2011 The Hilt Pinot Noir The Vanguard
The Hilt is a Santa Barbara County winery created by the people from the highly successful Jonata Winery. They do two Pinots: The Old Guard from older vines and The Vanguard from younger vines. Fruit for this cuvee was sourced from three of the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara County: Solomon Hills, Sanford and Benedict and Bien Nacido. Dark red with little fade at the rim. Very fragrant nose that gives up black cherries, raspberries and brown spices. After some swirling hints of vanilla and cream soda poke through. Definitely a bigger wine, with full body, it retains balance and does not fall into that “Syrah lovers Pinot” style that some from the Central Coast can. Power and elegance combined in the right proportions. The finish is long and spicy with just a bit of tannin. Can drink now or hold for another 5+ years.
Excellent – $64 tax-in at BC Liquor stores. This is particularly good value for the quality. The 2012 release is out and sells for $99
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2004 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Right Bank
Made up of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, this wine showed big fruit, solid structure and is drinking well now but could easily go much longer. Great complexity with notes of black cherry, plum, stewed fruits and vegetal notes combined with earth, spice and herbs. A powerful but balanced wine with a nice acidity on its wonderfully long finish.
Excellent+
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2012 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
Medium gold in colour with enticing aromas of lemon, honey and citrus notes. The palate has a medium/full body and adds to the sense of power of the wine’s intensity. Perfectly balanced, it features flavours of green apple supported with a hint of caramel. The wine’s intense flavours and powerful body manage to retain just the right symmetry without seeming heavy. Already complex, this is still on its way up and will likely deliver pleasure for another 3-5 years, based upon older vintages of this wine that we have had. A blend from 70% Celilo Vineyard and 30% Woodward Canyon Estate.
Excellent – ($47.74 + taxes CDN at Marquis Wine Cellars (the 2013 version of this wine sells for $66 USD at the Woodward Canyon website.)
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2007 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape
A big, bold wine with lots of dark red fruits, black pepper and earth on the nose. Dark red in colour, it was full-bodied and smooth, intense but very well balanced with a lovely long finish.
Excellent+
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2002 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate
Deep red in colour and showing none of its age at 14 years old, this is a big, bold, powerful wine that is drinking absolutely perfectly now. Wonderfully complex, we picked up dark and red fruits of black and red cherry, blueberry and plum, rounded out with mocha, earth and a hint of vanilla. A juicy acidity to this wine that also revealed a sweetness to it reminiscent of chocolate covered cherry and liquer. Made up of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, in a blind taste we think we would have guessed Merlot dominant because of its plushness. Very smooth mouthfeel with a superbly long finish.
Extraordinary
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2005 Pintia
Impossibly dark for an 11 year old wine. Very expressive nose that sends up blackberries, raspberries, baking spices and hints of vanilla. On the palate all of the dials are turned up: dark fruits galore are mixed herbs and spices that continually change as the wine evolves in the glass. Full body, with lots of everything: fruit, oak and tannin. This is big and muscular but wonderfully balanced which keeps it from feeling heavy. Comes across as very youthful with lots of drying tannins, that marry well with the fruit and are not at all harsh. Years, no, decades left in this wine. The finish is long and begs you back for another sip. Very sophisticated and utterly delicious.
Extraordinary – 2010 vintage available at BC Liquor Stores for *$73 ($84 including taxes -*This particularly good value, given the quality)
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2011 The Hilt Pinot Noir The Vanguard
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