Tag Archives: Fielding Estate

The best wines at Taste Ontario 2012

Photograph Courtesy of the Wine Council Of Ontario

as seen on canada.com

On Friday, September 28th 46 Ontario wineries poured more than 100 wines at the Ritz Carlton Hotel Toronto to showcase Ontario’s singular and diverse terroir. Producers from Niagara, Prince Edward County and Lake Erie North Shore shared the spotlight with a Burning Kiln from Turkey Point and a Frisky Beaver from Port Dover. “I can’t deny” there was even some Bad Company.

Character and quality has never been better. Riesling continues to impress and let us not ignore the high level of ever-evolving Chardonnay vines. Reds have made great strides, especially Pinot Noir, Gamay and Cabernet Franc.

The best premium wines (over $30) present were Bachelder Saunders Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 ($44.95, 90), Charles Baker Riesling Picone Vineyard 2009 ($35, 92), Closson Chase South Clos Chardonnay 2010 ($39.75, 91), Rosehall Run JCR Rosehall Vineyard 2010 ($38.80, 90) and Norman Hardie Pinot Noir Unfiltered 2010 ($39, 91).

The future looks very bright for Ontario. A special shout out goes to Magdalena Kaiser-Smit from the Wine Council of Ontario for a flawless execution. Here are my top picks under $30 from Taste Ontario (Toronto) 2012.

The grape: Riesling

The history: Paul Bosc of Chateau Des Charmes is the Ontario Riesling pioneer and along with the St. Urban Vineyard of Vineland Estates, they set the stage for its ascendance to signature grape status

The lowdown: Clearly entrenched as the most important Ontario white varietal, this is winemaker Kevin Panagapka’s value entry into LCBO channels

The food match: Tofu and Bassa Fish Hot Pot with Sichuan spices

2027 Cellars Fall’s Vineyard Riesling 2011 (294041, $18.95) is consistent with my earlier note. Saleratus, flint and tropical scents with a kiss of racy, citrus acidity and goes to great length on the palate. There were only 200 cases of this screaming value. “There ain’t a reason on earth to waste it,” so I feel compelled to lick it up.  89

The grape: Sémillon

The history: Partner to Sauvignon Blanc in dry white Bordeaux and single varietal star in the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac

The lowdown: Not planted on a wide global scale. Has found great success in Australia’s Hunter Valley and to a degree in South Africa. Niagara Escarpment should be next

The food match: Autumn Squash, Sweet Potato and Candy Beet Ratatouille

Rosewood Estates Winery Sémillon 2010 ($18 at the winery) shows little procrastination with a superfluity of lemon, lime and paraffin but like all great Sémillon, the wine needs time. A block of wax keeps the honey down but look for a mellifluous ooze three years on. Glittering sheen, diamond-like focus and crusted by an accent of lemon zest. Krystina Roman will lead this grape to stardom. “Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!” Top white. Shine on you crazy Sémillon.  90

The grape: Chardonnay

The history: Growing on the “hillside” section of Ravine’s farm on the warm St. David’s Bench

The lowdown: Few Ontario winemakers achieve a Burgundian mythic. Here the soil is thin, sparse and heavy in minerals. Not quite Burgundy, but the comparison is worth the discourse

Ravine Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 (173377, $24.00) of partisan, buttered toast may lean more Kistler than Jadot but she’s still wearing blue jeans. Blessed with a St. David’s mineral smile and a Scotch barrel smell, like a long knife with a blade double-edged at the point. Hued golden and tan, “she got a camouflaged face.” Thrifty Chardonnay, worth every penny.  89

The grape: Gamay

The history: Best known for its work in Beaujolais and has shed its “Nouveau” moniker

The lowdown: Others have surely helped but Malivoire has championed and transformed the varietal’s status to prince among kings and queens

The food match: Thanksgiving Turkey!!

