Ruby red and rich with bright blackberry, dark currant and plum flavours, plenty of grip and concentration and a long, rich finish.
Fresh floral citrus and melon on the nose with juicy ripe citrus and stone fruit in the mouth. Crisp acidity, mineral and good overall balance round out the picture.
The roots of the Colombini family in Tuscany go back to 1592, with winemaking beginning in 1790 with the founding of the Fattoria dei Barbi. Francesca Cinelli Colombini, also known as the “Lady of Brunello” made a name for herself in the 1970s the leader of Barbi’s top wines. This Sangiovese aged one year in oak, revealing sweet salami, smoked wood, brooding black plum, earthy cherry, tobacco, leather, tar and lightly tuggy framing tannins that run the sides. Potent balsamic and tobacco linger on the grippy finish. This is an imposing wine that is really a softy underneath. Once open (or flash decanted) this will charm you, especially with roasted pork or lamb.
Good old Château Canada — always a hit with Canucks. The Château has been making wine for 115 years from the rolling hills of Cubzac-les-Ponts. This is a blend of 70/30 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, averaging 30 years in age. Juicy and approachable, albeit with a worrying oxidative note weaving throughout. Dried cherry, earth, tobacco, Worcestershire sauce on an appropriately lean 12.5%. Tannins turn drying and squeezed on the finish, welcoming pairing with steak frites, now.
Big Drop focuses on the non-alcoholic segment, although their products are technically 0.4% ABV most of the time. Fermented rather than de-alcoholized, the secret to the texture is lactose, which adds enough texture to replace the alcohol. The Pale Ale features a split between North-American grapefruit bitterness and English herbal greenery, making this a rarity: a non-alcoholic beer with flavour.
This is an interesting blend of l’Acadie and Frontenac Gris, a mutation of the red Frontenac grape. Discernable Nova Scotia aromatic floral and fresh fruit scents appear on the palate as succulent apricot and green fruit with good mineral grip and lingering apricot fruitiness on the off dry finish. Has some charm.
Medium ruby in colour with a lightly spicy nose of red plums; medium-bodied, red plum and raspberry flavours with a note of rose petals. Firmly structured with an earthy finish.