Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot 2015

Extra dry especially for an American merlot. It's from Washington but in a blind tasting you may think it's a Bordeaux (left bank-ish). The finish is slightly rough but smooths out with time. Medium-firm tannins.
I bought this in the vintages section as a final sale for $17 but the original price was $21.95. It's a decent value at the price point I paid.
At a Glance
Taste	chocolate, raspberry, oak
Smell	black cherry, plum, oak
Food	salmon
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$17.00
LCBO#	486936
Score

Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon 2016



At a Glance
Taste	plum, vanilla, oak
Smell	plum, blackberry, vanilla
Food	american
Sweetness	off dry
Price	$11.95
LCBO#	621623
Score

French Cross Rosé



At a Glance
Taste	strawberry, peach, tea
Smell	strawberry apricot, tea
Food	american
Sweetness	medium sweet
Price	$11.45
LCBO#	68551
Score

Bandit Pinot Grigio



At a Glance
Taste	lemon, peach, apple
Smell	lemon, green apple, citrus
Food	american
Sweetness	off dry
Price	$14.00
LCBO#	622019
Score

Tini Sangiovese Romagna DOC 2015



At a Glance
Taste	cherry, violet, vanilla
Smell	cherry, violet, oak
Food	american
Sweetness	dry
Price	$8.00
LCBO#
Score

Ironstone Merlot 2013

Extra dry, slight alcohol notes on the finish, slightly off balance

At a Glance
Taste	blackberry, light cedar, smoke
Smell	blackberry, dark cherry, alcohol
Food	american
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$17.25
LCBO#
Score

David Rocco's Dolce Vita Chianti 2013

Medium firm tannins. Good structure. Long finish. Extra dry
David Rocco makes better wine than I do, but my mom makes better sauce than his mom.
At a Glance
Taste	dark berry, oak, tea
Smell	blackberry, blueberry, tea
Food	anything italian
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$12.25
LCBO#	385898
Score

Growers Honeycrisp Apple Cider

If you like sweet ciders, white zinfandel wine or coolers this is your cider.
Has more ingredients than any cider I've seen.
At a Glance
Taste	green apple jolly rancher
Smell	green apple jolly rancher
Food	sandwiches
Sweetness	sweet
Price	$2.95
LCBO#	374546
Score

Ernest Dry Cider

It's dry but certainly not extra dry. Sugar is added so homebrewers would call this a 'Turbo Cider'
Honey is listed as an ingredient but isn't very noticeable as it ferments out very well.
At a Glance
Taste	a tart golden delicious
Smell	courtland, empire, light lemon
Food	light lunch
Sweetness	dry
Price	$3.25
LCBO#	466292
Score

Pérez Cruz Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Extra dry with the tannins coming from the oak. Not what it was compared to prior vintages.
Alcohol/Vol 14.5%
At a Glance
Taste	black cherry, vanilla, oak
Smell	red berry, oak, raspberry
Food	beef, cheese
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$14.95
LCBO#	694208
Score

Château La Croix de Queynac 2013

Extra dry with grippy tannins from the oak

At a Glance
Taste	red berry, french oak
Smell	raspberry, blueberry, french oak
Food	roast
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$15.95
LCBO#	138636
Score

Thornbury Cider

Drier than Brickworks and Pommies
Leaves a nice tart finish at the back corners of your mouth.
At a Glance
Taste	mcintosh, empire, floral
Smell	a tart golden delicious
Food	salads
Sweetness	off dry
Price	$3.00
LCBO#	333583
Score

Brickworks Ciderhouse Queen Street 501

A blend of 8 Ontario apples. Tastes great but I'm not sure I believe the ingredient list of 100% apples. C'mon...not even a stabilizer for an off-dry cider? I won't believe it unless they list their process.