Malivoire Wine Company M2 Small Lot Gamy 2011 ($19.95) made use of a slumber for six months in French and American oak barrels to raise the purple bar. This is Francofied Gamay, as much Tours as Morgon. Peppered with smatterings of tar, smoke and caper. A note of Bouille, braising meat is noted. Complex for the grape and versatile.  88

The grape: Cabernet Franc

The history: The Loire comes to the Niagara Escarpment

The lowdown: Winemaker Richie Roberts has this grape in his hip pocket. He can see the future and he knows when it comes to reds, cool-climate varietals are key

The food match: Boneless Beef Rib-Eye Steak Sandwich, crispy onions, horseradish mayo

Fielding Estates Cabernet Franc 2010 (36194, $21.95) is deeply cast, loaded with raspberry and pepper aromas, both white and red. A whiff of beet garish smoke and savoury herbs adds sinuosity.  89

Good to go!

The 2012 harvest and six current Ontario releases

Backyard Tomato, Basil and Nasturtium

as seen on canada.com

Ontario wine lives well, but the playing field is rapidly changing. Greatness, albeit in fits and spurts, can comfortably be adduced from vineyards going back to at least 1998. I’ve no intention of raining on recent parades but 2012 is shaping up to be something extraordinary. A collective level of confidence and consciousness, meted by a hot, dry summer will surely translate to a banner year for Ontario wines. Niagara’s Man Friday suggests we’re  “heading for a concentrated and ripe (but small) grape Harvest for 2012.” That said, if the tweets and comments coming from the winemakers out of Niagara and Prince Edward County are any indication, some “best ever” bottlings are on the horizon…

Some “best ever” bottlings are on the horizon:

Dan Sullivan, Rosehall Run:

“Fast, furious and fantastic- if the weather holds a little longer this year’s harvest will be a grand-slam in quality!”

Paul Pender, Tawse:

“Harvest has begun in earnest. 16 tonne of premium organic Chardonnay picked and processed.”

Richie Roberts, Fielding Estate:

“Picking Beamsville bench old vine Sauv Blanc today. Coming off with beautiful acid and flavour. Giddy up.”

Brian Schmidt, Vineland Estates:

“We have had an incredibly HOT and dry year.. Weights are quite low but quality is very high.”

Marlize Beyers, Hidden Bench:

“Sparking cuvée pick done and pressed, looking good by the numbers but tasting even better.”

Kevin Panagapka, 2027:

“Crazy early year.. Sparkling in the bag, Pinot next on the radar.”

In the meantime…

While we wait patiently for 21st-century master strokes of vinous genius, here are six current releases to fill your stems.

2027 Falls Vineyard Riesling 2011 (294041, $18.95) from the racy Vinemount Ridge finds Mr. Panagapka in Single-Vineyard heaven. May not be a Genesis ode to a Pat & Lyle ambient masterpiece but the VINTAGES release happens to be on the 32nd anniversary of  Bill Evans’ passing. Flint, lemon yellow sintered micro crystal, bone-dry, brisk acidity. One for the vine. I thought I recognized the 2027 “by the way he fell, and by the way he stood up, and vanished into air.”  89

Lailey Vineyard Chardonnay 2010 (193482, $19.95) looks buttercup yellow and casts a pungent spice note, a trompe d’ail. Resolves quickly into ubiquitous balance and elegance, subtle beauty, body then melting to a creamy, slightly bitter finish. Almost great and one of the best to date.  88

Vineland Estates Elevation Riesling 2011 (38117, $19.95) reserves the right to live off the land with local knowledge and extreme confidence. Riesling made in the vineyard like no other. Off-dry, lingering lemon/lime and utopian acidity. Who knows what minerality lurks in the vineyard of St. Urban? The Escarpment knows.  88

Featherstone Cabernet Franc 2010 (64618, $16.95) of rooted mahogany and well-deep, depth of fruit is solid as a rock. Lends credence to naming 2010 as Ontario’s best Cab Franc vintage ever, as previously noted. Excellent value here.  88

Henry of Pelham Reserve Pinot Noir 2007 (268391, $24.95) is the bomb. Effectively Cali-candified, it floats in the rarefied air of upper echelon Canadian Pinot. All is resolved at this juncture; fruit, acidity, tannins. A note of rare, roasted game bird keeps it real. Impressive.  89

Norm Hardie County Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2010 (125310, $35.00) may just be the most beautiful purple meets ruby-red Canadian Pinot I have ever laid my eyes on. Vibrant red berries, wildflower blooms and scraped vanilla beans. Warm cereal cooking on a campfire. Then the fruit is turned upside down by carbonate limestone. Wait five years for the mineral to meld into magic.  91

Good to go!

