Showing posts with label 2009 Top Ten. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Top Ten. Show all posts

Friday, December 4, 2009

Wine Awards

2010 was another great year for wine consumption here in Canada and around the globe. Wine sales, worldwide, are on the rise again as the practise of drinking fermented grapes continues to become more and more popular. Good wine has never been more assessable to more people.

2010
Icon Wine of the Year - coming soon
Top 25 Value Wines of the Year - coming soon

2009

The "Top X Wines of the Year" lists feature the highest scoring wines that we reviewed in that calendar year.
The "Top X Value Wines of the Year" lists feature the wines we reviewed in that calendar year which we feel represent the best value to the consumer.
The "Wine of the Year" award is subjectively awarded to the wine that we feel was simply "the best" wine released to the public within the calendar year. Our top award.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The 2009 Wine of the Year


December 9th, 2009

Icon Wines is proud to announce.

The 2009 "Wine of the Year" representing the best wine released in this calendar year is:

Blackwood Lane Winery 2006 Alliance $60 - 94pts
Full Review


This exquisite wine was first tasted in August by Icon Wines partners Liam Carrier and Hugh Carter during a visit to the winery for a barrel tasting of the upcoming 2007 vintage (tentative Feb 2010 release date). At the time we scored the current 2006 release a very strong 94/100 points and were equally impressed by the upcoming 2007 release. This wine stayed fresh in our memory through the 2006 Bordeaux and Fall releases and remained our favourite of all the wines we had tasted this year. Subsequent visits to the wineries for follow-up tastings helped to solidify it as a must for this year's "Wine of the Year" award.

The winery also produces another amazing Meritage blend called Reférence as a micro-cuvée with ultra-fine tannins and a higher price tag. However, the accessibility, production and price-point of Alliance won us over and put it over the top.

For more information on Blackwood Lane Winery visit their website: http://www.blackwoodlanewinery.com/

Blackwood Lane wines are available direct from the winery or via select private fine wine shops. (Everything Wine, Firefly Ales & Wines)

Honorable mentions for the 2009 "Wine of the Year":

Lake Breeze 2008 Gewurztraminer
Full Review

La Frenz 2007 Montage
Full Review

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Top Ten Value Wines of 2009

Icon Wines partners Liam Carrier and Hugh Carter have selected their top ten value wines for 2009. This list features the wines we reviewed in 2009 that we feel represent the best value to the consumer. No price limit was applied to the list, nor was a simple price-to-points equation used. With this list we allowed ourselves to be subjective.

1. La Frenz Winery 2007 Montage $20 - 90pts
Full Review

2. Heartland 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon $22 - 91pts
Full Review


3. Lake Breeze Vineyards 2008 Gewurztraminer $18 - 91pts



4. Binder-Mitchell 2004 The Gunslingers Shiraz $29 - 94pts


5. Fairview Cellars 2008 Sauvignon Blanc $20 - 91pts
Full Review

6. Bodegas Sur de Los Andes 2007 Bonarda $14 - 88pts

7. Stoneboat Vineyards 2008 Chorus $18 - 89pts


8. Luis Felipe Edwards 2006 Reserva Malbec $15 - 89pts


9. Road 13 Winery and Vineyards 2008 Honest John's Red $19 - 88pts
Full Review

10. Averill Creek Vineyard 2007 Pinot Gris $23 - 91pts
Full Review

Top Ten Wines of 2009

The following wines received the ten highest ranked scores when reviewed by Icon Wines partners Liam Carrier and Hugh Carter in the calendar year of 2009. The one exception is the "Icon Wines: Wine of the Year" which will be announced later on in December. Ties were broken by the wine's "x-factor" and investment potential.

Also see:

1. Binder-Mitchell 2004 The Gunslingers Shiraz - 94pts

2. Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2006 Meritage - 93+pts

3. Mission Hill Estate Winery 2006 Oculus - 93+pts

4. La Frenz Winery 2006 Reserve - 93pts

5. 2006 Chateau Pape Clement - 93pts

6. 2006 Chateau Pichon-Longueville - 92.5pts

7. 2006 Chateau Rieussec - 92.33pts

8. Mission Hill Estate Winery 2006 Compendium - 92pts

9. Joie Farm 2007 Reserve Chardonnay - 92+pts


10. Mission Hill Estate Winery 2006 Perpetua Chardonnay - 92pts