LCBO Vintages Release for September 01 2012

Well another month has passed and I'll break this review into the individual releases as it looks like there will be a few bottles released this month.  What we have this round are pair of fantastic Highland single malts.  A younger and an older bottle, both rich and fruity drams to get you through those cooler evenings that seem to be coming along.


First up is the Glenfarclas 12 year old.  One of the last few family owned distilleries, they stand on principal and quality above all else.  The 12 year old is no slouch either, fantastic light nose and rich body give preview of the older spirits.  The 21 being a personal favourite and the 40 being a dram worthy of seeking out at any price.  The 12 is a beautiful light dram that highlights all the right aspects of the Glenfarclas spirit.   Very fresh on the nose, with hints of sherry and dried fruits.  Slight roasted nuts/toasted barley with subtle notes of toasted oak and honey to round it out.  The palate is fantastic with more of the dried fruits and sherried grains coming out.  Notes of oak and subtle hints of wildflower honey, vanilla, and peat in the mouth.  The finish is medium and soft, lots of lingering spices and oak.  This is a great bottle for the novice drinker to come into the rich world of single malts (IMO), without being overwhelmed or let down by factory made mega-malts.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for your bottle, priced at $70 is a bit on the high side but that's just how the LCBO rolls.  Sorry, I just re-checked my facts and realized this is a 1L (1000Ml) bottle, and considering it's only $6 more than the 700, I recant my last statement.... for now.

Second up is the Glengoyne 17.  I will admit that I'm also a huge fan of the 21 year old Glengoyne, rich and fruity without overwhelming the nose/palate.  At 17 years, the spirit poses a great balance between fruits, and spice with the oak, nuts, and malty undertones.  The nose shows off citrus notes (like candied orange peel), spice cake (lots of baking spices here like cloves, cinnamon, and the like), and fruit galore.  Dried fruits like raisins, fresh red apple notes, and subtle hints of vanilla, coca powder and wheat grass juice (yeah that's a weird sour-y grassy sort of note, very herbal/vegetal).  In the mouth, it's very rich and slightly oily.  Big malty grainy notes, toffee and oak dominate the palate with hints of baked apples, bitter almond, coffee and vanilla.  The finish is long and drawn out, with note of wood smoke, vanilla/butterscotch, oak and hints of wildflowers.  This is a big tasty dram and well worth a look, especially with a somewhat pocket unfriendly price tag of $100.  It's a bit steep for the standard consumer, but it's a rewarding and worth dram to seek out and try.  Check your local LCBO <HERE> for your bottle.  The 17 is just like it's older brother the 21, rich and rewarding which is also worth seeking out and trying.

Okay folks, there we have it!  The first two bottles posted this month ready for your enjoyment.  Check them out, and taste them if you can.  I'm also checking into some more price fixing by the LCBO, as a few more bottles have gone up for no reason other than to protect ourselves from deliciousness? (See Highland Park 18 for reference [Was $139, now $149]). But as always happy dramming and keep your stick on the ice, and the ice out of your glass.

NOTL Wines Tour

So what's new this release?  Spring has sprung and summer is supposedly just around the corner (I have yet to witness this), and the rosés are in full bloom as it were.  Prepping for the summer heat, rosé makes a wonderful chilled wine for a hot patio evening.  I recently took a trip with some good friends (and fellow bloggers @WineGuyTO and @AnUptownGal), to Niagara on the Lake for the Wine and Herb passport.  I took my better half @munchkinkaty, and we set out on a wonderful spring Sunday.

Beautiful weather abounded and tastings were plentiful!  Special thanks to some of the twitter contacts that have been made Michelle Bosc, Alexander Harber, and Kyrstina Roman.  With a little twitter assistance from our friends, we were whisked away to secret rooms, VIP bars, and allowed to try things that "don't exist yet".

Our first stop was to Chateau des Charmes (a Niagara on the Lake favorite of mine), and directed to the VIP tasting bar.  We headed the winding staircase to a room overlooking the rear vineyards.  A bottle of Brut was cracked in our favor to cleanse our palates from the long hard drive.  Many things were sampled, but the Old Vines Riesling stuck out to myself as well as a patented 2008 Varietal called Gamay 'Droit'.   Check out their website HERE.

