Category: Amusing Musings

From the film Hable Con Ella. Love this song – and the video.

Too cute. Love the label. A great gift for the writer in your family/circle of friends.

Review from LCBO:

C’EST LA VIE PINOT SYRAH
LCBO 166934 | 750 mL bottle

Price: $ 11.95
Wine, Red Wine
12.4% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content: 1
Made in: Burgundy, France
By: Maison Albert Bichot

Tasting Note:
Clear ruby with purple tint; fragrant nose of ripe cherries and raspberries; dry, medium body; ripe berry flavour with a touch of spice; balanced acidity.

Serving Suggestion:
Serve with roast turkey or pork.

Review from NOW Magazine:

Drink Up: A weekly look at what’s on LCBO shelves
By Graham Duncan

WHAT: C’est La Vie Pinot Noir Syrah 2008 (red) Rating: NNN

WHERE: Languedoc, France

WHY: I hit the churrasco too often, but it’s hard to steer clear of that glistening, rotating, slightly overcooked chicken and the piri piri. For me, Portuguese chicken is like those favourite jeans that make too many appearances. What to do? Accessorize! This wine, with its simple, easy flavours and buoyant light texture, is like a red bandana. Use it as a belt, tie it off around the thigh or, better yet, hang it out of the back pocket like a colourful flag.

PRICE: 750 ml/$11.95

AVAILABILITY: At most liquor stores (product #166934)

My review:

A dee-lightful table red!

Cheers,

x

Happy birthday to me!

Okay so after drooling over those out-of-my-league Bordeaux at the LCBO in my last post, I went to Crush Wine Bar for the last Bordeaux After Work Party to get my fix on. And what a PARTY it was. You know when you hear someone say they went to a wine tasting event and you think la dee da, and assume it’s all stuffy and pretensious and intimidating? Well these wine events are NOTHING like that. They make French wine as accessible as a pint of craft beer: you know what you’re drinking is amazing, but it’s also friendly and fun and you can’t believe you were ever afraid to order it before.

The wines we were sipping at Crush – all at a cost of $5 per glass, and $30 per bottle – included:

Chateau Toumilon 2033
AOC Graves
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Soft yet rich, with a light touch, fresh fruits, silky tannins and persistent finish. Scents of raspberry, blackberry and prune mixed with cedar and spice. Dry. Lovely.

Chateau Fayan 2008
AOC Puisseguin Saint-Emilion
Merlot, Cabernet Franc

Depth, complexity, balance. Plums and vanilla meet leather notes. Tannic. Scored 90pts in the Globe this year.

Chateau Timberlay 2008
AOC Bordeaux-Superieur
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

Bright ruby colour. Fine but intense and complex. Fruity with light oak, it is soft on the palate. Vanilla, spice, leather mixed with red fruit. A great value.

Chateau Coucheroy 2008
AOC Pessac-Leognan
Sauvignon Blanc

Rich, fresh and lively. Lemony and tropical, toasty – with aging will develop hazelnut aromas. Very clean and dry.

Chateau Fontaine 2008
AOC Sauternes
Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc

Medium yellow colour. Mango, melon with sweet grass and honeycomb. Medium sweetness. Elegant and fresh. Incredible aromatic finish.

My fav red was the Timberlay, and white the Fontaine! Crush also offered guests – which totalled over 300 – great discounts on apps (the delicious kind, not the tech kind). Like pulled pork poutine. And lobster rolls. Oh my.

I’m quite sad that this promotion by the Bordeaux Wine Council, in partnership with iYellow Wine Club, has come to an end. It just seemed like each subsequent event they held was bigger and better than the last! The party at Crush was so lively and popular that I didn’t even get a chance to share a toast with the host(ess). Ah, but that’s the sign of success ;o)

Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Cheers!

x

Bordeaux wines range from high-end to quite affordable. They are versatile, complex, storied and ultimately delicious. Back in July I wrote a blog post all about Bordeaux wines. It was so interesting to learn how far back the region’s history stretches. And when I went to a Bordeaux After Work Party at Marben Restaurant later that week, I felt like I was enjoying the wines on a deeper level since I learnt a bit about the backstory.

Here’s a short overview of some of the fancy shmancy Bordeaux wines the LCBO carries… the kind I dream about and maybe one day will consume chez moi (if a girl can’t dream on her own blog, where can she dream?):

CHÂTEAU MARGAUX 1999 | VINTAGES 176347
1500 mL bottle, Price: $ 1775.00

Release Date: May 5, 2010

Tasting Note:

The sexy, dark plum/purple-colored 1999 Margaux is already revealing complex aromatics. This surprisingly charming and round offering is reminiscent of a vintage such as 1985. Although neither a blockbuster nor a heavyweight, it grows in the mouth revealing tremendous length as well as purity. Administrator Paul Pontallier prefers it to the more austere 1998, as do I. This is an archetypical Chateau Margaux of richness, finesse, balance, and symmetry. It can be drunk young, but promises to age nicely for two decades. Extrapolating backwards, it would probably have something in common with the underrated 1962 Medocs. Score – 94. (Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com, April 2002)

CHÂTEAU SMITH HAUT LAFITTE 1990 | VINTAGES 246512
6000 mL bottle, Price: $ 1649.00

Tasting Note:

Youthful, yet slightly one-dimensional now. Plum, berry and mineral aromas. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins, firm acidity and a medium finish. Still seems a bit closed. 1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2004. Score – 90. (James Suckling, winespectator.com, Aug. 31, 2000)

CHÂTEAU PALMER 1989 | VINTAGES 188771
1500 mL bottle, Price: $ 1645.00

Release Date: May 6, 2010

Tasting Note:

Palmer’s 1989 is one of the vintage’s great successes. The wine exhibits a dark ruby/purple color, a sweet, jammy nose of black fruits, intermingled with floral scents, licorice, and a touch of truffles. Full-bodied and supple, with low acidity, copious quantities of ripe fruit and glycerin, and a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, harmonious, seamless texture, this is a gorgeous Palmer. It may turn out similar to this estate’s brilliant 1962 and 1953. Although approachable, it will improve for another decade, and last for 20-25 years. Score – 95. (James Suckling, erobertparker.com, Feb. 1997)

Alas, maybe my dreams won’t come true today… instead, methinks I shall get this:

BORDEAUX DISCOVERY CHEST | VINTAGES 908459
6×750 mL bottle, Price: $ 129.95

Release Date: Oct 30, 2010

Description:

A favourite every year, this Bordeaux Discovery Chest contains six award-winning bottles from the prestigious Bordeaux region, including one bottle each of Château Grand Champs 2008, Château Ducla 2007, Château Ducla 2009, Château Proms Bellevue 2008, Château Aurensanne 2006 and Château Picoron 2006.

Sounds like a great way to taste my way around the Bordeaux region, from the comfort of my own home.

And when I’m not sat sipping sur le divan, methinks I shall pop out to King West for some social sampling as Bordeaux Wine Council in partnership with iYellow Wine Group present their next, and final, Bordeaux After Work Party on Monday October 24th from 6pm to 8pm at Crush Wine Bar.

For more information on Bordeaux wine, visit www.bordeaux.com.

A votre santé,

x