Tag Archives: Redstone

To Icewine and beyond

The Tunnel at Niagara Parks Power Station

Icewine. A Niagara wine-growing region speciality, long-suited to place, world renowned and in a way a curse because mistakenly global perception thinks only this kind of wine can be made great out of this coldest of cool viticultural climates. For quite some time Icewine has been Canada’s infinity, a national star and success story that have been the Ontario wine industry’s burden to bear, it being the ONLY wine capable of excellence in the minds of consumers and also many wine industry peeps worldwide. This is finally changing, in no small part thanks to ambassadors like The Wine Marketing Association of Ontario’s Magdalena Kaiser and Canadian Trade Commissioner Dr. Janet Dorozynski PhD. They, along with dozens of Canadians producers and winemakers have presented many years of Canadian wine tastings in London, at Germany’s Prowein Trade Fair and most recently through masterclasses in Copenhagen and Berlin. Their efforts and an exponential leap in collective quality have helped to raise the profile of the great breadth of Canadian wines.

The Wine Marketing Association of Ontario’s Magdalena Kaiser

Is it not finally time to prove two 21st century facts? First that wine consumers from Timmins to Torino are actually privy to a vinous Canadiana scene that includes but is no longer confined to the gelid, glycerin and bracing late harvest elixir. Second, Icewine and other forms of fermented grapes are evermore intrinsically connected, bonded by their growers and makers whose climate change evolving portfolios are now the sort that are chock full of inclusivity. Is it not possible to celebrate Icewine without sacrificing the progresses made by other styles of wine? Of course it is and our Ontario (and also British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Québec) includes all walks of appellative, varietal and stylistic life.

The Horseshoe Falls lit up in Pride colours

The time has come to reflect upon Icewine as an entity the likes of say VinSanto or Sauternes, sweet labours of love perpetuated because of tradition and climates that continue to encourage their production. Icewine in Ontario are intrinsically connected to a winery’s portfolio; to the consumer-friendly, classic and small lot wines. European wine producing regions were once sweet-centric too and Ontario is at long last maturing into a new epoch where Icewine the founder is begetting table wines, the current board of directors. They and all Canadian wines are prepared and experienced to travel far, well outside the Icewine universe. Their destination looks past infinity, to the beyond.

The Savoury – From Chef Tim Mackiddie’s “Savoury, Spicy and Sweet” Icewine pairing preparations

Back in January the WineAlign crü shuffled off to Niagara Falls for the 2023 iteration of Niagara’s Icewine Festival. It was inside the renovated event space halls of the Niagara Parks Power Station where the gala event was held. If you’ve not been the time has come to make a visit because the installations are spectacular. Then there is the inspiring experience that is a 600m walk through the early 1900s tunnel construction that empties beneath the Horseshoe Falls. Many Icewine and other Ontario wine samples were tasted that evening, this following a truly special Icewine Masterclass given by WMAO’s Kaiser at the tasting room of The Hare Wine Company. Kaiser put together an 18-strong Icewine line-up in conjunction with Chef’ Tim Mackiddie’s “Savoury, Spicy and Sweet” pairing menu, all to fascinating results. “Icewine is the strongest post pandemic recovery for a Niagara wine category,“ informed Kaiser. “Younger males lead the resurgence.” She noted an increased use in cocktails, making use of Icewine instead of simple syrup because the traditional dessert wine is such a high quality ingredient, with natural sweetness. At the gala it was Kaiser’s son Maximilian Smit, creator of the Niagara Icewine Sour, who mixed up two unique and bloody delicious Icewine cocktails for hundreds of guests. The masterclass and the cocktails demonstrated how Icewine is no longer just about dessert. 

The Spicy – From Chef Tim Mackiddie’s “Savoury, Spicy and Sweet” Icewine pairing preparations

On Sunday after the Icewine fète the group paid two visits, to Queenston Mile Vineyard and Henry of Pelham Family Estate. The following 30 tasting notes cover Magdalena’s Masterclass and the wines tasted at the two Sunday morning stops.

Cave Spring Riesling Icewine 2019, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Stars and acids through the proverbial roof with thanks to a November 14th harvest, earliest on record by what has to be a long-shot. Specs come in at 245 g\L RS, 15.3 TA, and 9 percent abv. Full aromatic wealth and viscosity, apricot and golden pineapple, acids coming through on the nose to set up everything wanted and needed on the palate. As unctuous and fell-throttle expressive an Icewine from riesling that could ever be. Kudos to the vintage and to the makers for capturing all parts at peak. Top performer without a doubt. Drink 2023-2029.  Tasted January 2023

Henry Of Pelham Riesling Icewine 2019, VQA Short Hills Bench

Part scintillant and part fruit bomb with high active acidity in great categorical respect. Lemon, apricot and pineapple all in, gelid and cool, high in balancing acid from one of the earliest picks by one of the earlier pickers so certainly in the first two weeks of November. Also as much a petrol and airy aromatic propulsion signalling near equal to any indicators the fruit might elicit for Icewine temptation. With sugar plus acid so high and meshing together there are no spikes, searing moments or overt richness, though in the end there is a white peppery warmth. Lemon and tea, heavy sweetener and naturally tannic. Unique Icewine when you get down to the brass tacks. Registers as 9.5 percent alcohol and what’s also special is a saline streak running through. Sweet lemon desserts only serve to accentuate the sweetness and the lemon. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted January 2023

The WineAlign Crü with Magdalena Kaiser

Magnotta Riesling Icewine Niagara Peninsula Limited Edition 2019, VQA Niagara Peninsula

A nose of ulterior style leading to different sort of reactions though the palate is much more classic, standard and expected. Reserved and limited and then exuberant, forceful, heavy steel reinforced. Really attacks the sides of the mouth upwards to the upper wisdom corners and pineapple is everywhere. Old school, white fleshed and high acid. 194 g\L of RS and 10 percent abv.  Last tasted January 2023

