Monthly Picks: May '15 - Go Big!

This month we're going big, or going home! All the wines on this month's list are full bodied and pack a punch. Enjoy.

Rodney Strong Estate Vineyards 2012 Knotty Vines Zinfandel - $21
Hits you in the face, as many Zins do, with a powerful nose of puréed dark berry fruits, sweet peppercorn, vanilla-mocha and spicy oak aromas. Sourced from multiple Northern Sonoma vineyards, this Zin is full bodied from 15% alcohol and a touch of residual sugar, matching the intensity of the berry fruit flavours on offer.
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Domaine Saint-Damien 2013 Vieilles Vignes - $25
Big, round and bursting with aromas of roasted herbs, bramble-y red fruits and sun-soaked rocks, this blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Carignan and 5% Mourvèdre is sourced from vineyards ranging from 35-65 years of age, and offers fabulous value for money.
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Cassini Cellars 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Reserve - $40
A nice, broody, cool climate Cabernet Sauvignon with masculine aromas  of cassis, plum, blackberry, coffee grinds and vanilla fudge with subtle oak and cooking spice notes in the background. Cool-berry fruit leads the entry on the well-structured palate with layers of savoury and cocoa flavours appearing mid-palate and through to the long finish where dusty tannins and spicy-vanilla-mint notes linger.
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Rombauer Vineyards 2011 Zinfandel - $45
A blend of 93% Zinfandel and 7% Petite Syrah sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley and beyond, this wine offers good continuity from the nose with added red fruit sweetness and peppery wood flavours on the intense, spicy palate.
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Black Hills Estate Winery 2012 Nota Bene - $52
The latest edition sees a whopping 57% Merlot mixed with 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Cabernet Franc and despite the changes, the 2012 offers good typicity for the iconic brand suggesting the vineyard site is the most dominant influence over the finished wine and not the finite percentages of the main components.
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Viña Montes 2011 Montes Folly - $87
Another killer Folly with an enchanting, sweetly scented nose of cherry, plum, blueberry, cola and pepper aromas complimented with elegant, toasted oak and warm earth characters. The palate is equally complex and smooth with solid structure from refined, developed tannins.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca