Can you believe we have less than a week to go before 2014 comes to an end and we are starting a brand new year. It’s been a great year in the world of wine. I finished New World Wine and started the Sommelier Management. I have discovered some new wines that I found to be delicious. So, I’m going to take this opportunity to look back at some of the fantastic wines I discovered in 2014.
This is my friend and colleague Anthony McNutt. Regular readers of my blog will be very familiar with Anthony, and I finally got a photo with him. This is he and I enjoying one of the best finds in 2014. This is the Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir, a spectacular Pinot Noir. Southing refers to the South facing bluffs found on the estate vineyard in the beautiful Santa Rita Hills in California. It’s a complex and elegant Pinot Noir with hints of smoke on the nose and aged in 100% French Oak, and 55% of the barrels are brand new. What a treat…. I am so grateful that Anthony shared his wine with me.
Anthony has just started writing his own blog and you can check out Anthony’s blog here Rookie Wine Review
2014 will be remembered as the year I fell head over heels in love with Riesling. Was never a ‘sweet’ wine person, but this versatile beauty is delicious with food or all by itself. One of the my favorites I discovered this past year was the Wakefield Riesling out of Australia.
This is my friend Jeff Pinhey and he is holding one of my favorite finds from the 2014 Port of Wines show. It’s a fantastic price, and all the grapes are hand picked! Ripe dark fruits, licorice and some spice had this wine was of my favorites during BBQ season.
This is, of course, Rayell Swan, the wine guru of NSLC on Larry Uteck and wine rep Kim. Kim introduced me to a few beauties this year, including a fantastic wine at the Port of Wines. But on this particular Fall day in 2014 he was tasting two gorgeous wines both from Grant Burge.
One was the Grant Burge Hillcott Merlot and the other was the Filsell Old Vine Shiraz from the Barossa Valley in Australia. The Merlot is juicy and plump and explodes with flavor in your mouth. The Old Vine Shiraz is complex and spicy and every sip is a delight. Definitely the best Shiraz I had in 2014.
In May of 2014, I also had the pleasure of meeting Chief Winemaker Howard Soon from the Sandhill Vineyards in British Columbia. I loved his Sangiovese but I’m going to give the nod to the Sandhill Pinot Gris for this blog. Tropical fruits including pineapple and melon with some green apple and a real rich mouth feel. Chicken, seafood, pork. this is a very versatile food wine.
Two Chardonnays made the cut. The Pierre Andrew Meursault I tried a few weeks ago was heaven in a glass. And the Bachelder Chardonnay from the Niagara region in Canada couldn’t be left off the list. One is a Chardonnay from Burgundy France, and the other is a Canadian Chardonnay done in a Burgundian style. Both are over the top delicious.
Well, ready or not, here it comes…. 2015. Thank you to each and every person who took the time out of their busy schedules to read this blog. I’m humbled. Here’s to a fantastic 2015
Cheers
Darlene
Wine-It’s Just My Opinion 