The lemon iced tea in Icewine makes riesling go its own direction and run with the ideal. This has energy and pizzazz, style that makes one want to know more and more. Great tension and acidity puts this in a place of its own. Drink 2024-2030.  Tasted blind at NWAC2022, June 2022

Riverview Cellars Estate Winery Riesling Icewine 2019, VQA Niagara-on-the Lake

Exotic scents in riesling out of 2019 running the mango to pineapple, papaya to litchi gamut of ripe, tart, rich and creamy. Extreme sweetness and delectable flavour profile. Chewy stuff, heavy concentrate of the tropical doused by heavy yellow citrus. Lacks a bit of balance. 189 g\L of RS, 11 abv. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted January 2023

Byland Riesling Icewine 2019, VQA Niagara-on-the Lake

Some understatement here, aromatically speaking at the very least and the first in a comprehensive Icewine tasting to feel herbal, stem-scented and evergreen savoury. Mint and fennel, sweetness never overloading the palate or making any demands. Almost a tonic or cocktail bitters note near the finish, though persistently subtle and agreeable. Unique Icewine is every which way but loose. 192 g\L RS, 11 abv. Drink 2023-2026.  Last tasted January 2023

Byland Estate Winery is a newer Niagara-on-the-Lake, 13-acre vineyard owned by Jackson Bai since 2015. It was acquired from Frank Di Paola and his three decades of grape growing experience. The vineyard has been providing grapes for Magnotta Winery for 25 years. Their riesling Icewine is high-toned, aggressively tart and intensely implosive. Lemon and also lemongrass nose, orange crème brûlée and lime flavours with some bitterness inherent in all that layered citrus. Good length here.  Tasted November 2020

Peller Estates Andrew Peller Signature Series Riesling Icewine 2019, VQA Niagara Peninsula 

Densely concentrated and from the beginning an impressive balance in accord between sugars and acids so that the two move swimmingly along from the start through to a long lingering finish. One sip and the Icewine becomes one with your palate, hangs on, repeats upon itself and as far as that kind of attraction is concerned you welcome the linger. Special dedication and technique here to be sure. 179 gL RS and 10.5 percent abv.  Last tasted January 2023

Stratus Riesling Icewine 2020, VQA Niagara Lakeshore

Perhaps the most aromatic, palate density and intense character of any in a long Icewine flight but also a lovely swarthiness to take things to an entirely new level. Of promise and age-worthiness, to imagine a wine equipped with structure and fortitude, to change with incremental tempo (and opposite of haste), to spend a couple of decades evolving. Impressive and intoxicating in every way while sweetness is lowest in importance. 142 g\L RS, 9.3 tA, 14 abv. Drink 2023-2033.  Tasted January 2023

Densely concentrated, heavy fuel and sweetness overload Icewine that delivers all the expectations in that dessert wine category. Classic example, not overtly exotic but full of stone fruit in the peach, nectarine and yellow plum spectrum. Not the longest yet of a more than ample lingering finish. 235 g\L RS, 8 tA, 10 abv. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Lakeview Cellars Gewürztraminer Icewine 2019, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Über sweet Icewine, oily of viscosity, a chewy mouthful of stone fruit fleshiness. Pulpy in textural feel, a mouthful all the way through. Yeoman acidity work and moderate length in a correct to highly proper example. Expressly gewürztraminer so it’s got that going for it, which is nice. 188 g\L RS, 9 TA, 9 abv. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Vineland Estates Vidal Icewine 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Wildly aromatic Icewine, unique and savoury, almost smells like charcuterie with pork rillette and a mix of pickles. Does not act so overtly sweet as compared to so many others and is remarkably characterful. But just look at the numbers. Residual sugar of 271 g\L, 8.2 TA, 9 abv. Onion skin and the musky cured skin of pork salumi. So bloody interesting. Would age this a year or two. 271 g\L, 8.2 tA, 9 abvDrink 2025-2033.  Tasted January 2023

Sue Ann Staff Howard’s Vidal Icewine 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Desperately sweet and intensely concentrated Icewine, as fortified and full as they come. Not a tropical one but certainly the kind that makes one think of ripe stone fruit after a different sort of Ontario summer that turned into a hot September. Good capture of a season that was turned on its head that delivered something new. 209 g\L RS, 11 abv. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted January 2023

Chateau Des Charmes Vidal Icewine 2018, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Concentrated of fruit times more fruit sweetness to define the style and quality of this vidal in Icemen clothing. Pineapple and apricot namely, lemon drop and a tisane finish. Quite tannic, unexpectedly so. Drink 2023-2026.  Last tasted January 2023

Lithe and charming use of vidal in Icewine from Château des Charmes, of such proper middle ground concentration and intensity. Sweet pear and caramel apple, mango purée and maple syrup on snow. Simple and oh so very effective.  Drink 2020-2023

The Sweet – From Chef Tim Mackiddie’s “Savoury, Spicy and Sweet” Icewine pairing preparations

Hare Wine Frontier Collection Vidal Icewine 2019, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake

Impressive concentration meets a savoury edginess, white peppery dusted and full on character of an Icewine made with vidal. Classic preparation and presentation, no side-steps or derivations but simple, capable and proud. Really well made. 171 g\L RS, 10.3 abv. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Reif Estate Grand Reserve Vidal Icewine 2018, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Indelibly stamped and incredible density from an Icewine that delivers maximum fruit substance from maximum effort. Here the work and the patience is justified because this is what the wine has to be. Acids do well to keep up with some much sweetness and fruit character. The crème brûlée of vidal all the way. 270 g\L RS, 10.5 tA, 9.5 abv. Drink 2023-2028.  Tasted January 2023

