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April 24 2009 
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What are those?
The cherry blossoms have finally punched through a grey and gloomy winter - we can remove those rose coloured glasses, the real thing is here.
I have a final installment on Napa Valley on WineScores.ca (see link below) and Australia will finally be getting my complete and undivided attention.
There are loads of new reviews and spring releases coming - watch for new ones each day and on The Tasting Room Radio this weekend (April 25 & 26) I talk about wines to drink for the playoffs - even for bandwagon fans like me!

Cheers,
Daenna

 Crisp Riesling from the Western Cape
 Nederburg "The Winemaster's Reserve" Riesling, Western Cape SA, 2008

Nederburg Riesling


Ripe peaches and caramel hints, flinty, smoky and vibrant lemon zest aromas. The citrus aromas engage on the palate, zesty, snappy lemon flavours...it's taut and dry with a softly rounded finish.
Pair with crisp summer salads or shellfish.

$14.99

More than 60 new reviews here... 


 Old World Value
 Louis Bernard Cotes du Rhone France, 2007

Bernard CduR V 255



Awesome Value!
Sweet black cherry and currents, chocolate and garrigue, leather, tobacco, fine spices and cedar box. Supple on the entry with creamy purple fruit, spice and mocha - fine, mouth-filling tannins pick up mid-palate - it's a juicy and easy drinking everyday dinner wine.

$14.99


photo shows the Cotes du Rhone Villages label.

More than 60 new reviews here... 


 Something Meatier for your Red Side
 Colome Amalaya de Colome, Salta Argentina, 2006

colome 255


From one of the oldest working wineries in Argentina comes this amazing blend of Malbec, Cabernet, Syrah, Tannat and Bonarda. It has aromas of cherries and red berries, Asian spices and smoke a bit of char and sausage on the savoury side....Smooth with peppery fruit on the palate, quite powerful and dense with good balance and a spicy smooth finish.

$19.99

More than 60 new reviews here... 


 Sixty more new reviews on...
 

Two Jokers chardy
  • Thorne-Clarke Two Jokers - Australia
  • Mission Hill - BC
  • Burrowing Owl - BC
  • Vina Cobos - Argentina
  • Rudolf Muller - Germany
  • Pommery Champagne - France
  • Leopard's Leap - South Africa
  • La Mano - Spain
  • Shenandoah - California
  • Bollini - Italy

these reviews and many, many more here... 


 Pink Sweetie on a Budget
 [yellow tail] BUBBLES Rose, Australia, NV

YT Pink bubbles


It'll be fun summertime sipping with this affordable pale pink sweetie.
Candied aromas - sweet tarts and berries, tangerines and cream....Crisp and mousse-y on the entry with flavours of candied citrus and berries. A patio quaffer if you like your bubbly on the sweeter side....
An interesting blend of Semillon, Traminer, Shiraz and Frontignac

$13.99

More than 60 new reviews here... 


 More on Napa Valley
 

Napa barrel cellar






Barnett, Cakebread, Duckhorn, Honig, Hess, Hendry, Laird, Martin Estate, Silverado, and Spelletich...

Read more about these wineries and wine reviews... 


 Fresh off my Palate
 A Rare Tasting with Champagnes Nicolas Feuillatte

Palmes dor I'm a gal who cannot say no to bubbles.
Especially not when it's a selection from one of my favourite Champagne houses.
Pascal Boye (sales director for the Americas) brought Nicolas Feuillatte's chief winemaker (chef de caves) to Vancouver this week along with a selection of Champagnes to taste.
My favourite quote from Pascal was his comparison of how the French in Champagne view Nicolas Feuillatte as they do the pyramid at the Louvre....Having lived in Paris I always loved the pyramid, its modern architecture juxtaposed against the elegance of the Louvre. So of course I found his comment particularly humorous and telling.

Nicolas Feuillatte purchased 12 hectares of land in Champagne in 1972 and today they produce between nine and ten million bottles per year.
I have always liked the readily available, Brut Reserve Particuliere NV ($59) and the Brut Rose NV ($69) - both are easy to drink and very consumer friendly. But the Grand Cru Chardonnay 2000 ($110) has such vibrancy, pear and citrus, exotic aromas and spice with buttery notes - the palate fine and smooth, I appreciated its focus.

And, the ultra-premium Palmes d'Or really are in a class of their own - the elegant black beaded bottle and complexity of the wine stands out. The Palmes d'Or Brut 1998 ($199) is a cuvee of 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from nine villages in Champagne. The aromas are leesy and citric with savoury, earthy undertones from the Pinot Noir and lime and lemongrass. The palate is taut and clean - minerals and citrus with hints of salinity.
But without a doubt my favourite was the Palmes d'Or Rose 2000 ($245) made from 100% Pinot Noir is brimming with berries, five-spice/anise, crushed flowers and a hint of herbs. Powerful but elegant on the palate presenting flavours of black currents and spice set in a creamy mousse.

 


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RPP where to buy bottle 300h

By partnering with WineDiva.ca and WineScores.ca readers will know where to find the wines they read about on my websites. Are you in British Columbia, Alberta...?
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Agents can sign up individual stores to support a product and wine stores can list all my reviewed wines (on both sites)...and more! Your store name will appear each time that wine is searched and each time it appears in a newsletter page or in my "sure bets - food and wine pairing".
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 Taurus
 

Taurus girl




Taurus' are patient and reliable, practical and stable. They are also stubborn and quite inflexible...
The Taurus' ruling planet is Venus (nudge nudge), their stone is emerald and their colour - pink!

If Taurus were a she would be... 


 The Tasting Room
 

TDM and DVM 300h

"...The Tasting Room is the radio version of an audio blend, a Meritage for the soul."
Terry David Mulligan and his guests discuss food, wine, viticulture...

Listen across Canada each Saturday to hear Wine Diva's weekly wine reviews.

The Tasting Room - is on Saturday...
10am - noon am 1150 in the Okanagan or listen on www.thetastingroomradio.com
and now...
Vancouver 5-7pm on "The Buzz" am 1410 (formerly CFUN)
and Sundays in Toronto at 7:30 am on the "Best of the Best" am 740
Saturdays in Edmonton on the "TEAM" am 1260


Listen for Wine Diva's weekly reviews...

Link to The Tasting Room Radio... 


Coming next: Wine Diva does Oz...


Don't forget to visit winescores.ca and winediva.ca for new wine reviews every day!

Pink and Cheeky...

Pink Glass & bottle banner 2
Daenna Van Mulligen
WineDiva - WineScores

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