Sarah scored this wine: 91/100

As my Southern affair continues, this Syrah dominated bottle shows expressions of schist like minerals and subtle hints of soft oak and ripe Okanagan black cherries. A glass of the H&B St. Chinian delivers a pleasingly rugged and earthy finish. Yum! Hecht & Bannier is a Negociant who specialize in red wine from the South of France. Two pretty interesting guys, their passion for the region really shines through in their choice of vineyards. Check out their website: http://hechtbannier.com/

Sarah scored this wine: 90/100

I need to preface this review by saying that I do not drink Californian wines, not because I think they are less quality at all but rather because here in Nova Scotia you will pay an arm and a leg for a decent Cali wine. That said, in this lovely Maritime province of ours you can expect to see this bottle sitting around $20 - $25 (Premier Wines & Spirits) which doesn’t break the bank and makes for a great gifting/ Friday night bottle. Now on to the good stuff, what does it taste like? Well it is like someone punched you in the mouth with a plum and a fist full of peppercorns. In other words, it’s juicy and vivacious with a medium body. Enough soft tannin to give the bottle structure balanced by enough sweetness that this would pair well with the most charbroiled of steaks. I would have to call this a crowd pleaser and you should keep it in mind next time you’re invited to the mother in-laws’ for dinner. Score: 90 Please check out Bogle Vineyard’s website for their portfolio. There is some delicious stuff coming out from that family. http://www.boglewinery.com/home.php

Sarah scored this wine: 90/100

I had just started at Premier Wine & Spirits in Halifax and had very little experience with wine outside of the fact that I knew I liked it and I knew I wanted to know more about it! This bottle in particular used to jump out at me as I dusted through the French wines. The red bolded cross and creamy textured labels looked as if they had been placed there by 14th century monks. Well, after having looked at this bottle for about a month it was time to give it a go. Minervois, France… I used to try to practice my accents when saying the regions. It was tart but had a juicy black cherry undertone with playful flicks of cinnamon and cloves. I enjoyed this slightly rustic old world bottle. It made me feel like I had been sitting between old church ruins on the French country side, almost a little dusty. I have to say this is the bottle that made me fall in love with wines from the South of France and their simplicities. A beautiful wine, it would make for a wonderful accompaniment to roast duck or lamb and rosemary. Yum! Please learn more about the wine maker, Gerard Bertrand and his work here: http://www.gerardbertrandwines.com/index.php?page=315 "L'Art de Vivre!"