Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Calamus Estate Winery 2006 Sagitta (Gewurztraminer) - $13

I am of two minds about this wine, don’t get me wrong I think it’s lovely, drinkable, pleasant, but what’s with the name. Let’s start with what’s in the bottle. Gewurztraminer is a great aromatic white and the team at Calamus has captured the best parts of it. Floral notes, orange peel, mango and lychee … the palate has a touch of sweetness along with typical spicy Gewurzt characteristics, also there’s some pineapple, mango, white peach softness along with some citrus tang … good fruitiness all the way through. This is another winner for Calamus, they’re starting to hit their stride and find their wine-legs, so to speak, in just their second vintage. As for what’s on the bottle, I understand Sagitta to be a constellation shaped like an arrowhead, very fitting with the winery’s image, but why on a bottle of Gewurztraminer. Sure it’s a tough name to pronounce, but when you have a tasty wine like this, that’ll help put Gewurztraminer on the map in Ontario, why screw with the name? It’ll just confuses people more – now you’ll have to explain both names … I think Gewurztraminer would’ve worked just fine on it’s own. Great wine … lousy name.

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