Ferox By Fabian Reis Dornfelder Icewine 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Pungent in so many ways with serious wood elements that manifest as soy, carob, dill, tar and chocolate. In a way tastes like Cherry Blossom in childhood memory recall but its clearly more complex that that. Pot of Gold perhaps, the finest Laura Secord mixed box and so much more. Chocolate and red jam persist long after the wine has been swallowed. As much like Port as it is representative of Icewine. Picked at -10 degrees Celsius and fermented for six weeks. 90 percent stainless steel and (10) neutral French oak. 250 g\L RS, 6.4 tA, 10 abv. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Pelee Island Winery Cabernet Franc Icewine 2017, VQA South Islands

Truly savoury, wholly identifiable as cabernet franc and ultimately a varietal wine that stands tall. Lacks concentration to be sure but ultimately this does the yeoman work. 187 g\L RS, 11 abv. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted January 2023

Really does taste like cabernet sauvignon but what really stands out is the candied red apple skin character above all else. A petrol note as well however subtle and always that truth in red fruit, of currant, pomegranate and cherry character. Quality Icewine from less than classic varietal origins. 224.5 g\L RS, 10.3 tA, 9.5 abv.  Last tasted January 2023

This is a well-priced Icewine made from cabernet franc with tell-tale varietal signs. Smells like red currants, roasted peppers, strawberry or cherry pie and Ju Jubes, a Canadian Candy classic or wait, Swedish Berries. Nicely concentrated with mid-weight Icewine feel and really good length. Quality, not over the top and a pique of relish make this a highly plausible dessert wine for red wine drinkers. Drink 2020-2024.  Tasted November 2020

Queenston Mile Vineyard Blanc De Noirs Brut 2018, VQA St. David’s Bench

Two-hour cold soak for colour and spends 38 months on lees for one of Niagara’s most fully developed and also bodied Blanc de Noirs, bar none. Fruit comes from The Mile’s original 25 year-old plantings, totalling 33 acres. A light toasty and generously expressive traditional method sparkling wine not so much pink as platinum gold shaded subtly of pink salmon. High acid above 9 g\L of tA and just a few pinches (in and around) 4 g/L of residual sugar. Taut and residing somewhere between bracing and embracing in a balanced pinot noir off of these deep and heavy clay St. David’s Bench soils, to suit up sparkling from pinot noir ready, willing and able to abide. Dry and focused, precise, proper and balanced. Just a few more than 300 cases are produced. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Queenston Mile Vineyard Grand Mile 2017, VQA St. David’s Bench

Just about half the production of the Blanc de Noirs (at 155 cases total) and a traditional method example with 11.2 g/L of tA and higher sugar than the B de N, upwards of 9 g/L. Aged 39 months on the lees, fuller and though the acid is so high there’s actually some creamy and mouth filling expansiveness to this pinot noir based sparkling wine. The matching sugar walks hand in hand along with the pierce of intensity so expect nervous energy and tension from this antonym to the straight pinot noir. Needs more time to integrate, seek and accede its intended balance.  Last tasted January 2023

Odd climatic vintage and while chardonnay had little trouble staying the course the same could not be said for pinot noir. It was late and it was all strawberry in 2017 so at 40 per cent of the classic mix it just can’t be denied. White strawberry in sparkling that is, leafy and savoury, unique beyond. Nearly 40 months on lees puts this is a justice league where Niagara sparklers congregate and debate with philosophical force. Grand Mile is a contemplative one, its tension suppressed yet ready to rise anytime. The moment has not yet arrived but when it does sometime in 2023 this fizz will stand up to be noticed. Such are the important matters of sparkling wine programs like these in Ontario. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted November 2022

Queenston Mile Viognier Pét-Nat 2021, VQA St. David’s Bench

There have been still viogniers and pinot noir Pét-Nats but methinks this to be the first ancestral method viognier for The Mile. Cloudy and aromatically tart, a 100 per cent, estate fruit viognier that acts as much like a yeasty sour beer as much as it might seem to fit into the sparkling wine system. Pretty clean to be honest and there is certainly a mashed banana, creamed mango and puréed pineapple feel from this pèttilant speaking directly to hipster fashion. It’s the bacon for vegans and the air-conditioner for fans of fans. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted January 2023

Queenston Mile Vineyard Pinot Noir Pét-Nat Sparkling Rosé 2020, VQA St. David’s Bench

Strawberries in a glass, through and through, the brain trust, child and wild thing amour of winemaker Yvonne Irving and if asked, I would imagine winemaker partner Rob Power saying, “I love all my children and I want them to discover themselves.” Which is what this pink P-N is want to do but more so allow a curious crowd the ability to get with trends, ancient method resurgences and wild thing vibes. Much drier than expected with a bin full of play dough, rye bread in the proofing stage and stewing strawberry/rhubarb. There is an unusual and au naturel, dancing in the dark profile to be sure but this kind of enzymatic presence is something to behold. Mon dieu Cellar Monkey! Well, remember this. “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted January 2023

Queenston Mile Mile High NV, VQA St. David’s Bench

A Charmat method sparkling wine in a heavy fruit matched by sour lactic yogurt meets lime doused mango kind of profile. More than ample to impressive complexity for an Italian method sparkling wine though without the traditional lees aging there is a brief exchange of values and shorter finish. No surprise and because much is happening both on the nose and the palate this services the intellect although the story ends in an abrupt way. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted January 2023

Queenston Mile Vineyard Chardonnay 2020, VQA St. David’s Bench

From the estate Queenston Mile Vineyard and spends a year in neutral barriques plus undergoes partial malolactic fermentation. Flinty and really quite yeasty for chardonnay, a raw bread dough note which seems to be something that happens in many of the QM still and especially sparkling wines. Fine bitters too, the kind you wish for in your cocktail with that kiss of oak you cherish and are so pleased it’s that and no more. Some capsicum and sweet basil come later, integrating and making for a complex and quality chardonnay. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted January 2023