20 August, four plates, seven wines

Wine and food are always on the brain. Twenty-four seven. Produce picked from an Ontario backyard will seek out, then effortlessly accrete with Niagara and Prince Edward County grapes. Meats off the barbecue or out of the smoker are rapt to deeply cut, sub-tropical reds, voices possessive of a pantheistic tenor. Here are seven wines and four food ideas to wend pleasure your way for the last two weeks of summer.

Related – Going Rhône for the dog days of August

The grape: Pinot Gris

The history: Fielding Estate’s top tier, Rock Pile Pinot Gris is a benchmark for Ontario

The lowdown: Winemaker Richie Roberts’ second vintage for his estate bottling of the varietal. Seems to be his Alsatian baby

The food match: Butter Greens, homegrown tomatoes, edible flowers and mustard vinaigrette

Fielding Pinot Gris 2011 (251108, $21.95) casts a copper penny penumbra where sweet lime and simple, prickly pear syrup buffets shake and bake. The catalyst tang of pit fruit would see this developing to honey, spice and Madeira, not unlike last night’s Trimbach 2008. My preference is for fresh PG so drink up, with eggs and sausage. Time waits for no one. “Drink in your summer, gather your corn.”  88

The grape: Chardonnay

The history: First planted vineyard in the Edna Valley of California’s Central Coast

The lowdown: A host of under $20 quality Chablis on the market is proof that unoaked Chardonnay is not only viable, but sustainable. California needs to follow suit

The food match: Pan-Roasted Herb, Lemon and Garlic Marinated Chicken, green beans, piri-piri sauce

Chamisal Unoaked Stainless Chardonnay 2011 (289223, $25.95) is an affidavit of California’s agrestal fruit quality and complexity so why more vineyards can’t lay off the manipulations and bottle this style is beyond me. Animated green apple, lime and orange zest are the spark for clean, resolute Chardonnay. Yum.  90

The grape: Riesling

The history: From Germany’s venerable Mosel Saar Ruwer region

The lowdown: Designated Prädikatswein, the highest level of German quality category

The food match: Blue Plate Special: Veal, pork and beef meatloaf with spicy bbq glaze

Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling Kabinett 2011 (160846, $19.95) noses sweet, red apple, wet granite and Dr. My Eyes see a blue hue, like the shadowy, filtered light on mid-winter ice and snow. Meritorious fruit grown out of Devonian seabeds saturates juice before using. Tight grip of acidity and WASP terroir shows there is nothing loose about the good doctor’s Riesling.  89

The grape: Pinot Noir

The history: Dorothée, we’re not in Burgundy anymore

The lowdown: Calera has been lauded for some serious, single-vineyard Pinots. This one is sourced  from seven vineyards in San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Santa Clara and Monterey counties

The food match: Grilled Wild B.C. Salmon

Calera Pinot Noir 2009 (933044, $31.95) of wet Pacific clay colour is light and retains a wisp of Central Coast smoke and tar in its profile. No candy factory here, which is a good thing. I’m hopeful the restrained style will help to usher is a new Cal-era for Pinot. Earth shattering bottle? No. Greatest Pinot value? Not so much. Good juice? Absolutely.  89

The grape: Montepulciano

The history: From the Abruzzo region of east-central Italy, not to be confused with the southern Tuscany village of  Montepulciano

The lowdown: Two years ago these wines were not even on the radar. Now some of the best <$15> values on the planet

The food match: Barque’s Smoked Beef Brisket

Caldora Colle Dei Venti Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2009 (289629, $15.95) does not hide the rendering new oak influence to resemble an extra-large cup of Starbucks bold. MD’A of a dichotomous nature, Dominican and birch elegant, arboreal, fruity. Very vanilla.  88

The grape: Aglianico

The history: At its best in Campania but also flourishing in Basilicata and here, in Molise

