Kitsilano Wine Cellar held a Cabernet tasting recently. My favourites were the Alamos, Kaesler and Raymond. An interesting observation from the presenter. A lot of the wines that were high in acid without as much flavour were suggested with a lamb reduction, etc. He did not suggest matching up full flavour wine with full flavour food, more about having a high acid wine to clear the food. Then a full flavour wine with low acid would be stand-alone. I'm recently starting to think about these 2 aspects of wine and trying more complex pairings of wine so this was very interesting.
The wines:
Kalama 2003, Chile, $15. Did nothing for me, not worth it.
Alamos 2006, Argentina, $20. Pleasing, mellow taste, easy drinking. Parker rated the 2004 and 2000s in the mid 80s.
Cartagena 2006, Chile, $20. Did nothing for me.
Kaesler 2005, Barossa, $43. Lots of fruit and flavour, low acid, classic Barossa. Very drinkable now, not much cellar potential.
Voyager 2002, Margaret River, $45. Seemd a bit thin to me.
Raymond 2003, Napa, $44. I really enjoyed this classic Napa Cabernet. Lots of acid and structure. Good ageing potential.
Page Cellars 2003, Red Mountain, $68. Decent but I liked the Raymond better.
Benziger 2003, Sonoma, $80. All organic, lots of acid, could be great
Castella del terriccio Tassinaia 2001, Tuscany, $65. I found this had a poor bouquet but interesting flavour. Classic old world with lots of "terroir". A lot of ageing potential left even though it has had a few years.
90 Parker rated, "The black currant and blackberry fruit, the sweetness of the notes of Mediterranean herbs and minerals, and the sizeable, well sustained palate, however, make this anything but a second choice for consumers.".
Tourelles de Longeville 2002, Paulliac, $65. A classic bourdeaux.
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