Artist Wines No. 20

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

Château de Gourgazaud, Syrah /Mourvèdre/Carignan, France 2014

Price: $13.99  SBH Rating:  🎶  🎶🎵 🐎 🌄 🍷🍷

Softly sweet at the nose, the Château de Gourgazaud 2014 sports a very stylish combination of licorice, cassis, and unripened blackberries.  Slightly peppery overtones balance with the delicacy of vanilla to complete the ensemble. Drink this wine while sitting on a bale of hay looking out at the sunset and all of your dreams will come true. Except for the one about You-Know-Who. (This wine isn't THAT good.)

♫ Drink with: Dolly Parton & Kris Kristofferson singing "Ping Pong"

Artist Wines No. 19

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

Bleasdale Mulberry Tree, Cabernet Sauvignon, Langhorne Creek, South Australia 2013

Price: $14.99  SBH Rating: 💐 💜 🎶 🍷🍷 🎵 🕺🏻

There is enough mint and violet in this wine that you could tie it up with a bow and offer it as a lovely bouquet to your favourite friend. Attach a few lamp chops to it, put on some Schubert and you'll have a real party on your hands! This is quite the find for Artist Wines. An expressive little beast packing a plummy punch.

♫ Drink with: Brendel playing Schubert's Moments Musicaux No. 4

Artist Wines No. 18

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

Cono Sur, Reserva Especial Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle del Maipo 2013

Price: $14.99 or less  (It was a gift, but I was told it fit Artist Wines criteria) SBH Rating:  🎶  🍒  🎼 🌧 ♫ 💪🏻

A lovely string player from the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra gave me this to review and I was thrilled to do so. Now if only I knew where to buy it! This is a broad-shouldered wine, with strong wallops of raspberries, black cherries and tobacco. The best part was the distinct flavour of petrichor. So much romantic character! This wine insists on company, and by company I mean meat and cheese. Savour this the way Caruso savours his high notes.  

♫ Drink with: Enrico Caruso singing Una Furtiva Lagrima

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Artist Wines No. 17

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

Red Guitar, Old Vine Tempranillo Garnacha, Navarra, Spain 2010

Price: $12.29 SBH Rating:  🎶📖💌♫🔍

Subtle flavours of olive oil and spices lead to reflection with this smooth and somewhat pruney vintage. There is a charming hint of tobacco leaves at the nose, with an unfortunately semi-obnoxious cherry overtone. Oh well! Overall, this wine delivers more than its value and will surely satisfy poets and ponderers.

♫ Drink with: Blossom Dearie singing Now at Last

Artist Wines No. 16

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

Casa Miriam, Unoaked Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2014

Price: $14.99 SBH Rating:  💃♬🎈🐴 ♪🌳🎶🍒

Miriam Malbec makes me mirthful! And frankly a bit mischievous.... After a day surrounded by cowboys (don't ask) I was thrilled to envelop myself in this velvety number. Who is this Miriam and how does she know how to wrangle a wine so well? Delicate and spring-like on the nose with a youthful taste of ripe plums and milk chocolate. She's a smooth one! And impatient. (Drink now.)

♫ Drink with: Cafe 1930 by Astor Piazzollaperformed by Laura Karney and Jacob Cordover on their CD Historias

Artist Wines No. 15

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

Sinfonia, Monastrell Cabernet Sauvignon, Jumilla, Spain 2013

Price: $11.99 (on sale!) SBH Rating: ♪🏡🌳🍓🍒♫🎶

One day a Cab Sav and a Mourvèdre met in the fields of Murcia and fell in love. They built a house out of oak, surrounded it with juicy berry bushes, sprinkled it with black pepper, lit a fire, brewed some licorice tea, and called it Sinfonia. They were very happy there, but everyone around was bemused by the low property values.  How can something this good be bought for a song? Try this with a delicious Spanish Sarabande and a spicy chorizo.

♫ Drink with: J.S. Bach: Suite for Solo Cello no. 2 in D minor Sarabande performed by Ariel Barnes

Artist Wines No. 14

ARTIST WINES! - Uncorking musician-priced cellar secrets

BBQ, Barbera, Piemonte Italy 2013

Price: $14.75 SBH Rating: ♯🍒🍓♬🐝🌅

There's not a lot of mystery as to where this wine wants to be taken. Yes, bring a bottle of this to your late summer cook-outs, but I warn you: neglect to decant this and you'll have a real whine on your hands. I'm serious. Fresh in the glass this is a cranky, miserable number. Toss it around a bit and after a breath or two of fresh air you'll find yourself with a much more neighbourly pour. Tastes of ripe and satisfyingly tart berries with a hint of campfire smoke.

♫ Drink with: Danny's Song sung by either Kenny Loggins or Anne Murray.