The lowdown: Arguably the best producer in the newest region in Italy, located on the big toe of Italy’s foot

The food match: Grilled Flank Steak with warm tomato jam

Di Majo Norante Contado Riserva Aglianico Del Molise 2009 (967208, $15.95) is stark, raving modern. A wash of Rothko Black on Maroon colour of “oppressive, almost frightening, grandeur.” Heavily pedimented Aglianico, tasting of black licorice in fiery, Sambuca form.  88

The splurge

The grape: Sangiovese Grosso

The history: Sangiovese of irreverent ilk, from Montalcino in southern Tuscany

The lowdown: Not a sneeze of a price but still of the mortal world. An example for near-immediate enjoyment

The food match: Grilled Lamb Kebabs

Verbena Brunello Di Montalcino 2007 (165126, $37.95) seems at first bewitched by iron and animale but magically gives way to a twinkling, lulu Tabitha nose. A fleeting spell is cast to induce an impulse buy. If you want to experience Brunello, start here, find reverence for its narcissistic beauty and watch it be “turned to a flower.” Supper’s ready and waiting for the Verbena .  90

Good to go!

Trending Ontario and B.C wines for Canada Day

Here is a simple proposition. Choose Canadian when wine shopping or cellar digging for this, our 145th Birthday weekend. With no disrespect intended to the developing and burgeoning wine community of Nova Scotia and the most excellent Cideries of Quebec, today and over the following three days is the time to think Ontario and British Columbia.

http://o.canada.com/tag/june-23-2012-release/

What’s in a name? So many expressions define our national day of unity. Today we simply say Canada Day but let us not forget Le jour de la confédération, Dominion Day and La fête du Canada.  The country united may see its wine regions separated by thousands of Kilometres but thanks to Bill C-311, they are now inching closer than ever. Let’s see wines from both provinces sharing the same table this weekend. “A bottle of red, a bottle of white, ” perhaps a bottle of rosé for Canada Day.

The grape: Pinot Gris

The history: Originally from Burgundy, a mutation of Pinot Noir, most at home in France and as Pinot Grigio in Italy

The lowdown: Winemaker Dan Sullivan is hitting it out of the park with all things Pinot in Prince Edward County

The food match: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with pickled ginger, pear and cilantro mayo

Rosehall Run Pinot Gris Cuvée County 2010 ($22) is off the off-dry chart where gun-metal pear and pomello peel away layers of mineral velocity. Sanctified, paint stripping stuff, rated PG. On my card at Barque. 89

The grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

The history: Bordeaux superstar

The lowdown: You’d be surprised how it can work for dessert wine and for blush rosé

The food match: Burgers with bacon, cheddar and aioli

Peninsula Ridge Beal Vineyards Cabernet Rosé 2011 (177840, $11.95) reeks of an underrated animal manure yet its savoury, red pepper jelly and wild leek pickle express its baa-benefits. The backbone is good, the cheese of a craftsman’s coagulation. Nice IVR*.  87

The grape: Gamay

The history: Hails from Beaujolais

The lowdown: Not just for Nouveau anymore. Serious renditions come from Morgon, Côte Du Puy and now Niagara

The food match: Beef Ribs and BBQ Sauce

Fielding Estate Gamay 2011 ($18.15) comes from concentrate and yet avoids Niagara iodine-ness.  Impossibly see through Ori-Gamay, leaden but not weighty. Plum, cherry, spiceless and subtle regatta. Malleable and walking on the moon. “I may as well play. Keep it up.”  A Barque Red.  87

Ontario

Angel’s Gate Pinot Gris 2010 (285783, $18.95) is perfectly typical of Beamsville Bench PG, if just shy of wielding Fielding Estate’s prowess. A mulch and multitude of pear and spice reports end of term good marks with room for improvement. Certainly a student of the niche.  86

Featherstone Gewürztraminer 2011 (64592, $19.95) from up on the Twenty Mile Bench exhibits positive Escarpment energy and vibration. Not quite the Iration of winemaker David Johnson’s Rieslings but the white rose, lychee and longan scents are intoxicants in their own right. A lack of back limits one visit per.  87