Queenston Mile Pinot Noir Unoaked 2021, VQA St. Davids Bench

As advertised there is no wood employed to ink or embellish this neutral St. David’s Bench pinot noir and the natural result is just that. Maybe not a first but writing “unoaked” on a pinot noir label is certainly not the norm and here we are with Queenston Mile’s fresh 2021. Would like to say this is all about fruit but my there are so many more goings on. Likely a healthy stem inclusion because the notes from nightshade and other sundry vegetables are swirling in the checkered and mottled aromatic profile. Some resin to varnish scents, gentle swarthiness manifesting the rusticity but naked is naked and this wine wears clarity on its sleeve. Smells like a September tomato canning day and tastes like a strawberry-rhubarb fruit roll up, though much more of saline piquant-tang than that of any level of sweetness within. Crunchy as well with a good long finish. Imagine the excitement and vinous intensity were there a higher level of whole bunch and carbonic maceration methodology involved. Drink 2023-2025.  Tasted twice, January 2023

Queenston Mile Proud Pour Pinot Noir For Bees 2020, VQA St. David’s Bench

A wine that exults the idea of “Cheers to Change” as five per cent of profits gives back to 20 non-profit organizations. Sees eight months in wood to put it in the middle tier of the three QM pinots. Gains a sweetness and a cream-centred textural verging towards Turkish Delight in a pinot not that is eminently and imminently drinkable from the day it’s bottled. No tension or sharp angles here, just roundness and amenability. Drink 2023-2024.  Tasted January 2023

Queenston Mile Vineyard Pinot Noir 2017, VQA St. David’s Bench

Nearly three years have passed and things have really changed, as they should have and now the whole bunch retreats from its original attack, fruit flanks running short in residual terms. The verdancy of stem inclusion makes this feel almost reductive but mostly it is the toasted and roasted notes that remain. The flavours are most important at this stage and so food pairing is truly key. Duck confit and crispy potatoes but also a sweetened fruit demi-glacé would elevate the wine and leave the savoury exaggerations behind.  Last tasted January 2023

The ’17 is even dustier than ’16, in fact it’s sitting compressed and pressed in a bowl inside a bin. Roasted, toasted and intense, particularly string, grippy and potent. The warmth of St. David’s and the heat of September really speaks but curiously noted and question asked is where is the strawberry jam? Lost in the foil provided by whole bunches it would seem. Drink 2021-2025.  Tasted March 2019

Queenston Mile Vineyard Cabernet Franc Icewine 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula

Once again a wine from a vintage turned upside down with cool summer weather resolving into the hottest September and early October on record. For cabernet franc the harvest date was January 2, 2018 and yet for 2017 that would have been a vintage where acidity was easily maintained to that date. Clocks in above 9 g\L to match the 204 g\L of residual sugar with esteem and balance for Icewine of proper red fruit character, part raspberry and part red currant. Nice level of tart here but there is a roundness to what could have been sharp edges. Well made to be sure. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted January 2023

Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Estate Blanc De Blanc 2015, Traditional Method, VQA Short Hills Bench

From a specially identified block of chardonnay vines. Best of the best are destined for this top Niagara sparkling and it was Matthew of the Speck Bros. that determined the direction of this Ontario essential. One quarter barrel aged and 60 months on lees, as gently toasted and smooth sailing as a Blanc de Blancs can be – in the context of fizz that is always a scintillant without repose. Some warmth now emitting from 2015 matched by intensity and so very long.  Last tasted January 2023 

As always 100 per cent chardonnay and 2015 is perhaps the vintage of the most golden toast, as if made by agemono, with the most lemon and lees ever assembled in a Cuvée Catharine, vintage-dated Sparkling wine. An intensity of aromas swirl around in citrus centrifuge into which the gross cells don’t seem to want to go. On the palate is where they rest, layered and leesy, textured with a sense of weightlessness and wonder. Henry of Pelham channelling an inner Japanese cooking technique. Feels like some time is warranted to pull all this together. Drink 2021-2025.  Tasted October 2020

Henry Of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2020, VQA Short Hills Bench

When winemaker Lawrence Buehler came on board in 2017 he quite soon thereafter introduced 3000L foudres to age riesling. For Henry of Pelham it continues to evolve as a game changer. Tames acidity to an extent while in certain years the truth spoken by this varietal wine in the SFR line is truly indicative of Henry of Pelham’s raison d’Être. Not merely a matter of high intensity (though there is plenty of that in high regard) but the warm 2020 season concentrates the fluid to gelid texture up the middle of this balanced wine. Youthfulness supersedes what secondary notes might choose to emerge but there is a sense of early emission, namely petrol or the equivalent aching to emerge just around the bend. Drink 2023-2027.  Tasted January 2023

Henry Of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2019, Sustainable, VQA Short Hills Bench

Vines upwards of 30 years of age provide the drupe and great Scott (or Speck) fruit it is indeed for what is almost Willamette sweet in correspondence and style. That strawberry purée and raspberry coulis effect comes pure, unadulterated and about as natural as one might imagine a varietal wine of this level of quality could come to be. Some sugar involved, maximizing around 7 g\L. Not a year of major tension but they can’t all be so drink this young, for four to five years after harvest, for best results.  Last tasted January 2023

Not so crazy young anymore in fact the perfume has become an intoxicant, spellbinding, hypnotic even. But also because the oak vanillin swirls through and is further imagined as sweetness on the palate. In the zone, as they say, all parts melted and melded together. These next six months will mark the height of this SFR Reserve with the succeeding two years being the slowly descending denouement.  Last tasted November 2022

