Last year winemaker/grower/owner Pat Del-Gatto of Bella Vigne in Prince Edward County made a lip-smackingly good Millot / Zweigelt blend. Not realizing how good it was going to be and frustration with his Zweigelt grapes, he ripped them out of his vineyard. Now. how do you follow up a wonderful tasty wine like that without the whole cast? Easy, take a page out of Hollywood’s book - bring back the star (Leon) and give him a different supporting cast (Foch) – they’ve been doing it on TV and in the movies for years. Now an 85/15 Leon / Foch blend you’ll find this wine has lots of earthy raspberry and strawberry notes with a touch of Fochness – but not enough to be off-putting. It’s smooth in the mouth and benefits from about half-an-hour in the fridge. What’s more 2 years in the cellar would benefit its smoothness factor. Enjoy now or lie down, it’s your choice … buy 2 and you can do both – and as the old knight said to Indiana Jones on his last crusade, “You have chosen wisely.”
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Vineland 2005 Elevation Cabernet-Merlot - $25.00
Vineland has finally plugged that hole they had between their $16 and $40 bottles of wine with their new Elevation series. Elevation is vineyard specific … and, as the name suggests, from elevated vineyards; it also showcases “terroir” (soil type) in each bottle. This Elevation is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, has lots of dark and red fruits on the nose making it a real pleasure to sink your nose into. In the mouth there’s more pleasure to come, with cherry, blackberry and a touch of dark chocolate. Good acidity and some pretty hefty tannins lead to a surprising yet excellent velvety soft finish … something I wouldn’t have expected with those weighty mid-palate tannins. If you like to lie your wine down there’s an ageing potential of 7 to 8 years, according to the winemaker Brian Schmidt, but I think you could safely round that up to 10 without a problem. Kudos to Vineland for not just filling a price gap with any old wine, but doing it with something worthy of the price tag. Look for more wines in the Elevation line coming soon.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Thirty Bench Winemakers 2005 Small Lot Chardonnay - $30.00
Oh Thirty Bench, what a difference ownership makes – I know I keep saying it but it’s true; from a winery I barely even walked into, to a winery making some really interesting and unique wines, not that Chardonnay is particularly unique, but still… Speaking as a Chardonnay-aphobe, I would have to say opening this bottle filled me with questions I dread the answers to: would it be too oaky? Too buttery? Too something? As many Chardonnays have become. My fears were for not because this 14 month French oaked Chard is terrific; the oaking is done lightly with a deft touch. The nose has a hint of butteryness but mostly its apples, pears and some delicate melon aromas. The palate shows the same kind of finesse with tropical fruits such as papaya and pineapple core, cantaloup also shows up and a tasty vanilla finish lingers pleasantly in the mouth. There’s some good acidity in here that makes for a crisp, zingy and lip-smackingly good finish.
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Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Tawse 2006 Echos Bistro White - $22.00
The Cabernet Franc Challenge is over, but the memories and tastes still linger. At the start of each night I poured a white wine from a non-participating winery; a kind of “rinse-bouche” if you will. On the night of December 11th I pulled the cork on a very special treat from Tawse, their 2006 Echos White … This wine runs along the same path as their Echos Red (read reviews 2005 and 2006), so named because the wines echo the making of their premium wines but somewhere along the way they get de-classified or down-graded; me, I’ll take these remnants any day. This wine’s nose is what first reels you in - it has a kind of sniff-all-dayedness to it … lots of vanilla, caramel and butterscotch. On the palate the vanilla continues, but the best part is yet to come. The vanilla is replaced mid-palate by caramel covered green apple and carries right through to the end … smooth and creamy with enough balancing acidity and touch of tartness – and then there’s that extremely long finish – this is a beauty for sure. I may not be a fan of their pricing structure, but this one’s good value at $22.00, it’s memorable, and that’s what good wine should be.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Stratus 2006 Red Icewine - $39.00
Whoa Nelly … here’s a real sweetie that’s just to-die-for, as long as you like your fruits red and sweet. This stunning version of red icewine blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah together and keeps your palate on its proverbial toes; there are plenty of surprises on this path to icewine Nirvana; and here’s why: The nose is very simple, honeyed-strawberries with a hint of apricot, but then you get it into your mouth and there’s an absolute explosion of flavours. Initially, you’ll get candy, in the form of a cherry drop, then raspberry and strawberry show up. You’ll assume that’s it, then you’ll take another sip. The flavours ramp-up to another level as candy apple races through the mouth and you smack your lips, delicious. Now that your mouth is coated with this lavish nectar, another sip kicks it up another notch delivering cinnamon-caramel-apple with a touch of something spicy. Finally, you’re nearing the end of your small glassful and you think, there’s nothing left to get out of this wine right? Wrong. The wine unleashes a red plum/cranberry-like tartness felt mainly in the roof of the mouth. Wow … there’s just so much going on here. Best of all, this sweetie foregoes the usual thick and syrupy; instead imagine smooth sweet red candied enjoyment, plus a whole lot more. What are you waiting for … stop reading … go get some.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Peller Estates Winery 2006 Private Reserve Sauvignon Blanc … $18.95
Sauvignon Blancs has been totally taken over by New Zealand, to such an extent that when you mention Sauvignon Blanc the first thing that they think about is New Zealand. Winemakers are aware of this fact and that’s why they are now trying to copy the Kiwis in style. I was poured this one at the Peller tasting bar and was told quite plainly by the staff member, “just like in New Zealand we held back 5% of the wine to age in barrel.” This wine had the racy citrus tones to it, lots of grapefruit and gooseberry, a little hay and some melon to tickle the nose. In the mouth, its dry with the grapefruit popping out all over the palate and leaving a lengthy finish behind, very refreshing, quite bracing, so very New Zealand – and right here in Ontario.
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