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Ben Gunning

12 wines • 1 followers • 53 following

Château Belles-Graves

Lalande de Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

9.1

I haven’t had a nice Bordeaux in a while but i typically cruise the affordable side, hoping for gems. This was a pleasant surprise. Some wood and perfume on the nose. Dark fruit, I saw someone said cassis and I can go with that - full body but with some brightness and good structure. Noticeable but integrated tannins… I’m in a good state of mind and this is brining a swell of life appreciation - can’t prove that’s on account of this exact wine but that’s the black magic of it all, eh? — 3 years ago

Anthony liked this

Maison Roche de Bellene

Vieilles Vignes Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

8.5

Nose is pretty subtle but I get some vegetal notes I think. Not getting much fruit on nose or palate. Was off pinots for a while but thought it would be fun to reacquaint myself. Not picking up a ton to comment on at the moment but all good! — 4 years ago

Anthony and Ron liked this

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Le Volte Toscana Sangiovese Blend 2018

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

Medium ruby. Nice aromas of cherry, currant, tomato (or tomato stems maybe). Taste ripe fruit. Def a little rounder than I usually like but I don’t usually go supertuscan so I can’t recall a good reference... — 4 years ago

Cantina del Nebbiolo

Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2016

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

9.1

Nice light red colour as expected. As it opened, got some light floral stuff on the nose, also a bit of peach maybe? Hint of something deeper like liquorice too, I think. At 14.5, the alcohol is there but not in an unpleasant way. Taste is focused, getting raspberry.... tannins are pretty noticeable and pleasant, along with balanced acidity giving this a good backbone. Nice wine. — 4 years ago

LM, Anthony and 2 others liked this

Château Pierre de Montignac

Cru Bourgeois Médoc Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2015

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

9.0

Excellent wine especially for the price. Oak and jammy nose and a bit of a subdued spicy thing…. Body seems med-full - taste is juicy but with a bit of depth though not super complex - tannins in nice balance.. maybe it’s my mood but je dig. — 3 years ago

Anthony liked this

Azienda Agricola Roberto Voerzio

Disanfrancesco Langhe Nebbiolo 2018

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

9.1

Really liked this. Took a chance because the cost was right up there with the more affordable Barolos but thought that might have made it a good gamble. I’ve had a Barbera by Voerzio that I enjoyed. Classic beautiful Nebbiolo colour, most prominent on the nose for me was wood - cedar I’d say. Tasting strawberry - fruity for sure but with great structure to support it. Having said that, I didn’t find it to be overly aggressive on acid or tannins. I dig! — 4 years ago

Anthony, Tony and 1 other liked this

Domaine Gioulis

Sōfōs (ΣΟΦΟΣ) "The Wise One" Red Blend 2018

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

Medium ruby, red fruit on the nose but also a briny thing happening - something vegetal. Interesting. Medium bodied, tart fruit on the palate, feels like the acidity overly pokes out of the structure. Tannins are relatively pronounced. Mind you, I don’t know anything about what Agiorgitiko brings to the mix and what the mindset is for this style. — 4 years ago

Prinsi

Il Bosco Superiore Barbera d'Alba 2015

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

9.4

Pretty Nebbiolo colour of course - maybe a little darker than normal? Maybe the room is too dim! Lots going on for me on the nose. Floral, perfumy stuff, a bit of cedar, got orange peel for a sec but also softer stuff (is candle wax too creative?) I taste cherry and maybe almond liqueur…. Smooth finish with nice medium tannins - great structure. To me this is a complex and rewarding wine. — 4 years ago

Anthony, Allison and 1 other liked this

Rosewood Estates

Süssreserve Niagara Escarpment VQA Riesling 2018

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

8.9

Pale gold. Honey and rubber on the nose. Nice balance of sweetness and acidity. 🍏 Med body. Kind of a nubie with whites and realize that Rieslings tend to be rather aromatic anyway but lots going on here which is fun. — 4 years ago

Ron liked this

Cascina Chicco

Rocche di Castelletto Barolo Nebbiolo 2015

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Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

9.3

Beautiful Nebbiolo colour, obv. Floral, berry, and cedar on the nose. Nice structure, well balanced - fruit on the palate with some spice. Nice tannins. Alcohol is a bit prominent maybe? Elegant wine. Can’t buy Barolos all the time so not able to rate on a Barolo basis but I def like this wine. Lots going on. — 4 years ago

Anthony and Ron liked this
Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

@Ron R some of them - I go through phases and try to learn a bit about range within styles/varietals/regions - I find it difficult to pinpoint things without some focus… You mostly mess with the Californians? I’m in Toronto so we end up carrying a lot of the the really flabby pruny stuff here so i get scared off 😬
Ron R

Ron R Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Hi @Ben Gunning. Thanks for responding, Canuck 😃
50% of our cellar is French/Italy/Spain. But wifey is all about the Napa fruit-bomb, so she has taken me hostage. I’m often in Toronto, as I study at Rotman. And I understand the issue when trying to buy wine in Canada. Govt control sucks, eh?
Ben Gunning

Ben Gunning

@Ron R no sh!t! Small world. The gov controlled liquor board has its pros and cons…. There are a couple good locations. Also, interestingly, during covid they started permitting some restaurants and wine bars to operate as wine shops to survive so it has gotten better - lemme know next time you come up if you want some recommendations! If you can snag a bottle of Pearl Morissette, they are pretty special…