mkjr

There is a form that you should have filed out when you crossed the border listing everything that you brought down and then would not have to pay tax on any of it coming back. As for coming up with things just purchased there are ways in other provinces but not here and not for people that are Ontario residents.

I was at Bymark for dinner on Saturday. What I noticed in my talk with the Sommelier and parusing their cellar was that wines that I thought did not come through the LCBO, really do just through agents only (and man is there many, Kongsgaard comes to mind first along with many others that are in the nice little room but not on the list....yet). I was going to rant about the list of wines I would love to see but I have no idea if they do come in just not into my cellar..... Anyone know if any agents or the LCBO has ever brought in any Raveneau, R&V Dauvissat, Comtes Lafon (not the Macons but the Meursault's) or Coche Dury? I also picked up some Sloan at the LCBO auction and I first thought that it must have come from one who is on the mailing list but now I wonder if an agent gets a case or two each year?

I go to the site for TN's not for numbers as I do not play the number game that often anymore and usually only stick to certain producers these days (even in off years they tend to make the best wines).

Who Vic Harradine? Never heard of him. A link to a review to all of Olivier's 04s from CT (for those like myself who frequent this site): http://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=1416 It is funny, however, to see Vic Harradine reference Parker gushing over every release? since I do not recall the last time Parker did a full review of Olivier's wines and to my knowledge Alsace is now Pierre Rovani's territory and Rovani's last write up was of the 2001 vintage (yet to see anything for 2002-04 and it was not in my most recent issue of WA). I think I will pass on Vic Harradine's reviews (but thanks for noting them) and hope others will pass on the ZH as a result so I can get more of the only 75 cases that came in.

Zind Humbrecht

I had to really hold back but did pass on the first round of 2005 Bordeaux futures. The offer expired today. I feel very proud. Decided to drop my cash on some Pahlmeyer Chard that was at the Queens Quay store. Not sure if this was even dumber than if I bought the Bordeaux. Be sure to get some of the ZH this week in the release. Just beware that I think that 04 may be a sweater vintage.

Ditto!

I react very badly to Duvel beer which I understand is a beer with a secondary fermentation in bottle and have vomitted after only having 2 of them. The reaction is so bad that my wife does not let me drink it anymore nor Chimay which caused the same thing. Ditto on the offer to make amends. "Fat Guy" Did you not work at Cravath as a litigator? Regardless of what caused this, and you may never know, there is probably enough to make waves. I am not in this area of law (I am a paper pusher lawyer not personal injury lawyer) but I am sure others who are might give the same advice.

You were told wrongly! In fact 2001 was the hottest year since 1998 (and Niagara usually makes better reds in hot years). The problem was that 2001 was the 'invasion of the ladybugs' and many wines were tainted because of mechanical harvesting that scared the hormones out of the ladybugs. A similar invasion occurred in 2003 but fewer wines were tainted in that year. But the taint means that virtually all 2001's are unmarketable because of the 'stupidity' (my word; the alternative would be ignorance) of the wineries who nevertheless released these wines - many, if not most, with VQA designations - thereby potentially destroying the industry. This was further exacerbated by the LCBO selling these wines - so much for their vaunted tasting panel. I've also heard that eventually the LCBO blacklisted all the 2001's - even those with no taint (and there were many) cannot get a listing. ← That must have been what he was getting at. I did recall hearing about that. Thanks.

Second this. Nothing better on a warm summer night. Great view. Sadly, I think no cigars anymore.

I saw a similar thread in the montreal forum on the SAQ and thought that this would be a good thread to discuss new releases, prices, events, gripes and anything else under the sun to do with the LCBO. I searched and did not see an existing thread but if there is, Jake, please merge my information below with the same. There are a few topics that have discussion on the same although none dedicated that I could see. The idea came after I got an e-mail regarding the "A VINTAGES LATEST Exclusive Offer direct from the cellars of Château Léoville-Barton and Château Langoa-Barton". It should have been qualified by the phrase "marginal year" offer. I am so glad that they are willing to offer these marginal years to us and hold back the good years, I presume for the Classics orders to be released at their whim. I say this since I find it hard to believe that the LCBO was not also offered the 1989, 1990, 1995 or 2000 Leoville Barton in the same batch of wines. Someone can please correct me if I am wrong but I just do not think that being able to buy older marginal vintages is "exclusive". Anyone need only check http://www.wine-searcher.com to find the prices to be a little on the high side (putting in politely). But hey, what do I know anyway. I am sure there are more out there who can add more or correct me. At least with the Latour offer they have put up the hammers. Not that I am going to buy any but if I could muster the courage I would opt for the 1982 although it appears market price is around $1100 (and recently I saw cases go for $12K or so at the LCBO auction) versus the $1695 they want. With the 2005 Futures just starting to come out around the world, I can only wait to see how badly the LCBO will gouge consumers on these Bordeaux futures. One need only look to Robert Parker's VERY recent comments on whether one should buy this vintage to understand that you will PAY DEARLY http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=97193 I suspect there will not be a single good deal. Please, pretty please, prove me wrong LCBO. Any other ideas stories would be much appreciated. The Alsace release is coming up for those interested with some good prices on the 04 ZH wines.