At a Glance
Taste	green apple, golden apple, light lemon
Smell	green apple, golden apple, light lemon
Food	salads
Sweetness	medium sweet
Price	$3.00
LCBO#	413807
Score

Pommies Cider

Made from 100% ontario heritage apples, this cider is smooth and easy to drink

At a Glance
Taste	golden apples, lemon
Smell	golden apples, citrus, lemon
Food	salads
Sweetness	medium sweet
Price	$3.10
LCBO#	453118
Score

Osborne Solaz Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Juicy and fruit forward. Rich mouthfeel with a lightly spiced and oak finish
Blend of: Tempranillo & Cabernet Sauvignon
At a Glance
Taste	plum, vanilla, spice
Smell	plum, oak, vanilla
Food	pot roast
Sweetness	dry
Price	$11.45
LCBO#	610188
Score

RJ Spagnols - La Batalla RQ 2016

Inside the box ($140 CDN):

bag of grape juice (16 liters - 4.23 gallons)
1 bag of dried grape skins (9 oz)
1.5 oz american heavy toast (7g per finished gallon)
bentonite
potassium metabisulfite
potassium sorbate (not used)
chitosan (~50mL)
kieselsol (~10mL)
yeast (Lalvin EC-1118 - substituted)

About the Wine:

Spainish Tempranillo, Grenache & Cabernet Sauvignon

"This ruby-colored blend of Spainish Tempranillo, Grenache & Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the brightly colored red wines enjoyed throughout this cheerful festival. Rich on the nose and palate, it features black currant, raspberry, sweet spices and dried fruit." From the RJ Spagnols RQ2016 Handout

Pitch Date: April 16, 2016

6 gallons
OG: 1.094
Ambient temperature: 67.5 F

Changes made:

Fermented in my 8.5 gallon stainless steel brew kettle with a bazooka screen and placed on lid.
Added campden to the 7 liters of water added.
Added 1 tsp of wine tannin powder
Yeast #1: 1 rehydrated packet of Lalvin Bourgovin RC-212
Yeast #2: 1/2 non-rehydrated packet of Lalvin BM 4x4
Yeast #3: 1/2 non-rehydrated packet of Lalvin EC-1118

48 hours post pitch

Wine temperature 2 days post pitch: 78.5 F (+11.0 F)
1 tsp wyeast beer/wine nutrient for a double dose
1/2 tsp DAP for a full dose
Did not detect much (if any) Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) this time around. I wonder if the extra oxygen is helping the fermentation since the pot lid doesn't seal (unlike a carboy under airlock)

Day 7

SG: 0.095
Racked to a 6 gal carboy a on day 10

Day 14 - April 30, 2016

Rack to 6 gallon carboy
-Degas-
Add potassium metabisulfite package
-Stir-
Add kieselsol
-Stir 1 minute-
Add chitosan
-Stir & Airlock-

Bulk Aging Timeline

4 Months - Aug 15, 2016 - Add 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite to 5 gallon carboy.

8 Months - Dec 22, 2016 - Add 1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite & bottled. Nothing added. Solid oak and tannins.

Final Gravity Reading

0.994 SG

1 Year Tasting Notes
April 15, 2017

Coming Soon!

Gerard Bertrand Grand Terroir Les Aspres 2011

Drink in 1-2 yrs. Structured but needs time. Slight peppercorn on the finish. Full body and extra dry.
Blend of: Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedre
At a Glance
Taste	blueberry, mulberry, vanilla
Smell	mulberry, oak, black tea
Food	pot roast
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$14.95
LCBO#	177485
Score

Sandbanks Shoreline White 2013

Not a bad wine overall but could use a little more structure for the price. Seems flat and uninteresting which could be attributed to the fact that it is a blended wine.

At a Glance
Taste	lemon, mineral, floral
Smell	lemon, lime, peach
Food	sipper
Sweetness	dry
Price	$14.95
LCBO#	177485
Score

Sandbanks Cabernet Franc 2014

Light-medium body, very low tannins, medium acidity. Very reminiscent of pinot noir. No vegetative notes from the franc.

At a Glance
Taste	strawberry, raspberry, light oak vanilla
Smell	raspberry, strawberry, light oak vanilla
Food	pot roast
Sweetness	dry
Price	$14.95
LCBO#	177485
Score

Farnese Sangiovese IGT 2014

The house red lives. I've been recommending this wine for 5 years now and will continue to do so. This is the bottle that I always keep stock of because not only is it an amazing wine for $7.95 but it's a crowd pleaser that's very versatile.
This also comes in a large format bottle (1.5L)
Alcohol/Vol: 12.5%
At a Glance
Taste	black cherry, tobacco, leather
Smell	black cherry, tobacco, oak
Food	lasagna
Sweetness	dry
Price	$7.95
LCBO#	512327
Score

Château Saint-Roch Chimères 2013

This wine will benefit from an hour in the decanter. I find most french wines do. This wine scored a 93 but it's a 3.5 on our scale since it JUST snuck in under our $20 limit. A nice bottle but we can do a bit better for the price.
60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan
At a Glance
Taste	black cherry, mulberry, spice
Smell	black cherry, plum, medium french oak
Food	pot roast
Sweetness	dry
Price	$19.95
LCBO#	119354
Score

