I am so glad LCBO re-released this wine on May 29/10, had no choice but to get a case. I made new review notes as soon as I purchased it, and they coincide with what I wrote below. Tasted again May/10. Recommended buy - get few bottles/case while there are some left.

I have tried the 2006 (released Aug15/09, 974394) alongside the 2007 (released Nov21/09, 145920). The 2007 vintage is smooth, aromatic, light to medium bodied with notes of cherry, black currant, coconut, oak, vanilla and smoke. It is tannic (needs at least an hour to open) and hence it can still benefit from aging for 5 to 10 years. The finish is nice and long and unfortunately I was only able to get a single bottle :-(. I would definitely like to try this wine again. My impression is somewhere between BEAUTIFUL to DIVINE. Tasted Dec/09.

If you would like to see wines I recommend and that are still available at the LCBO, please visit this link (listed in my profile):

http://www.winealign.com/wino/dantrcka/recomended-wines-you-can-still-buy

Bought a case upon 1st release, finally opened one.

Dark, blood red wine.

Big nose: Stewed blackcurrants and herbs. Plenty of oak.

Full bodied. Mouth coating fruit, wood and tannin. Good acidity & a bit of heat. France meets Italy here for sure. Tastes like a well made, but modest, Left Bank blended with some decent Chianti.

Very long finish.

14% alc. is a tad too high. 13-13.5% would have been a better balance. As is this is a heady wine that demands some full-on food.

Decant now but will likely peak around 2012-15 & should easily last until 2020+.

http://torontowineguy.blogspot.com

Powerful on the nose, medium to full bodied but still has some good pucker power, good acidity on a very long finish. Holding on to a case for a couple of years and on!

A beautiful sophisticated nose here with aromas of blackberry, black currant, sour cherry, dried herbs, cedar and toasty notes. On the mouthfeel, medium to full bodied, loads of flavour with fine acidity and gritty tannins. Very good length on the finish with savoury and rich concentrated flavours, fine texture and persistent grainy tannins. If you are lucky enough to still hold this superb wine on your cellar, it is drinking well with a great deal of life left. I would say peak drinking window here is 2014-2016. A fantastic wine and great value

92
December 2012

(90?) - A Bordeaux meets Tuscany.
Seems like a great buy for the cellar. For ~$22 a wine that probably can be cellared for 5-10 years, it is a no brainer. I suggest you buy one to see that it meets your “palate requirements”, then, if you like the wine stock a few bottles (or more…) in your cellar.

From the colour to the palate, there is no doubt that this is a wine designed to impress fans of internationally-styled wines. There is clearly some good fruit here but the heavy-handed oak treatment completely obscures any sense of place. The oak was present from the first whiff right through the finish. Just too much for my palate. Tasted May 2012.