Canadian Wino(s)

Having recently attended the Ontario Wine Awards tasting at the Distillery, I had to think about devoting the time to attend another Ontario Tasting.  This one was hosted by Vintages and was at the AGO.  After only a few minutes I was glad that I attended.  The AGO is not the best venue that Vintages uses, in my view:  no coat check, lighting was inadequate for judging the colour of wines easily.  This is a contrast to the near ideal setting at venues frequented by Vintages tastings such as the Arcadia Room, the King Eddie, and Carlu.

What Vintages seems to always do well at is putting a good tasting book together, grouping of wineries, and food.  All were a step up from the Distillery experience.  Wineries were grouped according to region: Niagara Escarpment, Niagara on the Lake, Prince Edward County, and Lake Erie North Shore.  The tasting book gave some good background (including maps) on the various regions and their distinct qualities, and as usually allowed plenty of room to make notes.  Touring the room in sequence gave an opportunity for people to taste wines by region and find out for themselves what differences there may be in the wines.  Unfortunately I was held up and arrived late.  This meant picking only a few wineries to taste, and missing the opportunity to explore regional differences.

Overall, I continue to be impressed with what is going on here in Ontario.  This tasting showcased wines that were in the $18 – $45 range for the most part, with a couple exceeding that price range.

Trends:

2007 was the most prominent vintage and clearly is a winner.  Hot and dry conditions made the grapes work to grow, leading to some nice concentration and structure.  Do not hesitate to try anything – red or white from 2007.

Cab Franc Blends:    Red blends with Cab Franc, either as the dominant or as a secondary variety, are good.  Some are reminiscent of wines of some of Bordeaux’s Right Bank satellite appellations such as Lalande de Pomerol, Canon Fronsac, Fronsac, etc.  The Cab Franc seems to bring good dark fruit notes and complexity to blends with the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  This contrasts the experience with many single varietal Cab Francs which often seem to have something missing (Cab Sauv/Merlot component).

Pinot Noir continues rise in quality – but check the price point:    Normally I expect to find some good Bordeaux styled blends, some good whites, and some interesting single varietals (Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, etc.) at an Ontario tasting.  Pinot Noir stood out as a variety that more people are doing well.  Many showed good varietal character: smooth medium bodied with cherry fruit and earthy tones.  Some though seem to have priced themselves a bit high.  Still there were some good values to be had.  This price/value theme played out with other varieties as well.  Many of the higher priced wines were from vines that are 6-8 years old – very young.  They show the potential of things to come but I have trouble justifying the current high price on many.  If you like very light Pinot, then you may love some of these.  For me, there was just not enough going on in these wines to justify the prices – but then some of my favorite wines are good Burgundies, a hard act to compete with

Many of the wines were offered as event exclusives.  Some will be released in the coming months, and a few are in stores.  If there are some you would like, they are often available direct from the vineyard.  Call or email the vineyard to find out the arrangements.  Many will deliver (with a minimum number of bottles).

Scoring Wines at a tasting: A good friend developed a scale to account for value as well as taste.  I have found it very helpful at tastings, especially when deciding which wines to buy at the end of the tasting event:

1.0    ‘Can’t drink it’
2.0    ‘Can drink it but wouldn’t buy it’ (or ‘one glass is enough’)
3.0    ‘Good, but not at that price’
3.5    ‘Good value’ Starting point for buying if no 4.0s or 5.0s are available
4.0    ‘Very good value at the price’
5.0    ‘This is so good I’d buy it regardless of the price’

3.0’s from tonight:

2007 Tawse Winery 17th Street Pinot Noir $58.20:  Good but not that good.  Nice complexity but very light.  3.0

2006 Stratus Petit Verdot $42.20: Deep garnet colour, big soft fruit and soft tannins (but a bit hollow on mid palate and not much finish).  Petit Verdot is difficult to do on its own.  It shows up traditionally in small amounts in some Bordeaux wines (adds fruit and colour).  Pirramimma (Australia) does a nice one for under $30.

2006 Stratus Red $44.00: Good but not at that price says it for me.

2007 Closson Chase Vineyards Pinot Noir (Prince Edward County); $39.95:  Prince Edward County seems to be an up and coming region for Pinot Noir.  This one had deep colour, nice extraction, but was a bit light on the palate, but the vines are only 6 years old.  This is a case of good things to come in the future but I don’t see $40 of value now.

At the Burgundy tasting earlier this year at the King Eddie there was a 2006 Fixin (Burgundy) from the at $35 a bottle that seems like a better value to me and a 2006 Fleurie (Beaujolais) for $22 that both seemed like better value for the dollar than some of the higher priced Ontario Pinots offered at the AGO.

4.0’s from tonight

2007 Thirty Bench Red $24.20:  55% Cab Franc, 40% Cab Sauvignon, 5% Merlot  Bright colour, nice dark fruit flavours from the Cab Franc.  The Cabernet Sauvignon and splash of Merlot round the Cab Franc out nicely.  This is a creative blend and very good value.  Drink now- 2012.  This is available in Vintages now. 4.0

2007 Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Cabernet/Merlot $18.95:  Bright colour with good fruit, soft tannins on finish.  Excellent value at the price point.  Winemaker Craig MacDonald is one of the innovative winemakers shaping Niagara, a region that is still discovering what works.  Craig also makes the wines of Creekside and does some very good whites.  Drink now – 2011.  This is available in Vintages now 4.0

2007 Coyote’s Run Estate Winery Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir $24.95: Very good – medium-light ruby colour, great varietal character, cherry, earthy, medium bodied and smooth.  This was a definite hit with people placing orders for this one.  Coyote’s Run also has Black Paw Pinot from another vineyard.  The names come from the colour of the clay.  It is good to see winemakers making Pinot Noir with expression of distinct Terroir (a hallmark of Burgundy).

2007 Peninsula Ridge Meritage $22.95: Equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc and Merlot.  Deep garnet colour, good fruit on palate and chewy tannins on the finish.  Drink now -2013

3.5 ? Worth considering

3.5 can be a tough call.  It really wants to be a 4.0 but you’re not quite sure.  Maybe another taste would decide, or if you could taste it beside another wine you like at the price.  Some 3.5’s can turn out to be great later when opening.

2007 Coyote’s Run Black Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir $49.95: If any Pinot was going to get the nod at this price level it was this one.  The colour was deep ruby garnet indicating a bigger wine than the lighter fare I was becoming accustomed to.  Earthy cherry and even smoke on the nose.  This wine had good depth that carried through to a good finish.  It was reminiscent of a higher quality Bourgogne.  I would need to try it beside some of the very good Burgundies I have sampled in the last while in the $35 – $50 range.  At $35 or $40 this would be a 4.0.  At $50, might have to try a bottle to see.  On taste alone – Best Pinot of the evening.

2005 Colio Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve, Lake Erie North Shore $20.95:  This could be a 3.5 or 4.0.  While Cab Franc is hard to do well on its own, this one does it.  Garnet colour with soft chewy tannins, starts soft, then dark fruit on the palate, and finishes with nice length.  Ok, 4.0 at $21.

Conclusion:

I hope Vintages hosts this tasting again, but at one of their better venues.

The 2007 Ontario Vintage does seem worth trying.  Some seem over priced compared to what is routinely available from other parts of the world BUT there are lots that are great values in the $18 – $25 range, and a few that warrant higher prices (e.g. Ch. Des Charmes Equuleus, Coyote’s Run Black Paw).  Look for Ontario, VQA, and 2007 and give your favorite style/variety a try.

Cheers,   Ross