, San Javier Valley, Maule Valley, Chile 2008 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna, Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia 2001 Rioja Bordón Gran Reserva Bodegas Franco-Españolas, D.O.C.A., Rioja, Spain 2007 Louis Bouillot Crémant De Bourgogne Perle Rare Brut, A.C., Burgundy, France 2007 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes, 1Er Cru, A.C., Bordeaux, France
Stunning! Incredibly intensity of flavour and mouth-filling juiciness. Medium-bodied. This winery truly deserves its reputation. Drink: 2011-2015.
$17.95
Score: 90/100
Best Value White Wine
Pair with: seafood salads, goat cheese with fresh baguette, poached salmon.
Add Tawse Riesling Sketches Of Niagara, Niagara Peninsula to your custom shopping list.
This is a favourite of so many people I know and for good reason: packed with flavour, floral notes and melon essence. Light- to medium-bodied and low in alcohol. Drink: 2011-2014.
$14.95
Score: 88/100
Best Value White Wine
Pair with: mildly spiced seafood pasta dish.
Add Loosen Bros. Riesling Dr. L, Qualitätswein, Mosel to your custom shopping list.
2010 Matua Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc Series Paretai, Marlborough, New Zealand
Powerful and mouth-watering in the absolutely best tradition of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Grassy, lime-zest refreshment with layers of complexity and satisfaction. Terrific! Drink: 2011-2014.
$24.95
Score: 92/100
Top Rated White Wine
Pair with: lightly spiced seafood platters, grilled vegetarian spread.
Add Matua Valley Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough to your custom shopping list.
Toasty almonds and hazelnuts plus green apple vibrancy and some white peach. Full-bodied, layered and luscious. Just what you want from Cal Chard. Drink: 2011-2015.
$69.95
Score: 92/100
Top Rated White Wine
Add Freestone Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast to your custom shopping list.
Absolutely phenomenal for the price! Here’s your holiday party wine by the case. Juicy blackberry liqueur rich aromas and flavours. Full-bodied and ultra-smooth. Drink: 2011-2014.
$14.95
Score: 89/100
Best Value Red Wine
Pair with: grilled gourmet sausages, steaks.
Add Famiglia Bianchi Malbec, Mendoza to your custom shopping list.
Cassis and blackberry liqueur with an attractive savoury, almost bitter bite that makes it meaty. Drink: 2011-2015.
$16.95
Score: 90/100
Best Value Red Wine
Add Concha Y Toro Syrah, San Javier Valley to your custom shopping list.
So beautifully made: classic structure, endless flavor, ultimate pleasure. Minty cool wraps around lush blackberries and cassis to ticket your senses. Perfect for dinner parties and other gatherings. Drink: 2011-2016.
$34.95
Score: 94/100
Top Rated Red Wine
Add Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28 Kalimna, Barossa Valley to your custom shopping list.
There it is again: that unmistakable, exotic aroma of old tanned leather and cigar smoke. Love it! Try a mature wine like this if you haven’t and discover the many pleasures of “tertiary” aromas that only develop with bottle age. This is simply some kind of wonderful. Full-bodied, smooth and elegant. Drink: 2011-2015.
$23.95
Score: 93/100
Top Rated Red Wine
Add Rioja Bordón, Rioja to your custom shopping list.
Another great bargain bubbly! Toasty and refreshing with incredible vibrant flavour. Great for parties. Drink: 2011-2014.
$19.95
Score: 88/100
Best Value Sparkling Wine
Add Louis Bouillot Crémant De Bourgogne Perle Rare Brut, A.C., Burgundy to your custom shopping list.
Stunning concentration of apricot preserves and honeyed richness. Perfect after-dinner drink. Drink: 2011-2020.
$37.00
Score: 95/100
Best Dessert Wine
Add Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes, Bordeaux to your custom shopping list.
You get all of my wine tasting notes and scores when you subscribe to my wine reviews for $2.10 a month, the cost of a couple of apples a month in return for memorable wine paired meals.