RJ Spagnols Winery Series Super Tuscan 2015

Inside the box ($150 CDN):

bag of grape juice (16 litres)
2 crushed grape pack (2 litres total)
3.4 oz medium toast oak chips (16g/gallon)
(RJS says 1 bag is american and the other french)
bentonite (30 grams)
potassium metabisulfite (4.8 grams)
2x potassium sorbate (not used)
pectinase (1.5 grams)
chitosan (~50mL)
kieselsol (~10mL)
yeast (Lalvin EC-1118 - substituted BM 4x4)

Next time I'll ferment in a bucket with the skins/oak chips in a muslin bag. Or posibly use two carboys and combine the results into a single topped up 5 gallon (19L) carboy.

Pitch Date: November 21, 2015

Lalvin BM 4x4

6 gallons
OG: 1.111 - measured after stirring in grape pack
Added 1 tsp wyeast beer/wine nutrient for a double dose
Added 2 tsp powdered wine tannin (made from chestnut tree).

Day 2 (48h post pitch)

Light Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) detected
Added 1/2 tsp wyeast beer/wine nutrient for a single dose
1/4 tsp DAP for a half dose

Day 3

Light Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) detected
Added 1/4 tsp wyeast beer/wine nutrient for a quarter dose
1/8 tsp DAP for a quarter dose

Day 4

Light Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) detected
Added 1/4 tsp wyeast beer/wine nutrient for a quarter dose
1/8 tsp DAP for a quarter dose (was really -just- over 1/8th tsp)

No further Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) present

Day 18

Added pectinase, kieselsol, chitosan into the primary fermenter. Unorthodox but the final step will be the last before a 6-9 month bulk age.

Day 22

Racked, degassed (45 mins, drill stir), kmeta added.

Rack 3 gallons to bulk age (carboy topped is around 3.5).

Rack 1 gallon to a jug with 6g med french cubes and 6g french light(untoasted) cubes.

Commence long term bulk aging.

Tasting Notes (at 3 week racking):

-Aroma: sour cherry, plum, leather

-Taste: plum, med oak, black cherry

Full body, med to med+ tannins. Quite promising.

Bulk Aging Timeline

6 Months - Add 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite to 3 gallon carboy.

12 Months - Add 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite & bottled. Nothing added.

Final Gravity Reading

0.993 SG

15 Month Tasting Notes
March 1 2017

Coming Soon!

Tasting Notes:

-Aroma: ___

-Taste: ___

Château Godard Bellevue 2011

Rich and concentrated dark berry flavours with a very dry and oak/spice finish. I'd suggest holding this bottle for a year or two before opening late 2016 or 2017.
Right bank. 50% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc
At a Glance
Taste	blackberry, plum, spice
Smell	plum, spice, oak
Food	cheese
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$14.95
LCBO#	426049
Score

Farnese Fantini Negroamaro 2013

Meduim+ body with a dry finish. Fruit forward and food friendly. If you like my pick for house red (Farnese Sangiovese) give this one a try too.
Alcohol/Vol 13%
At a Glance
Taste	mulberry, plum, spice
Smell	dark berry, black cherry, spice
Food	pizza
Sweetness	dry
Price	$8.95
LCBO#	143735
Score

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2013

Meduim body with an extra dry and slightly rough finish. If you love extra dry wines pickup a bottle of this sangiovese.
Alcohol/Vol 12.5%
At a Glance
Taste	black cherry, medium oak
Smell	strawberry, raspberry
Food	ribs
Sweetness	extra dry
Price	$13.95
LCBO#	591974
Score

Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Baco Noir 2014

Smooth and really fruity. Drinks like juice. Not a repeat buy at it's full price but worth it if you haven't tried Baco Noir yet.
Alcohol/Vol 13%
At a Glance
Taste	blueberry, sour cherry, spice
Smell	strawberry, vanilla, plum
Food	pizza
Sweetness	off dry
Price	$15.95
LCBO#	426528
Score

Winexpert Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel 2015

I'll be reviewing and comparing three different Lalvin yeasts using this kit. The goal is to compare the taste and aromatic differences between Lalvin BM 4x4 vs RC-212 vs EC-1118. Fermentation Temperature: 70F