A fellow Montrealer, Fadi, connects with me once in a while. Recently, in response to my post on the Chateau Kefraya "Comte de M", he suggested another pricey Lebanese wine:The 2004 Chateau St. Thomas starts with leathery, black earth and ripe, dark cherries (rather characteristic for the Lebanese wines I have tasted), but remained closed for some time. A healthy dose of oxygen liberated some additional aromas later that evening: gamey meat, violets and fresh cut wild flowers, some compote and pencil shavings - very compelling. Heavy on the palate at first, very dense dark fruit with nice, green tannins and very long finish that hints at further development (but drinking well now). One sentence? Kinda like someone poured a ripe vintage Northern Rhone into my Bordeaux. Those "medals" adorning the bottle seem well-deserved -very impressive, thanks Fadi.
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$24.20 (SAQ)
Endnote: my wife has a four point rating system for wine:
(1) "Oh, I don't like this"
(2) No comment
(3) "Yes" (when prompted "do you like this?"), and
(4) "Oooooh, I LIKE this..." (unprompted)
Based on this we have a four-pointer tonight.
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10 comments:
How does she rate her husband?..and don't tell me 5 points!!
It depends on how much wine I have had ;)
Hi Joe...I am glad that you liked the ch St-thomas, which for the price, I'd consider it a value wine.
BTW, if you're interested, the yearly California wine fair organized by the heart & stroke foundation of Qc is nearing (April 2nd @ the Queen Elisabeth, Le Grand Salon). Tickets are on sale now (100$, includes a generous food buffet & open wine tasting):
http://www.heartandstroke.qc.ca/site/c.pkI0L7MMJrE/b.4949079/k.5606/California_Wine_Tasting.htm
I went to this tasting last year and found to be well organized. This yr, there will be 375 wines from 90 Cali producers.
Cheers,
Fadi
Thanks for pointing me this way Fadi - when I have time I am going back for more. Thank you for the link to the H&S fundraiser - will try to go this year!
That is a super shot of the bottle of red in the snow.
Thanks for your comments, Vino Vangelist.
Hi Joe,
I've tried recently their 2nd wine: Clos St-Thomas Les Emirs 2005 (16.20$, SAQ) and found it also impressive for the price!! Nice bouquet, intense red fruit, hints of vanilla, with firm but approachable tannins. This an interesting blend of Cab Sauv, Syrah, and Grenache that was kept a while in oak barrels (rare at this price). It'd be interesting to sneak this bottle to some blind tasting of some more expensive wines. Decant. Happy holidays.
Thanks for the tip Fadi - I don't see it at my favourite downtown SAQs, so I may have to drive around and look for this. I will let you know if I find it, cheers! Happy Holidays to you as well.
Hi Joe. The SAQ selection at 440, boul. De Maisonneuve Ouest still has few left (Code SAQ : 00927822). While there check out also Ch. Kefraya vallee du Bekaa 2003 (Code SAQ : 00964536; 26$)..Very very interesting blend of five vines: Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Grenache. This is also their 2nd wine. You had previously reviewed their top one (Comte de M). Cheers
thanks Fadi, these tips are always appreciated!
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