Category Archives: Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir, Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses, Simon Bizes et Fils, Côte-d’Or, Bourgogne, France, 2010, 13.5% abv. US$95
Simon Bizes et Fils is a fifth generation Burgundian winery in Savigny-les-Beaunes south of Dijon. The Pinot Noir grapes for this 2010 bottle come from vineyards planted in 1939, 1949 and 1954. On the eyes, it’s a translucent garnet with … Continue reading
Pinot Noir, Estate Cuvée, Maysara Winery, McMinnville AVA, Willamette Valley, Oregon, 2008, 13.5% abv., US$35
Back what seems to be a lifetime ago, when the border with the US was open, and we ventured out on a 35 day driving tour, we stopped in at one of my perennial Willamette Valley favourites, Maysara Winery. A … Continue reading
Bunker Red, Rathjen Cellars, Saanich, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, 12.1% abv., C$22++
We’re nine months into this pandemic and I’ve been writing a little less than usual, but drinking a lot more. What about you? Yeh, that’s what I thought. However, I have made a concerted effort to support local wineries and … Continue reading
An Oregon Wine Board Tasting with Winderlea Vineyard + Winery, and Troon Vineyard
If these were normal times, and the world’s longest undefended border was open, I would have been in Oregon’s Willamette Valley last weekend, participating in the 2020 version of the Wine Media Conference. But alas, these are Covid-19, not normal … Continue reading
Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier, Extra Brut Rosé, Nichol Vineyard, Naramata Bench, Okanagan, BC, 12.1% abv., 2018
It’s August 2020 and by some miracle, there are Covid NHL playoff games happening on TV. So, what does a Canadian do? Celebrate this miracle on ice with a delicious (and pretty) sparkling wine, of course.
Pinot Noir, Unsworth Vineyards, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, BC, 12.9% abv., 2018 (C$35)
Pinot Noir is the perennial ‘heartbreak’ grape. Its skin breaks easily, which makes it especially susceptible to disease and genetic mutation. And talk about fragility with regard to climate. Fickle doesn’t even begin to cover it. But, Unsworth Vineyards has … Continue reading
Block Party, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Kitsch Wines, East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, BC, 12.5% abv., 2019
Be honest for a minute – and look back at the past 9 weeks of covid take-out charges on your credit card statement. We both know you’ve been indulging. Just when you thought you had that plastic bag, styrofoam container, … Continue reading
Pinot Noir, Rosé, Kitsch Wines, East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada 12.5 abv., 2019, C$27
It used to be said rosé was a wine that could only be enjoyed during the summer, and because it’s pink, usually by women. Pshaw. Let’s resolve to be neither seasonally prejudiced nor sexist when it comes to drinking. Equal … Continue reading
Ring in the New Decade with Canadian Bubbles from Unsworth Vineyards
Hindsight being 2020, you’re going to want to try these bubbles for ringing in the new decade. To save you the trouble, and the hindsight, here’s the low down. Unsworth Vineyards is located on Canada’s West Coast just north of … Continue reading
