A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 849: Red Rooster & Hester Creek

Posted on August 22, 2022 by tonyaspler

Red Rooster wines

Red Rooster Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (Oliver)
Bright, pale straw in colour; fresh, grapefruit with a light floral note; medium-bodied, crisply dry, grapefruit and green plum flavours; lovely mouth-feel and a long, lingering lemony finish. Drink now. (90)

Red Rooster Viognier 2021 (Similkameen Valley)
Light straw colour; honeysuckle, peach bouquet; medium-bodied, dry, white peach flavour; beautifully balanced and pure; long finish. Drink now and through 2024. (90)

Red Rooster Pinot 3 2020 (Oliver & Penticton)
33% Pinot Noir, 33% Pinot Gris, 34% Pinot Blanc. Pale straw in colour; minerally, apple and starfruit nose; medium-bodied, dry, lovely mouth-feel; fresh and lively on the palate ending on a saline note. Drink now and through 2024. (89) Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 848: Extreme Fishing

Posted on August 17, 2022 by tonyaspler

Sunrise at Point Lake (photo by Graham Pearson)

August 3rd: Flying to Edmonton with my fishing buddy Steve and new fishing partners Larry and his son Jason. From Edmonton we take a small plane to Yellowknife, where we overnight at the Explorer Hotel. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 847: A Mix of Reds & Whites

Posted on August 2, 2022 by tonyaspler

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Joliesse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (California, $17.95, LCBO #16564)
Deep purple in colour; cedary, vanilla, earthy, plum bouquet; medium to full-bodied, dry, savoury, clove and blackcurrant and red plum flavours; firmly structured, good length. (89)

Château Vrai Caillou 2018 (Bordeaux; $14.95, Vintages #34292, to be released September 10th)
Deep ruby colour; toasty, cedary, vanilla, blackcurrant nose; dry; medium-bodied, well-structured, savoury, spicy black fruit flavours; ripe tannins, Great value. (89) Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 846: I4C 2022

Posted on July 27, 2022 by tonyaspler

Friday, July 22nd: Up early to register before 8 am at White Oaks for the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration. The keynote speaker was Andrew Jefford, a regular columnist for Decanter Magazine and The World of Fine Wine, who gave a brilliant address on Chardonnay and wine in general. His thesis – wine is a sort of music and just as there is a language of music, so there is a language of wine. “Place composes wine’s music… Chardonnay is an instrument on which you can play many sorts of music.” (An idea echoed in a quote by winemaker Ron Giesbrecht several years ago: “Chardonnay is the chicken of the vineyard.”) Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 845: The Farm

Posted on July 21, 2022 by tonyaspler

The Farm wines

The Farm Chardonnay 2020 (Twenty Mile Bench, $25): Bright, light straw in colour; toasty, spicy, apple bouquet; medium-bodied, dry, apple and peach flavours with a nutty finish. Beautifully balanced with lemony acidity. (90)

The Farm Pinot Noir 2020 ($27): Medium ruby colour; lifted raspberry nose with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, lean and sinewy, raspberry and sour cherry flavour. Volnay-style. (90)

The Farm Pinot Noir Neudorf Vineyard 2019 ($55): Ruby with a tawny hue; raspberry nose with tealeaf and tobacco notes; medium-bodied, dry, elegant, well-balanced, nicely integrated oak. Lovely mouth-feel. (91)

The Farm Pinot Noir Mason Vineyard 2019 ($50): Ruby with a tawny hue; raspberry nose with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry; richer mouth-feel than the Neudorf and a shade deeper in colour; black raspberry flavour. Great length. (92)

Lakeside Cellars wines

Lakeside Cellars’ Lakeshore vineyard is perched on the east shore of Lake Osoyoos in the southern Okanagan Valley. Continue reading →

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