This plush, French oak–aged, Bordeaux-style blend features softly textured Merlot (59%), well-structured Cab Sauv (23%) and peppery Cab Franc (18%). Gushes with aromas and flavours of raspberry, plum and cassis. Well-proportioned tannins propel a chocolaty finish. Grill up a charred New York strip steak.
Union is a virtual winery that sells exclusively through the LCBO in Ontario and has been quite a hit with its entry-level wines. This is Union’s top cuvée, a multi-variety blend that will only be made in top vintages. It has a smoky-meaty nose of blackberry, raspberry, earth, pepper and savoury spices. It’s juicy in the mouth with ripe fruit, cedar smoke, a pepper bite, and good structure and length through the finish.
The 2010 Small Lot Cab is a structured red with a wonderful perfume of cassis, violets, spice, vanilla, cocoa, mint and roasted herbs. Linear in the mouth, the slightly gritty tannins clamp down on the finish, assuring at least 7 years of longevity. Grilled lamb chops were made for this wine.
Certified organic and biodynamic, this Cab is complex, to say the least. The plum, cherry, raspberry, violets, coconut and vanilla on the nose meshes with nuances of cassis, spice and graphite on the palate. The tannins are ripe and give structure and age-worthiness. Drink until 2020.
Winemaker Shiraz Mottiar has really started to crank things up at Malivoire; case in point, this wine. A vanilla edge dances around the smoke, toast, cassis, plum, cherry, cocoa and herbs. Grill up some steaks and head to town now or anytime over the next 7 years.
The dark cherry colour leads into a spice rack of a wine weaving through the plum, menthol, cherry, vanilla and toast. Medium to full body; it is approachable now, but will continue to improve over the next 5 years.
Deep red-rose colour. Floral, strawberry and savoury scents waft from the glass. Lively mouthfeel accompanies light tannins and flavours of raspberry, plum, rhubarb and meaty tones. Finishes dry with spicy salami notes. Begs for a bacon cheeseburger.