Went to check out some wineries on the weekend toward Niagara. I know very little about wines from Ontario and have really not spent much time getting to know them either – plenty of other places I would like to work through first IMHO. As such, I relied on my friend to make the selections for us. We went to Penninsula Ridge, Lakeview Cellars, Lenko, Stoney Ridge, Vineland Estates and Stratos. We did not taste all wines at all places but only the ones that were recommended to me as being the top ones currently available. The best red wine I tasted was the 2002 Lakeview Cellars Reserve Merlot. Some wines that I thought would be good were just OK, including the Stoney Ridge Estate 2004 Cabernet Franc Reserve, the Stoney Ridge Estate 2002 Meritage Founder's Signature Collection and the most recent vintage of the Cabernet Franc at Stratos. The one thing that I noticed was an over abundance of acidity in each wine. I also noted that the Peninsula Ridge Estates 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve also tasted unusually acidic and very odd on the palate and much preferred the 2001 vintage despite the less than ideal growing conditions for the year as I was told. The best wines that I did taste were the Chardonnay’s from Lenko Estates (in fact the American Oak Old Vines was my only purchase of the day). These were very good wines. I understand they are made from some of the oldest vines in the area with very low yields in the 1.5 tonnes per acre size. When we tasted the wines they had warmed up to close to room temperature and not a single fault. I would have bought the French Oak also but perhaps another day given its $29.95 tag. The un oaked Chardonnay also had much complexity. Well worth a visit and reminded a great deal of Sonoma and Russian River Chardonnay. For reference other places I have been to in the area on other trips are Lailey, 13th Street, Pillitteri, Château des Charmes and a few other biger places and Marynissan (sic). We went to Tawse and would have liked to try but I was not very keen on the prices to taste (the 2 oz pour thing was a little large also IMHO), nor were others, and we all just left. Again, perhaps another day. All in all, not a bad trip. Ended the day with the 1986 Sassicaia, 1988 Tignanello and a 1997 Turley Aida Vineyard Zinfandel at dinner which seemed to eclipse much of the day. Many thanks to my friend and his wife for the original super tuscan's.

Gotta love how much effort it must take to screw that up. At least you had some warning not to expect greatness but well done...nice. Sorry to hear Friday got jammed for your other dinner. I am sure you think that dinning in this city is the best thing since sliced well done steak. I think that much north of King around (between Yonge and Parliament can have many interesting folks). Like you said perhaps next time....and perhaps you will be able to suggest the place.

I would love to go to Eigensinn but factoring in the $300 per person plus one night at a B&B (if they do not try and get a minimum 2 nights out of you if its a weekend) in the area and related travel and other costs (although I would bring my own wine that was bought years ago I still consider this a cost) makes it a very hard choice every time I think about it. We thought about it again for a short trip in August but decided to fly down to NYC and go to Per Se again - figured if we were going to spend that kind of cash why not spend a little more (can also catch the Barney's warehouse sale for some new suits). I would opt for Spendido and given the recent review of Susur, it also. At Spendido I would BYOW with a bottle and fill in missing courses with a glass where needed. Not been to Perigee yet so can not compare. I prefer to see what I am ordering before and to have a little choice.

I think you would enjoy JK's or Starfish. I like them both very much and live in the area. Dying to get to Hiro and its only a block and a half away The area is fine although there are some odd cats out the later it gets (read towards 2 or 3 in the morning) but the same can be said for pretty much any city.

Agreed.

