Canadian Sommelier, On-Air (TV, radio) Wine & Spirits Somm, Valpolicella Wine Specialist
La Crema's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is an impressive wine that beautifully captures the advantages of the cool coastal climate. The unique combination of foggy mornings, warm days, and refreshing nights influenced by the Pacific Ocean, contributes to the creation of fresh and expressive wines.
Ottawa, ON Matt's review: Light gold colour, the nose is clean and fresh with orchard fruit, nectarine, lemon meringue, a touch of pineapple, floral, and wet stone. Medium body, the palate is very fresh and elegant. Orchard fruit, lees, subtle nuttiness, and minerality on the finish. Impressive expression of Four Mile Creek Chardonnay from this... Continue Reading →
As soon as you pour a glass and take a sip you'll understand why this has been the number one selling Chardonnay in America for 30+ years. Golden yellow, this barrel-fermented Chardonnay shows all the ripe orchard fruit, tropical fruit and sweet spice characteristics you would expect in a rich, refreshing, full-bodied California Chardonnay. The... Continue Reading →
Leaning Post's 2020 Chardonnay from their Senchuk Vineyard is an expressive wine with great intensity, body, and texture.
Today on CTV Morning Live, Sommelier Matt Steeves showed some of his Sommelier-recommended wine picks that make excellent last minute gifts this holiday season.
Planted with Dijon clones from Burgundy, in one of Niagara’s premiere ‘Grand Cru’ quality vineyards, on the Jordan Bench, 2020 vintage marks the fourth since the revival of LCJ in 2019 with the 2017 vintage crafted by Thomas Bachelder. Consistently one of the top quality Pinots in Ontario, the 2020 shows expressive field berries, savoury cherry, dark chocolate, herbs, flint, and wood spice on the nose. Medium bodied, the palate shows refreshing cherry, delicate spices, and great texture with impressive flinty minerality on the long finish. Le Grand Clos wines are well suited to enjoy youthful, and will evolve beautifully over a decade, perhaps longer. Tasted April 2023. 93 points. Matt Steeves - http://www.quercusvino.ca
Matt's review: Five Farms sources the fresh cream that makes the base of their premium Irish Cream Liqueur from five family-owned and operated farms in the south of Ireland in a region called County Cork. As they say a happy cow produces higher quality milk and one taste of Five Farms and you'll see why... Continue Reading →
2018 Zymé Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico (barrel sample)– Big and bold, deeply coloured, the nose shows rich dried red and dark fruits, with fragrant balsamic and tobacco notes. Fresh with great intensity of flavours, the palate is loaded with delicious dried fruit, raspberry, Fragrant nose showing dark fruits, roasted beets, sweet spices, herbs. Full bodied, with lively youthful tannis, there’s a remarkable freshness with dried dark fruits and raspberry notes persisting. An great wine from an iconic producer, and a wine you’ll want to enjoy over the next few decades. Drink 2028-2048+. 94-95+ points.
2018 Domini Veneti Jago Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG – From the renowned Valpolicella Cru vineyard, Jago, in the Classico region, Domini Veneti’s Jago Amarone shows impressive dried dark fruits, spice, balsamic and tobacco notes on the nose and repeating on the palate. Simply delicious, with a harmonious texture and balance, dried dark fruit, currants, and sweet spices persisting on the long finish. 93 points.
2018 Villa San Carlo Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG (barrel) – When tasted during the Anteprima tasting, it showed wonderfully. Very fresh, impressive complexity with spices, menthol, prunes, herbal, balsamic and dried cherry notes. Youthful fine-grained tannins, the palate shows refreshing bright cherry and dried fruits, some citrus and dark chocolate notes persisting too. An impressive preview of a wine that will be hitting markets in the near future, and one that will be enjoyed in the short, medium, and long term. Enjoy 2024-2035+. 93 points.
Quercus Vino 