Crazy young but somehow lovely aromatic potpourri to the SFR ’19 and a benchmark as such for the Short Hill sub-appellation. What you want to nose from the are that borders, ties and links all surrounding pinot noir lands together, especially Twenty Mile and St. David’s Bench. This just fits right in and into itself with snug togetherness. Juicy fruit, fine acids and tightly coiled tannin. Just the right kind of sour tang. Real varietal gastronomy and ideal for three to four years, some salty protein and even a side of pickle. Drink 2020-2024.  Tasted November 2020

Henry Of Pelham Baco Noir Speck Family Reserve 2020, VQA Ontario

The top seller of all of its Pelham wines and just about as promising a vintage there could possibly be for this scientifically orchestrated varietal wine. High yielding season, absence of stress, plenty of ripe fruit for a hybrid variety and ultimately the best there can really be. Picking time is crucial to ward off incoming and oncoming funk which this fruit-centric wine does not show. No barnyard, earthiness nor swarthy character neither. No – it’s so very blackberry and dark cherry, void of the feral and so well assimilated of its American oak. Pure honest tang and even though the residual sugar pushes 12 g\L it’s not the most prominent aspect of the wine. Tannins are also sweet, plush and positive. It just works, like it or not. Drink 2023-2026.  Tasted January 2023

Good to go!

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WineAlign

Tasting Ontario Part Five: Varietal Whites and Appellative Blends

There were 33 medals handed out to White Blends at the 2018 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada; seven Golds, 17 Silvers and nine Bronze. Quietly, stealthily and without great fanfare the strength of the white blend category has taken NWAC18 by storm. The quality of the wines entered has never been higher, visibly and notably spread across the country. The time has come to establish party lines, to create truly parochial white appellative blends under appropriately chosen names. Nova Scotia has long been there with their apt-scripted Tidal Bay. Ontario and British Columbia should heed the economic and marketing success enjoyed by their maritime cousins and join the appellative party.

Related – Results of the 2018 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals): Best of Blends: Red, White and Tidal Bay

The French regions of Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley are clearly the benchmarks and the inspiration for Canadian-made emulative examples, first from a sauvignon blanc-sémillon connection and then with blends that make use of marsanne, roussanne and viognier. A testament to expatriate excellence is noted in the seven overall Gold Medals in this year’s judging and no less than six others finishing at high Silver status on the cusp of Gold. I for one awarded five 90-plus scores to wines I clearly deemed worthy of such accolade and esteem.

It is interesting to note that White Blends centred by sauvignon blanc in the Okanagan Valley rely on much higher percentages of sémillon than their counterparts in Ontario. The simplest explanation tells us that the grape variety has trouble surviving harsh Ontario winters, especially when we look back at 2015 and 2016 when much of the province’s vines were killed by sub-25 degree temperatures. But it’s more than that. In B.C. sauvignon blanc can get pretty ripe, tropical and zaftig so it is sémillon that helps to mitigate, temper, inject a flinty-smoky-mineral streak and ultimately bring balance to the relationship.

There was a time not too long ago when after the best juice was chosen for varietal wines producers then needed to find a way to use up the dregs of their white ferments. White blends came about out of economic necessity, but like Rosé production in this country so many are now produced with a purpose. As a farmer, if you know specific blocks of sauvignon blanc are destined to join with other plots of sémillon you’re going to prune, pluck, green harvest and ultimately pick in very specific ways. Appellative blends have become a year round occupation. That much is clear.

Related – Tasting Ontario Part Four: Gamay

The top scorers at this year’s Nationals have been awarded to seriously and thoughtfully crafted wines. The winners are not entry-level, introductory products at the lower or lowest common denominational levels. They are not simple aromatic blends of vague fruit and sweet impression, in fact many are graced by beneficial and forward thinking structure. The future certainly looks white blend bright. Here are 36 recently tasted Ontario varietal whites and appellative white blends.

Summer spread

Sprucewood Shores Pinot Grigio 2017, VQA Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario (426577, $14.95, WineAlign)

Just a hint of contact it would seem, leading to a not so obvious result in platinum gold hue but more so into the floral nature of its aromatics. Some sweet melon and pear fruit with good concentration and equal if necessary acidity. Can certainly drink a glass of this. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018  sprucewoodshores  @SprucewoodWine  @SprucewoodShores

Château Des Charmes Aligoté 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (296848, $15.95, WineAlign)

The Château des Charmes self-proclaimed “pinot grigio” alternative was never more truthfully written than in reference to this 2017 aligoté. Screwy wet summer merging into crazy hot autumn weather made for one of the latest harvest dates in the estate on the York Road in St. Davids storied history. The rare Niagara Peninsula varietal vines are planted primarily at St. David’s Bench and Paul Bosc Estate vineyards but more are going in, surely out of testimony to the sales of this more than apropos local grape. Surely no one knows aligoté like the Bosc family and yet even they could not have seen this peachy, melony, fleshy and ripe one coming. It’s like a hyperbole of Val do Salnés in Rias Baixas albariño, crisp, aromatic and marched along by natural acidity. It seems sweet but trust me it’s not. It’s the long-hung, fully phenolic fruit and higher pH talking. This is not your average Bourgogne aligoté, searing, taut and intense. It’s a departure for the house but if it could always be made this way I think they would gladly go for the style. Waxy finish too, bringing an added note of complexity. Very cool. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted July 2018  chateaudescharmes  @MBosc  Château des Charmes

Nyarai Cellars Pinot Gris 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $20.95, WineAlign)

This is quite a striking, rich, creamy and yogurt-leesy, a.k.a. Loire chenin blanc, fixedly in the guise of pinot gris. More skin contact then some plus so much yeasty texture combine to make for the fullest of an Ontario gris expression. This is the sort of feeling that normally comes from multi-varietal, dry white appellative Niagara blends but in a solo pinot gris it’s nothing short of remarkable. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted February 2018  #nyaraicellars  @NyaraiCellars  Nyarai Cellars