Flat Rock Unplugged Chardonnay 2011 (68015, $16.95) mocks me for imagining an apple orchard of acoustic salinity and neo-nutrient nirvana. Smells like Twenty Bench spirit. “And I forget just why I taste. oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile.”  88

Southbrook Triomphe Chardonnay 2010 (117572, $21.95) is Niagara-on-the-Lake organic and biodynamic issue. Wow. Blanched, voluminous and deliberate. Big smoke filbert in a Muscatel or white raisin, resinous Port bowl.  86

Ravine Vineyard Meritage 2010 (285627, $24.95) on the St. David’s Bench shows impressive concentration for the locale. The colour of a face gone savagely red. A near-volatile Niagara acidity blows up on the long bench then rides the wind through the creeks and out along the river. Big oak treatment in balance with the cherries, gravel and further stone fruit in crenellated cohorts on the valley floor.  Look for 2010 reds, again and again.  88

Wildass Red 2008 (86363, $19.95) intimates that Stratus struggles in the marketing department but notch one more for the red guys in Ontario, “in a functional way.” Trouble come running with meaty, cured artisan charcuterie. Well done. Could eat it with a spoon.  87

British Columbia

Quail’s Gate Rosé 2011 (275842, $17.95) may be an Okanagan Texas-Leaguer but it’s just a routine pop fly IMHO. Yes Tony, the rhubarb note is prominent but there’s no complimentary strawberry. Elk droppings maybe. Blooper, bleeder, dying quail.  84

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay (V) 2010 (545004, $19.95) the Essential rises to the plateau of bigger, bulkier Okanagan whites. Hasidic diamond merchant of Jake and Elwood acidity. Good overall impression, if the style confronts you.  88

Mission Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (V) 2009 (553321, $22.95) combines citrus and cassis bore of an Okanagan Red Ash.  Aussie Coonawarra mint and eucalyptus subdue some overoaking but the structure is solid and the crowd-pleasing quotient high.  87

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR** – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

Good to go!

April Wine: Top VINTAGES Values to Buy Right Now

April 12, 2012

How many times have you found yourself standing in the LCBO dumbfounded and lost in ambient wine distraction? Do you feel knocked upside the Medulla Oblongata by a monopoly’s shelves bedecked by every race, creed and colour of wine known to Ontario kind? Don’t get caught on The Bad Side of The Moon. Have no fear. Head straight to the VINTAGES section and choose one of these great IVR* and CVR** top picks.

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/12/april-wine-top-vintages-values-to-buy-right-now/

 
REDS
 
Current In VINTAGES Stores
Pietro Marini Malbec 2008 (268045, $13.95) Argentina
Petra Zingari Toscana Igt 2008 (244228, $13.95) Italy
Michele Chiarlo ‘Le Orme’ Barbera D’asti Superiore 2009 (265413, $14.95) Italy
Bodega del Abad Dom Bueno Crianza 2001 (244699, $14.95) Spain
Taurino Riserva Salice Salentino 2008 (177527, $14.95) Italy
Domaine De La Janasse Côtes Du Rhône 2009 (705228, $15.95) France
 
VINTAGES April 14th Release
Jorio Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2009 (134577, $13.95) Italy
Fabre Montmayou Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (261891, $14.95) Argentina
 
VINTAGES April 28th Release
Sister’s Run Epiphany Shiraz 2008 (269464, $15.95) Australia
Cannonica e Ceretto Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 (275867, $17.00) Italy
 
 
ROSÉ
 
Current In VINTAGES Stores
Tawse Sketches of Ontario Rosé 2011 (172643, $15.95) Ontario
 
 
SPARKLING
 
Current in VINTAGES STORES
Louis Bouillot Perle D’ivoire Brut Blancs De Blancs (48801, $18.95) France
 
 
WHITES
 
Current In VINTAGES Stores
Fielding Estate Chardonnay Unoaked 2008 (164491, $13.95) Ontario
Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2011 (080234, $16.95) Ontario
Studert-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2007 (114777, $17.95) Germany
Marimar Estate La Masía Don Miguel Vineyard Chardonnay 2007 (270090, $19.95) California
 
