Wines scored out of 10 points.
Sauvignon Blanc from Around the World
September 2012 – Michele & Ted
8.0 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (New Zealand) $9
Intense guava and grapefruit bouquet; tastes of gooseberries
7.0 Halo Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (New Zealand) $23
Sweet, somewhat lemony bouquet, crisp
6.5 Estancia Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (California) $19
Very dry, gooseberry flavors, rubber notes
6.5 Roland Tissier Sancerre 2011 $21
Sweet grassy nose, perfumey, high alcohol
6.5 Cave Spring Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (Canada) $16
Rather sweet, flabby
5.5 Santa Carolina Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (Chile) $9
Faint bouquet of apricots, floral taste
5.5 Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (South Africa) $18
Insipid, buttery
Mixed Reds
October 2012 – David
7.5 Ravenswood Zinfandel 2010 $18
Bouquet of intense cherries and plums, sweetish, opulent taste
7.5 Cimicky Trumps Shiraz 2008 $22
Abundant woody nose, rather tannic, nicely balanced, rich
7.0 Rutherglen Petit Sirah 2008 $21
Loads of mint on the nose. tannic, delicious
7.0 Two Paddocks Picnic Pinot Noir 2008 $26
Typical barnyard pinot nose, musty and slightly sweet, light
7.0 Graham Beck The Game Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $19
Green pepper bouquet, high in alcohol
6.5 E. Guigal Gigondas 2006 $28
Chemical notes on the bouquet, some caramel, likely needs more cellaring
Syrah and Shiraz
November 2012 – Louise & Neil
8.0 Rolf Binder Heinrich Shiraz Mataro Grenache 2008 $25
Vanilla and oaky nose, well-balanced, plush, good aftertaste
7.5 Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2009 $21
Cherry bouquet, smooth, plush, lots of red fruit
7.0 Koyle Reserva Syrah 2009 (Chile) $16
Green peppers, herbal, rich and rather tannic, some menthol
6.5 Vidal-Fleury Crozes Hermitage 2009 $30
Low in tannin, light, smooth
6.0 Falernia Syrah Rserva 2009 (Chile) $17
Skunky and barnyardy
5.5 Jean-Luc Columbo Crozes-Hermitage Syrah 2009 $25
Vegetal nose, oaky and vanilla notes
Champagne and other French Sparklers
December 2012 – Nicole & Chris
8.0 Champagne Charles Ellmer 2001 $50
Golden color, honey, butterscotch and caramel nose, dry and sherry-like
7.5 Champagne Brochet-Hervieux 2001 $50
Burnt sugar, a little sweet with sherry notes
7.5 Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain $57
Toasty and yeasty, light and not particularly complex
6.5 Louis Bouillot Millesine 2008 $20
Light lemony nose, earthy and mushroom flavors
6.5 Giersberger Cremant d’Alsace $20
Large bubbles, sweetish, bitter apples
6.5 Domaine Vaugondy Vouvre $18
Sweetish and grape juice- lie, rather fizzy
Canadian Reds – Ontario vs BC
January 2013 – Rob & Don
The winning wine’s bottle did not have a proper label.
6.5 Peninsula Ridge Meritage 2010 (ON) $23
Rich, smooth, chocolate notes; somewhat bitter finish
6.5 Wayne Gretzky Cabernet-Merlot 2010 (ON) $16
Vegetal and slightly watery, not exactly a power play
6.5 Cedar Creek Cabernet-Merlot 2007 (BC) $25
Weak nose, sour at first, a bit too acidic
6.0 Henry of Pelham Pinot Noir 2007 (ON) $25
Woody and quite tannic, well balanced, better with food
6.0 Mission Hill Pinot Noir 2010 (BC) $16
Chcolate and vanilla on the nose, somewhat flat tasting
3.0 Lulu Island Meritage 2011 (BC) $20
Bouquet of black liquorice and Raid, acidic, mostly awful
German Riesling
February 2013 – Ellen
7.5 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Auslese 2009 $45 (350mL)
Delightful and precocious, deep golden in color, tropically sweet but with good acid
6.5 CH Berres Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese 2010 $25
Lemons, apricots and apple on the nose, well balanced, good acid
6.0 Studert-Prum Riesling Kabinett 2008 $17
Both petrol and gasoline on the nose with rubber, well balanced
6.0 Anselmann Siegerrebe Riesling Spatlese 2011 $15
Bouquet of pineapple and leechies, could be better balanced
5.5 Vollenweider Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spatlese 2007 $36
Some petrol on the nose, fat and flabby, insufficient acid
5.0 Carl Reh Riesling Kabinett 2010 $12
Dilute and insipid, poor finish
BYO Reds
March 2013 – Louise & Neil
7.5 Concha Y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 $18
Rich, moderately tannic, good finish
7.0 Alter Ego de Palmer 2002 $40
Subtle bouquet, notes of chocolate, supple, long finish
7.0 Chateau d’Angles La Clape 2007 $15
Aroma of horse manure but it tastes better, complex and well balanced
7.0 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 $30
Black fruit, mint and leather on the nose, some tannins and acid
7.0 Decero Malbec 2007 ~$25
Jammy and fruity, slightly sweet, nice finish
6.5 Montgras Carmenere Reserva 2011 $12
Off nose with notes of burnt sugar, watery, poor finish
BYO Rhone Rangers
April 2013 – Michele & Ted
7.5 Two Hands Brave Faces 2010 $30
Loads of fruit with black cherries, smooth, a little sweet and good tannins
7.5 Fairview Caldera 2008 $23
Gamey and bouquet of recently put-out camp fire, darkly fruity
7.0 Cline Cashmere 2010 $20
Prunes and menthol on the nose, sweet and jammy, kitsch label
7.0 Spinifex Papillon 2010 $30
Musty, mentholy and meaty
7.0 Yalumba The Strappper 2010 $20
Jammy with lots of cherry flavor, good finish
6.0 Fairview Goats do Roam 2012 $13
Green pepper and menthol bouquet, plums ans stewed fruit
BYO Favorite Whites
May 2013 – David
8.0 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2012 $17
You can’t go wrong with KC; grassy nose, crisp, refreshing on the palate
7.5 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $22
Another delicious NZ Sauvignon Blanc with loads of pineapple on the nose
7.0 Konrad Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $20
And yet another; less bouquet, but similarly crisp and herbaceous
7.0 Joseph Cattin Pinot Gris 2010 $20
Sweet honeysuckle nose, spicey and sweet taste, slightly bitter aftertaste
6.5 Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $23
Mildly grassy bouquet, fruity and dry
5.0 Loan Semillon Special Reserve 2004 $17
Generously awarded some points, this wine was undrinkable; a bouquet of chemicals and burnt caramel and a flat, drab watery taste