Tawse Winery Pinot Gris Redfoot Vineyard 2017, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario (Winery, $24.95, WineAlign)

From out of the dense Lincoln Lakeshore clay comes this flush and luxurious pinot gris, literally rolling in it. It makes for a highly aromatic take on the grape, all in for gris and not to be confused with lighter, less meaningful grigio. The Redfoot Vineyard is clearly earmarked for such a purposed way of interpretation and though the clays of the double L sub-appellation are best with syrah and cabernet franc there can’t be any reason not to allot 10-15 per cent of acreage to white plantings. In the hands of Paul Pender it seems obvious that pinot gris is the one. This dry take is just about perfectly right, with citrus and wet stone hanging around the fruit. Leaner might be more suitable but ultimately it’s balance that is most important for this rich fruit raised by the pottery soil. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted June 2018  tawsewinery  @Tawse_Winery  @tawsewines

G.Marquis Sauvignon Blanc The Red Line 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $13.95, WineAlign)

Big love, big fruit, all about texture and juicy fruit on the palate but with some fine, wound acidity. Excellent. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018   g.marquisvineyards  @GMarquisWines  @G.MarquisVineyards

North 42 Degrees Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc North 43 2017, VQA Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario (547836, $14.95, WineAlign)

Quite the character this North 43/North 42 degrees sauvignon blanc, fruit amassed on the nose, from canteloupe to underripe passion fruit with a wet, coppery alloy build that translates across latitudinal lines onto the palate. The metallic flavours are undercut by an herbal tonic with a spoonful of tinned fruit cup. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted April 2018  north42wines  @StratusWines  North 42 Degrees Estate Winery & Bistro 42  @north42degrees

Château Des Charmes Sauvignon Blanc 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (296848, $15.95, WineAlign)

Interesting take, quite a mineral salt wiring through the green apple fruit, here some feel of barrel but not the malo-creamy effect created. Goes quite juicy and crunchy without resorting to tart. A bit more acid intensity would have sealed the deal. Drink 2018-2020. Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018    chateaudescharmes  @MBosc  Château des Charmes

Lakeview Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (483958, $17.95, WineAlign)

An interesting sauvignon blanc for the Peninsula because the pungency is quite Marlborough but the relaxed state and relative weight is all Niagara. Very easy drinking as far as SB is concerned with notable extraction and a green streak, herbal mostly, running through. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted April 2018  lakeviewwineco  @LakeviewWineCo  @LakeviewWineCo

Kacaba Susan’s Sauvignon Blanc 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $17.95, WineAlign)

Quietude in such a lovely way, mineral meets orange blossom, soft and amenable through the middle, quiet and mellow, fades off slowly, into the sauvignon blanc sunset. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018  kacabavineyards  @KacabaVineyards  Kacaba Vineyards and Winery

Stratus Wildass Sauvignon Blanc 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (376814, $18.95, WineAlign)

t’s more Stratus than sauvignon blanc, even by regional varietal standards, whatever that is, due to the ripe flavours and long-developed phenolic ripeness. Ultimately it is the quotient of a cup of fruit cocktail and an energy level that serves to encourage a sitting back with a glass in meditative state more than a mind stimulated to invigorate. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted April 2018  stratuswines  @StratusWines  @StratusWines

Organized Crime Sauvignon Blanc 2016, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (396275, $18.95, WineAlign)

Sometimes sauvignon blanc goes tropical and green at the same time, or at least it is the two poles by picked grapes that combine for such a layering. Citrus and bitters mix into the two sides and all the components walk along, separate and alone together, without making any real contact. Maybe a year will tie the room but the acidity is low so waiting is a counterintuitive idea. Drink 2018.  Tasted April 2018  organizedcrimewinery  Organized Crime Winery

Henry Of Pelham Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2016, VQA Short Hills Bench, Ontario (444268, $19.95, WineAlign)

With a wink and a nod to Mondavi this lays the lumber in smoulder upon sauvignon blanc with just a wisp, like cold smoking salmon so that it breathes cool and mentholated, without char and a real smoky feeling. The fruit is light and even a bit precious, the weight quite lithe and the overall notation one of gentle demure. You have to appreciate the deft, slight of winemaking hand approach. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted February 2018  henryofpelham  @HenryofPelham  Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery

Meldville Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2016, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario (Winery, $20.20, WineAlign)

Derek Barnett’s sauvignon blanc may be the fleshiest of the Ontario lot, ripe, tropical and impressively coaxed from off the vine. The phenolic aggregate is a 2016 triumph even while it dances a funky step into botrytis-like rhythms. Notes here and there of herbs and tonics add to the mystique and the rapport. So bloody interesting, singular and meditative for the grape. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted February 2018  meldvillewines  @meldvillewines  Meldville Wines

Peller Estates Private Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $20.20, WineAlign)

Massively fruit aromatic sauvignon blanc, all gathered in a tin cup found in the exotics isle. Juicy melon meets passion fruit and so much more in between, then with a side of metalloid. Raps so commercially viable and succesful it hurts my ears and my eyes. “Any awards show or party I’ll get fly for it, I know that it’s coming I just hope I’m alive for it…I just wanna be, I just wanna be.” Remarkable success for sauvignon blanc, in Ontario. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018   pellerwines  @PellerVQA  @PellerEstates

Redstone Sauvignon Blanc Limestone Vineyard 2016, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario (Winery, $23.15, WineAlign)

There isn’t a ton of sauvignon blanc grown up on the Limestone Ridge but as a top level Twenty Mile Bench riesling terroir it changes the varietal course with considerable concern. As far as it goes this is quite an alloy challenged, mineralized expression, not quite flinty but certainly feeling like a mouthful of richly compressed, calcareous stones. The fruit is so anti-tropical it’s almost reductive and most certainly draws its tang from the soil. Such a curious sauvignon blanc with almost no frame of reference, save for a moment to consider Sancerre, but yet another successful effort from winemaker Rene Van Ede. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted February 2018  redstonewinery  @RedstoneWines  Redstone Winery