I have never been. I looked at the menu and wine list though. Food looks OK but you are right the prices seem very high. I also looked at the prices on the list and they look to be consistently marked up close to 3 times. Funny but I walk by this place all the time since I live in the area and thought that it was just a place to have wedding receptions? 2.5 stars in Toronto life for what its worth http://www.torontolife.com/guide/restauran...an/la-maquette/ If its not too late, for the same area, I would suggest you walk up the street to Starfish http://www.starfishoysterbed.com/ (and they have a private room in the back and I have been there with 20 or so) or go to Romagna Mia http://www.romagna-mia.com/ (which although does not have a private room, I have had a group of 10 and we were allowed to order off the main list. If you are larger and are not fussed by the area then call Jamieson at Crush http://www.crushwinebar.com/index.htm and see if the private rooms are available. I have been there a few times with very large groups and it has been great.

Surely that was not $150 (or even suggested $210) per person or was it, and if so, how many people? ← Yes, those were prices of the wine pairing per person. ← I see. Thanks. I will request the list in advance (if I can) or just take my time at dinner again.

Zachary's Pizza in Berkeley. We used to go there on road trips from Vancouver to the Bay area to visit friends at Stanford and U Cal. Berkely and it was always fantastic.

Surely that was not $150 (or even suggested $210) per person or was it, and if so, how many people? I will be going to Per Se again in August with my wife and 2 others and was thinking about the wine pairing option. This is so I do not have to fuss with the list (since I find that getting wines that I am looking for to bridge multiple courses is tough and takes a little time) but at $600 for wine if its $150 per person I will take all the time I need since there are some gems on the list at good prices. Also, the 4th in the group can be very very busy at unpredictable times so what if I show up with 3 on the day of since if the 4th has to fly off at the last minute (I would expect that I would only have a few hours notice, maximum a 24 hours if the 4th was going to be MIA to let the restaurant know). Should I give them the heads up now?

With regard to the June menu at Splendido - it's magnificent! Underlines everything that is right about this restaurant. Every dish was perfect - range of tastes and textures. The Copper River Salmon lives up to the hype - excellent flavour, but the killer is the texture - just melts in the mouth. But the finest dish (IMO) was the Chilled Ontario Sweet Pea Soup with Nova Scotia Lobster and Niagara Pancetta. Just astounding! The pea flavour was the framework for the other tastes and textures. if there is "umami" - this dish has it - an extra layer of taste sensation. On this evidence, David Lee is now staking his claim as the top chef in Toronto too. The wine matches were OK - I still think Niagara wines are overpriced for their value, so suggest that you consider upgrading to their champagne tasting accompaniment (which I didn't have on this occasion). ← Great to hear. Perhaps we should start a Splendido thread. I am still trying to get there although the outlook is not good.

Thanks for the post. For those interested the original wines tasted in the 1976 competition were (reds): 1972 Clos du Val; 1969 Freemark Abbey; 1970 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard; 1971 Mayacamas; 1971 Ridge Monte Bello; 1973 Stag’s Leap; 1970 Château Mouton Rothschild; 1970 Château Haut-Brion; 1970 Château Montrose and 1971 Château Léoville-Las-Cases. Turns out Stag's Leap beat out Mouton by a nose in the red category and the rest is history. For those who think that vines need to be old to produce good grapes, note the 1973 Stag's Leap was Warren Winiarski's (the winemaker) first vintage produced with grapes from vines a mere three years old. I wonder why the Vendange Institute chose the Bordeaux's they did instead of picking the top houses to see how they compared? This might have trully flushed out the bullsh$t. Seems like they chose many of the "best" BC reds but why not the same for the Bordeaux. It would have been nice to know how the Cedar Creek at $40 might have faired against Mouton....I suspect likely rather well.....but then again who knows - which is the point. In any event, I am more likely to buy the Wynn's Cab from Australia at $19.95 before the $40-50 a bottle for some of the BC wines or $50-70 a bottle for some of the Brodeaux's. Just my 2 cents. ← On a follow up to my previous post, after 30 years it appears as though California is still on top in the original battle. This time it looks like Monte Bello is king. Hmmm....wonder if the same may happy with Canadian Reds 30 years from now? http://www.copia.org/content/files/Results...0WINES%20v2.pdf

I live just around the corner at the one on Front Street and have never gone but certainly will.

Please do let us know. Another good review would tempt me to go back.

That looks surprisingly fabulous and better than I recall from my visit years back. Your views may have just precipitated my return.