Peller Estates 2004 Heritage Series Baco Noir

Beautiful deep ruby colour. Medium body. Black fruits and plums. Cocoa powder, some hazelnut. No tobacco or spices.

Birchwood Estates 2002 Cabernet Franc

Nice deep ruby colour. Almost nothing on the nose. Medium bodied. Spice up front, some leather, and cedar. Some black fruits. A decent wine at a terrific price.

Black Prince 2003 Chambourcin

Light bodied. Ruby red. Almost nothing on the nose, followed by very light strawberry/cherry. It will remind you of a watery pre-sweetened kool-aid. It might be okay slightly chilled at a summer picnic or bbq.

Cornerstone Select Blend Red

All spice on the nose. Medium body, ruby red. Lots of spice up front. Cloves and allspice. Some leather and cedar. Fruit is well hidden but some cherry comes through on the long finish.

(added Oct 16/2010) Of the 4 bottles I bought, 3 were corked. Very low quality cork was used after bottling. Buyer beware.

Puddicombe 2004 Reisling Reserve

I was hoping for a repeat of the 2003 Reisling, but this one is farmore citrus with very little of the tart granny apple that dominated the previous vintage. Very pale colour. Light body. No viscosity. Lots of citrus (lemon, grapefruit) and a little tart apple.

Peller Estates 2003 Gamay Noir Private Reserve

Ruby red but almost nothing on the nose. Medium body. Red berries, cherry and currant. Some cedar/oak/tobacco. Clean quick finish, with a touch of toabacco on the palate.

Stoney Ridge 2003 Baco Noir Barrel Select

Beautiful deep purple colour. Medium bodied. Quite jammy. Very fruit forward featuring red fruits especially raspberry. Some plum. A little tobacco on the finish.

Quail's Gate 2004 Pinot Noir Family Reserve

Fairly complex. Dark fruits, plum and cherry. Chocolate and coffee. Fairly silky after a couple of hours in the decanter. Definitely needs another couple of years in the cellar.

Lakeview 2002 Cabernet Franc

I nice medium body that leads with black fruit, plum and cedar. Some spice on the finish.

Lakeview 2002 Pinot Noir Reserve

Light bodied. Black cherries with some raspberry. Very fruit forward with a touch of spice on the finish.

Malviore 2004 Gamay

Estate bottled, organic. Light bodied with a lovely cherry taste. Big strawberry comes through right after. Some light floral notes.

Thomas & Vaughan 2002 Cabernet Franc

A nice medium body. Lots of black fruit. Plums, black cherry. A touch of cranberry balanced with some spice and cedar. Excellent value.

Carmella Estates 2005 Cabernet

This is an interesting blend of 60% Cab Sauv and 40% Cab Franc. 10 months in french oak. Some nice black fruits (cassis, blackberry and black cherry) with a touch of leather on the finish. Some hints of licorice. The tasting notes suggest vanilla, but it wasnt there for me.

Carmella Estates 2003 Gamay

I tried this one while visiting Sunday. It is much lighter than one would expect from the beautiful dark ruby colour. Definitely a light-medium body. Lots of sour cherry and a hint of rhubarb. It might be okay on the patio in summer for people who like reds, but not really enough body to match with many foods.

Huff Estates 2005 Gamay

They opened the winery for me on Sunday in the middle of a snow storm. I rather think they didnt expect anyone was stupid enough to brave the snowstorm. All they were offering was the Gamay and an Icewine, so I decided to try the Gamay. I have tried their Gamays in the past and really wasnt expecting much but this wine was quite nice. Sour black cherry, some floral, and some spices. An earthiness on the finish and some tobacco. I also got just a touch of chocolate.

Carmella Estates 2005 Chardonnay Sur Lie

I tried this on the weekend and it was a bit of a shocker. Absolutely outstanding on the nose. Buttered popcorn, some caramel, the flavours burst out of the glass. The actual taste was quite different. Pretty much a light citrus taste and virtually nothing more. No finish at all. Quite a disappointment.

Hillebrand 2004 Muscat Reserve

Pale straw in colour. Definite notes of Honeydew melon. Some hints of lime and pineapple.

Creekside Signature 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon

Black fruits on the nose. Deep garnet colour. Black fruits (blackberry, boysenberry, etc.) Some acidity followed by earthy spice notes. Lingering finish.

Maleta 2002 Shiraz

I opened this to have with a nice venison steak. The wine is a deep ruby and is medium bodied. Tart cherry taste, and didnt really want to open up even though it was allowed to breathe for a couple of hours. A little spice, but not much here.

Peninsula Ridge 2004 Viognier

I bought this on my first trip to this winery. The tasting bar was packed with a bus tour and I bought the Viognier without tasting it ... big mistake. The wine is pale in colour and tastes of citrus. There is a hint of honeydew on the finish, but it is brief and doesnt really balance the acidity. All in all a disappointment.