Through our whirlwind tour of Niagara on the Lake, we stopped into Ravine Vineyards.  I was urged to try the Reisling by our cohorts (Myself a being a white drinker mainly), as it was touted as one of the best she'd ever had.  We settled down and tried the wine and herb pairing (an excellent pork terrine with sweet woodruff paired with a 2009 Chardonnay Musqué), and then wandered over to the tasting bar.  I was introduced to Alex Harber, owner and self-confessed cellar-rat.  Alex, in turn, introduced us to a 2009 Chardonnay that was yet to be listed (fantastic fresh fruits flavours and a delicious butterscotch finish no less), and manly Rosé that had been barrel matured.  Both were fantastic expressions of why the Niagara region is one of Canada's best wine regions, but back to that Rosé for a moment. A rosé is usually light and fruity, never defined as manly, but this one had lost some of that character.  What it had been replaced with was delicious oak and wonderful warm butter notes.  This is one to keep an eye out for (Ravine 2009 Barrel Aged Rosé).  After the initial taste, we then proceeded to be introduced to a selection of their finest wines.  Let me tell you, that Riesling is no slouch!  There is also a fantastic white called York road (a white meritage of  Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc), and a red to match called the Redcoat (Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauvignon).  This has become a new favorite winery for myself.  To steer away from the blends they also have an excellent Gewürztraminer, fantastic Merlot and an awesome Reserve Cabernet Franc. Excellent flavours are to be found in all bottles, but definitely order some of that Riesling (she a real cracker!).  Check out Ravine's website HERE!

Then off and whisked away to many other wineries, throughout the Niagara on the Lake region.  Many new places, lots of smiling faces and fantastic wines were had.  We made special stops to Reif Estates, Stratus Wines, and Lailey Vineyards.  Then as our tour ended, we headed back up the 401 to the Beamsville/40 Bench region.  We made another special stop to Rosewood Estates

Rosewood has a few things going for them.  They have their own honey bees.  This means they know who fertilizes the vineyard, and they get a rewards for this.  Rosewood has their own wildflower honey, beeswax candles and such and most importantly Mead!  Yes, I've come full circle here on the blog.  Beer whisky, wine and mead!  Featuring a selection of three offerings, there is a fantastic cherry infused mead called Mon Cherie.  This is a fantastic meeting of Niagara cherry juice and Rosewood mead blended and aged in neutral French oak barrels.  Notes of both wildflowers, honey, cherries, brandy, oak and faint chocolate create a real award winner.  You can bet that my bottle will be kept in reserve for a while.  Among the other tastings were the Riesling reserve and a fantastic Pinot Noir.  With the sun setting,  we returned home and settled down for a glass of wine and a relaxed evening.  Excellent trip with all, and it must be done again (although next time I'd love to hit up Megalomaniac).  Should you ever have a chance to hang out in the Niagara region, see if you can head out to one of the many vineyards out there.  There is a lot to explore and so much more to taste.

Tasting Notes - Greenore 8 Year Old Single Grain

   So for my 8th Anniversary I received a bottle coincidentally 8 years in age.  Greenore (from Irish distillers Cooley), is a single grain spirit matured 8 years in bourbon casks.  Arriving in a fancy sharp shouldered bottle with a large fat cork and some glittery writing on the bottle, it's a sight to behold.  What's inside will be the judge of the quality though.

• Colour: Bright golden. (Rich gold colour) Appears to have colour added.
• Body: Thick and rich.  Oily in texture.  Large drops for very slowly when rolled, legs appear and run slowly down (lots of flavor here...)
• Nose: Very lively.  Typical Irish sweetness.  Thick and rich.  Corn sugar or corn syrup (much like fresh harvested sweet corn).  Floral like honeysuckle or clover.  Vanilla hints.  Notes of rubber or new motor oil (not unpleasant).  Wildflower honey.
• Palate: Soft intense start.  New motor oil turns quickly into corn syrup notes and flowers.  Honey is very present and soft hints of vanilla.  Softness, finishes on a sweet fruity note (like a berry, not citrus).
• Finish: Lingering and fantastic.  Oiliness coats the mouth pleasantly.  Balance between soft vanilla notes / corn syrup / wood/ floral.  Gently soft wood notes and caramels permeate the finish as it fades.
• Empty Glass: Oak sawdust.  Wood is present here, more than in the taste.  As glass dries sweet corn notes appear.  Sweet and sour shows up.  Nose smells like white wine if it were made from corn if that makes sense (I wrote it so it does to me).