Traynor Sauvignon Blanc 2016, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario (Winery, $25.00, WineAlign)

Reductive, not flinty or smoky, but reductive. This carries the gooseberry-passion fruit suitcase of fruit. I like the fruit-acid balance and the way it delivers semblances of tart and tangy. Really nicely judged wine. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018   traynorvineyard  @TraynorVineyard  @traynorfamilyvineyard

Hidden Bench Fumé Blanc Rosomel Vineyard 2016, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (68825, $29.95, WineAlign)

The vineyard gains another year, the farming and winemaking too and so fumé blanc out of Rosomel gets better, as things often do with age and wisdom. ’Twas a great year for growing grapes on this amphitheatre of a vineyard block up on the Bench and no love lost for sauvignon blanc neither. There is tension, wound intensity and fierce competitiveness in the ’16, perhaps the most Sancerre and least Pouilly-Fumé it has ever been and so the declaration leans to saying it is “a mineral year.” Nothing against the fruit because the personality cult of lean, crisp and crunchy is in full order, though each sip after sip speaks in those Sancerre or Chablis by way of Saint Bris terms. Stellar, as always, in continuance, moving towards the best it can be. Drink 2019-2024.  Tasted May 2018  hidden bench  markanthonyon  @HiddenBench @MarkAnthonyWine  Hidden Bench Estate Winery  Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits

Trius Showcase Clean Slate Sauvignon Blanc Wild Ferment 2016, Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario (Winery, $31.95, WineAlign)

Quite flinty, barrel-aged sauvignon blanc, buttery nearly, banana and cantaloupe. So much fruit along with the toasty-creamy barrel. Almost perfectly in balance but it’s wildness and sweet-yeasty lees cumulative turns to a bit of caramel and only accentuates the vanilla. A really cool take on the grape with exceptionally developed flavours. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018   triuswines  @TriusWines  @TriusWines

Not all screw cap closures are created equal

Two Sisters Sauvignon Blanc 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $34.00, WineAlign)

Excessive tightness of screw caps does not allow any kept reduction to blow off so winemaker Adam Pearce closed here with a screw cap threading just a bit less rigid. A fine detail but an important one and the only wine to receive this attention, so just a minute amount of oxygen transfer can occur. Just released 11 days ago. The big change is now a fruit vineyard blend that is 70 per cent Four Mile Creek and (30) Twenty Mile Bench. From a cool, wet and rainy season so really it’s all about the grower in a vintage where the varietal struggled with mould and mildew. Eight per cent barrel ferment was used to augment the leanness, for body and peace of mind. A bit reductive and tight with good acid structure to the peach-yellow-plum-kumquat fruit. Good linger. Delicious. Drink 2018-2021. Tasted July 2018    twosisters_vineyards  @TwoSisters_wine  Two Sisters Vineyards

Fielding Estate Gewürztraminer 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (146753, $19.95, WineAlign)

Fielding’s pays respect to how gewürztraminer has to be made in Ontario with a fleshy, off-dry style though making sure to counterbalance with a fine dose of acidity. From dosage to dose it dances the do-si-so with high quality peach-litchi fruit and grapefruit acidity. If you’re in need of a white to compliment some high-octane, multi-seasoned and possibly spicy food, Fielding’s is textbook and will do the work. It’s a gewürztraminer you can trust. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted January 2018  fielding winery  richiewine  @FieldingWinery  @RichieWine  Fielding Estate Winery

Redstone Gewürztraminer 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $21.95, WineAlign)

A sip sends a warm shiver through from a simple off-dry gewüztraminer attack more flat than round earth, trying hard to stay on the dry though the bitters and creamy fruit deliver more sweetness than what might have been intended. Some skin contact deals peach skin and those bitters while the acidity quietly abides. It’s nearly, almost and close to cloying by honey mixed in concentrate with a note of alkali. Everything lingers. Drink 2017-2019.  Tasted October 2017  redstonewinery  @RedstoneWines  Redstone Winery

@mackbrisbois brought the past, the present and the future @trailestatewine to taste. Thanks Mack! Indeed, to my pleasure and my education.

Trail Estate Gewürztraminer 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $30.00, WineAlign)

Few winemakers in Ontario are as curious, aloof and serious about making gewürztraminer like this,”looking through that window, into the delicate place.” The changing of mind is so important during the process because it shows an understanding of both mistake and possibility. Mackenzie Brisbois takes a spoon of Niagara Lakeview fruit (Glen Elgin/Wismer farmed), puts it through a whole cluster press, a fermentation in old oak and then wait a minute. An about face transfer to stainless steel tank (just after a few days) because it is too reductive, but then sends it back to old wood where it remains for about nine months. Bottles back in September of 2017. The result is a gewürz that finishes dry (under 3 g/L) so delicate for a customer’s palate, with lots of lemon and lime but never searing, perfect for cold smoked or tataki prepared salmon. Bitter pith note but it dissipates, as does the acidity so keep in mind this is floral and fine. “The delicate place. The questions it raise. The delicate place yeah.” Enjoy it now and gimme fiction. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted April 2018  trailestatewine  mackbrisbois  @TrailEstateWine  @MackBrisbois  Trail Estate Winery  Mackenzie Brisbois

Trail Estate Skin Contact Gewürztraminer 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $40.00, WineAlign)