VINTAGES April 14th Release
Michael Delhommeau Cuvee Harmonie Muscadet De Sevre-et-Maine 2010 (164624, $12.95) France
L’Uvaggio Di Giacomo Vermentino 2009 (279281, $15.95) California
Tyrell’s Brookdale Semillon 2011 (269316, $19.95) Australia
 
VINTAGES April 28th Release
Vincent Girardin Vieilles Vignes Mâcon-Fuissé 2009 (264515, $19.95) France
 

IVR* – Vintage Direct Intrigue-to-Value Ratio

CVR* – Vintage Direct Curiosity-to-Value Ratio

 

 

Live Wine Chat on canada.com

April 12, 2012

Join in Today at 2:00 pm ET as I chat online about wine. I will be joined by Ruth Dunley (PostMedia), Rod Phillips (Ottawa Citizen), James Nevison (HALFAGLASS) and Gurvinder Bhatia (Vinomania)

http://www.canada.com/news/Live+Chat+wine+experts/6427822/story.html

We will be discussing wine media. Do you read wine reviews or make purchases based on what wine critics write … should you? 

 

 

 

Good to go!

Ontario Wines Won’t Break The Federal Budget

March 29, 2012

 

http://blogs.canada.com/2012/03/29/ontario-wines-wont-break-the-federal-budget/?postpost=v2#content

 

The first true Harper majority government budget will be unveiled this afternoon while VINTAGES product consultants stock their shelves with the March 31st release. The budget will push Old Age Security benefits back to 67. That’s the bad news. The good news is the VINTAGES debut for three stellar backyard bottles. The Tawse Rosé (Echoes incarnate) and the Fielding Chardonnay are on the list at Barque. All three take leave of Canadian politics, tax season and choose to sing of a soothing Spring and Easter otherness.

 

Tawse Sketches of Niagara Rosé 2011 (172643, $15.95) lightens the load laid thick by the 2010 vintage characteristic of the family rutaceae and citrus paradisi. Leans and Dreams Côte d‘Azur where strawberry and candy wiz together ripe and bright.  Warm weather friend crafted by a non compromising cropper.  87 

Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling 2011 (080234, $16.95) elevates above the rim to heights scented by citrus and sea salt to dunk over gleaming minerality. All-star game style on the ball, friable, alley-oop. I’ll repeat the refrain. Less zone coverage and grow more Riesling Ontario!  88

Fielding Estate Chardonnay Unoaked 2008 (164491, $13.95) continues to exude freshness three plus years on.  Prevailing squeaky clean and cheap so ”my money flows like wine.” Still whistling Dixie and eating chicken, like Mitt Romney on the Western Swing. More Mutsu than Meyer, more alfalfa than clover.  A golden, herbal remedy.  87

 

 

 

Good to go!

VINE DIRT – RECENT TASTINGS

A heterodoxical winter. No blanket of white stuff.  To that inclination I travel against the grain for an encounter with three smoking pearls off the list at Barque.

 

JEAN-LUC COLOMBO VIOGNIER ‘LA VIOLETTE’ 2010 ($18.25) shows great floral intensity for a Vin de Pays d’Oc.  Condrieu intuition coaxes spiced nuts and yerba apricot tea from grapes grown in Languedoc. I waver not from the joy in its necessity, even as it descends a wafer thin minty slope to peter out. Certainly prettier than a Flyer’s coach.  88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIELDING ESTATE CHARDONNAY UNOAKED 2008 ($13.95) is squeaky clean and cheap so “my money flows like wine.” The band plays Dixie while I eat too much chicken, the food and wine marching saintly, effortlessly in. More Mutsu than Meyer, more alfalfa than clover.  A golden, herbal remedy.  87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIEROPAN SOAVE CLASSICO 2010 ($19.95) is spring in winter, perennial in its success, consistent and always sharp in attack. Garganega that is oddly mindful of lemon paraffin wax tubes from the Wiz having gone to college in the Loire and now living as a mature adult in the Veneto. Opiate anaesthetic on the finish renders teeth and gums numb and void.  89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good to go!