Sunday, February 3: Watched the Super Bowl on the large screen in the condo’s media room. Opened a bottle of Thorn Clarke Terra Barossa Merlot 2010: dense purple colour; cedar an plum nose with nuances of vanilla oak and blueberries; dry and savoury with a bitter chocolate finish and a herbal note. Medium-bodied (87).
Monday, February 4: Wrote my 680News wine reviews and then lunched at Patachou with Liz Gallery and Cathy Martin to discuss the next Grapes for Humanity fundraiser. Spent the rest of the day writing the Napa novel. Pasta for dinner and a bottle of Tenuta I Collazzi 2008 – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot: dense purple colour with a tobacco and blackcurrant nose; richly extracted fruit, finishing dry and savoury (90).
Tuesday, February 5: Spent the whole day working on the Napa novel, which was a pleasure. Don’t know where the time went. Ravioli for dinner and a bottle of Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Syrah 2009 from the Okanagan. Dense purple colour; meaty nose, toasted herbs with a floral note; full-bodied and concentrated with a blueberry flavour. Nicely oaked (90).
Wednesday, February 6: Recorded my 680News wine reviews and then back to the novel. I’ve written about 42,000 words and should see it finished with 60,000. The more I live with it the more complex the plot is becoming. Grilled salmon for dinner and a bottle of Lindeman’s Bin 99 Pinot Noir 2012: ruby color; raspberry candy nose; medium-bodied, fruit-driven with just a whisper of oak to give it some complexity. Easy drinking, good value (87).
Thursday, February 7: A big snow storm is threatened. A 1:30 pm meeting at Firefly in their new Richmond Hill offices. Discussed the layout and number of wineries that will be included in the book I’m going with photographer Jean-François Bergeron – Canada’s Best Wineries. When I left at 3:30 pm the snow had already started. They are predicting up to 30 centimetres. On the way back I stopped in at the Richland Mall and picked up Peking Duck for dinner, which Deborah and I ate with a bottle of Ghost Pines Chardonnay 2010: straw coloured with a green tint; spicy, buttery tasty pineapple and vanilla oak nose; sweet melon and pineapple flavours with a creamy mouth-feel; full-bodied, soft on the palate and easy drinking. (88).
Friday, February 8: Well, we got our storm. Struggled my way down to the LCBO for the March Vintages’ release tasting. Had a nap when I got home, then prepared to go back down town with Deborah for the annual Drinks Ontario dinner at the National Club. The host country this year is Argentina and a couple of professional dancers performed tango during the reception. I presented by Blind Tasting Award to Marc Lavadiere of Authentic Wine & Spirits.
