This DOC red bend of Castelao, Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon hails from the southerly Atlantic region of Palmela on the Setubal Peninsula in Portugal.
Aromas of smoky summer berries and plummy notes with hints of purple flowers, savoury wild herbs and coffee grounds. It is spicy and savoury - concentrated berry and roasted coffee flavours dominate the palate - it has bright acidity and a long spiced finish.
Pair with rich pastas and smooth, strong cheeses.
©copyright 2010 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - March 2nd, 2010

This regional bairrada blend of Baga, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Nacional emits juicy mixed berries, chocolate and sunbaked earth, chalky minerality with fine, spice-box aromas. It is clean, powerful fruit on the palate, berries and black cherries, fresh minerality and fine dusty tannins. Good value and good concentration...
Pair with roast pork, hard cheeses or savoury rice and beans.
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - March 12th, 2009

A wonderfully fragrant young Pinot Noir with aromas of sun-warmed raspberries, cedar chips, crushed violets, hints of blueberry, leather, mixed spice and obvious peppery notes. The palate is bright, expect a sweet entry tasting of summer berries, fine spice, vanilla and mocha. It presents a silky texture, loads of acidity and fine tannins. Will pair well with the typical options of salmon or duck or drink it with cheesey mushroom polenta.
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - September 8th, 2009

Brawny aromas of bramble, creamy black cherry and blueberry hints with smoked meat nuances. Luscious on the palate with rich chocolate, charred cocoa bean, leather and a long spiced finish.
Very good!
©copyright 2007 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - September 29th, 2007

Fresh, crisp aromas, citrus and minerals with a core of honey, creamy pear and apple. The palate is very bright, flavours of peach skin and melon with plenty of minerality. The acidity is bold but you can expect a creamy edge to it followed by a nice citrus-y finish.
Good value. Pair with seafood salads.
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - September 25th, 2009

Aromas of smoky minerality, creamy pear, white grapefruit and some quince marmalade notes. It has very nice structure - layers of fruit, a supple body and snappy acidity. Expect more pear and mineral flavours on the palate with lively citrus on the finish.
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - October 20th, 2009

Lush and buttery with ripe pineapple drizzled in vanilla and roasted pear notes. A creamy body, well balanced and weighty...smoothly spiced, finishing with clove and vanilla flavours.
©copyright 2007 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - September 29th, 2007

Butterscotch, pears and toasted scones slathered with vanilla-infused butter. A rich mouth-feel with roasted nut flavours, herbs and warm spices with a background of toasty oak.
Elegant and addictive!
©copyright 2007 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - April 16th, 2007

A classic Bordeaux-styled blend of Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
This 2005 Meritage was released briefly at the winery during the Fall Wine Festival but will have a general released in November 07.
Up-front plummy, berry and sweet cherry aromas with vanilla and leathery notes. Smooth and creamy on the palate with rich chocolate, ripe dark fruit, nicely balanced acidity, chewy tannins and a long spiced finish.
Delicious!
©copyright 2007 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - September 29th, 2007

Juicy berry and black cherry, vanilla, leather and violets on the nose. Big on the palate with lush cherry, cedar and tobacco. Earthy and quite dense but showing fresh fruit in the mouth.
Still youthful with tight tannins. Buy the 6pack if possible, cellar and taste one each year.
©copyright 2007 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - September 29th, 2007

To celebrate their 20th anniversary Cedar Creek will be releasing this stunning single block Pinot Noir in October 2007 perhaps.
I first tasted it on April 26 and it was lush with black cherry and berry compote, fresh turned earth, tobacco and leathery hints with a velvety mouth-texture and cocoa and cedar on the finish.
Only 220 cases.
©copyright 2007 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - April 26th, 2007

This very solid Merlot from British Columbia's established CedarCreek winery has aromas of warm plums and forest berries, coffee and cocoa and a savoury core of smoked meat and roasted herbs. The palate is juicy and fresh, there are plenty of ripe berry, bittersweet chocolate and espresso flavours with spice lingering through the finish. Good concentration with a slighty powdery texture and impressively long finish.
©copyright 2010 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - April 8th, 2010

This is a delicious wine with all the elements you desire in a balanced Riesling; appealing aromas of peaches and tangerine peel, lemon drops and honeysuckle flowers. There is kiss of sweetness in the mouth but with plenty of lively citrus flavours to balance it. It's fresh, has very nice concentration and a snappy finish. A wine that will pair nicely spicy vegetable samosas.
©copyright 2010 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - August 24th, 2010

This delicious Cotes du Ventoux red, blends Grenache and Syrah to make make a savoury wine.
Aromas of raspberries and plums, mocha, sunbaked earth and tobacco with a core of garrigue, raw meat and peppery spices.The palate is spicy - cherry, berry, leather and earthy flavours dominate. It is juicy, it has simple, old-world complexity and a peppery finish.
©copyright 2010 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - March 10th, 2010

This Contra Costa Ancient Vines Zinfandel comes from vines 80-100 yars old. It has dense aromas - dried cherries, sweet tobacco and spices, dried fruits and prune plums with a dash of white pepper. It's full-bodied with a supple texture and complex flavours. There is loads of spiced berry and mocha flavours and silky tannins on the finish.
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - April 13th, 2009

An opaque dark ruby colour with fresh, fruity aromas - black currants, red currants and black cherry, chocolate, earth, meaty-leathery notes, dark flowers and sweet cedar. Layers upon layers of dense flavours - sweet berries, pepper, licorice, cocoa-coffee and spiced oak. Smooth on the palate showing nice acidity with supple tannins and lingering char, smoke and spice flavours.
Good value!
©copyright 2008 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - May 26th, 2008

This blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tint Roriz has complex aromas of semi-dried cherries, floral, earth and plums, hints of iodine, and matchstick - intense and dark with smoke, leather, coffee and kirsch...The palate is bright and supple with lovely intensity and flavours of dark berries, spice and earth. Juicy, sweet fruit, concentration and integrated tannins - very good!
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - March 12th, 2009

A twitter tasting with this wine in September 2009 and winemaker Dwight Sick's social networking skills are really helping bring some needed attention to this 12 year old winery.
This is a well made Merlot with an intense colour and aromas of black cherry, sweet plums and chocolate with savoury herbs and earthy undertones. The palate shows bright fruit, cocoa and earth, roasted coffee beans nestled within powdery tannins. Good balance of fruit, acidity, oak and tannin.
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - October 21st, 2009

Stunning aromatics, plush and ripe with stone fruits, grapefruit zest, casaba melon, honey and spring blossoms. The texture is sleek, almost oily on the palate rounded with layers of mineral, citrus and stone fruits. Snappy, exotic and very pleasurable...
©copyright 2009 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - March 5th, 2009