The 2016 gewürztraminer fruit is from the Werscht’s (Between the Lines) Niagara farm, super ripe at 24 brix and aromatics on steroids. It clocks in at a healthy 13.5 alcohol, after 13 days on skins and beyond. Close your eyes and the warm pungency will simulate a sensory experience, like standing inside the butterfly conservatory, with all the dessicating fruit, secretions and balmy, humid aromas wafting around. Or maybe even more exotic, like walking past stalls in a south asian market, with fruits cut open so you can see what they are, mangoseteen, marquesa, jackfruit and durian. There is great fun to be had in acidity and spice. Lush, floral and nicely funky. By now an understanding and a level of maturity to think on is as a classic Brisbois white. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted April 2018  trailestatewine  mackbrisbois  @TrailEstateWine  @MackBrisbois  Trail Estate Winery  Mackenzie Brisbois

Malivoire Viognier Stouck Vineyard 2016, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario (Agent, $24.25, WineAlign)

From vines planted in 2010 the magic of excitable youth with just a hint of maturity has brought this block of the terrific Lincoln Lakeshore vineyard to this vintage. Warmth and ultimately ripeness have released the aromatic blessedness of viognier, which along with an unpurposed number of residual sugar will allow this to gain some further complexity with age. May just be the most varietal viognier ever produced out of Niagara but it’s obviousness as a regional example can’t be denied. It exudes confidence without even trying, is naturally oily and grippy because its acidity matches the high notes. It’s a touch boozy at 13.5 alcohol, at times metallic and at others, tropical, because that’s what viognier wants to be. It’s just a terrific effort from winemakers Shiraz Mottiar and Dan Stouck. Drink 2018-2022. Tasted February 2018  malivoire  noble_estates  @MalivoireWine  @Noble_Estates  Malivoire Wine  Noble Estates Wine & Spirits

Lakeview Cellars Viognier 2015, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $24.95, WineAlign)

Pretty tart stuff from the get go, full of tangerine and beautifully dry. Gently pressed and kept in spirit high through the use of stainless steel tanks. Quite floral, not potpourri mind you but a fresh blossoming breath of a bouquet. Simple viognier, effectively executed and perfectly correct. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted February 2018  lakeviewwineco  @LakeviewWineCo  @LakeviewWineCo

Redstone Viognier Redfoot Vineyard 2016, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Ontario (Winery, $28.95, WineAlign)

The barrel is a big time influence here, offering a combination of creamy vanilla and yet some reduction. There must be some lush viognier fruit back there somewhere but the wood is really in control. Subtle hints of varietal florals, far eastern fruit and spice linger behind the veil. Tasted blind it is the creamy texture and vanilla that makes cause for it to be considered so much like California chardonnay. Good acidity however rescues and thinks about the future. Drink 2018-2021.  Tasted twice, June 2018 and then blind at NWAC18, June 2018  redstonewinery  @RedstoneWines  Redstone Winery

Calamus Estate Winery White Night 2014, VQA Ontario (484014, $13.95, WineAlign)

A very good use of vidal (85 per cent) gets an apple jolt from chardonnay in this very peach and grapefruit oriented white. It’s like fruit cocktail in a glass but drier than off-dry and quite savoury. Stage right spicy too, like clove and capsicum, in a way akin to Kiwi sauvignon blanc but in the end it’s white appellative blend in hybrid dominance, running all the way. Drink 2017-2018.  Tasted January 2017  #calamuswinery  @calamuswinery  Calamus Estate Winery

Featherstone Four Feathers 2017, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (341586, $14.95, WineAlign)

Varietal birds of four feathers (riesling, chardonnay, gewürztraminer and sauvignon blanc) flock together for a wild ride in aromatics, texture, tang and acidity. Here a notable waxiness from the gewürztraminer does oily, glück potpourri with outgoing nature and a sweet meets sour set of flavours. Runs from orchard fruit with bite into the tropical and then some bitters. Nothing simple and quite stirred. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted April 2018  #featherstonewinery  @featherstonewne  Featherstone Estate Winery

13th Street White Palette 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (207340, $15.95, WineAlign)

White Palette is at the top of its hyperbole game in 2016 with a light’s glare flooding a room of high aromatic and flavour intensity. Glade, polish, wax and major citrus all max factor the scents and smells. Lemon and caramel well through the palate and funky emissions deal in Peninsula clay with obvious earth. It’s a case of the curious and not fully expected in 2016. Worth a look nevertheless, with fresh seafood off the coals. Drink 2018-2019.  Tasted May 2018  13thstreetwinery  @13thStreetWines  13th Street Winery

Rockway Vineyards Chardonnay/Riesling 2015, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario (545905, $16.95, WineAlign)

The varietal get together is both convenient and seamless, in delivery of a cool climate nose and a ripeness to imagine a warmer climate palate. It’s layering is one stacked by alternating textures and walks straight ahead, simple and for the sake of nothing, but for to enjoy.  Drink 2018-2020. Tasted April 2018  rockwayvineyards  @RockwayVineyard  Rockway Vineyards

The Hare Wine Company Crown Land White 2016, VQA Niagara On The Lake, Ontario (Winery, $18.95, WineAlign)

The blend of 60 per cent gewürztraminer and (40) riesling is a lovely mix of lemon, apricot and mild barrel notes. It’s a pithy affair, mildly battered and of a soft demeanour. Fresh with fruit skin scents, a passion fruit tang and acidity that’s pretty darn close to spot on. Chewy texture, finishing strong and long. Drink 2018-2020.  Tasted February 2018  theharewineco  @TheHareWineCo  The Hare Wine Co.

Kew Vineyard Estate Marsanne 2016, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario (Winery, $18.95, WineAlign)

The dominant marsanne (90 per cent) is joined seamlessly by viognier in a white blend rich with barrel notes, nutty and toasty. Perhaps a touch less interesting on the palate but it’s welling with presence and persistence. Metallic and effective, with great finishing bitters. Drink 2018-2020. Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018  kewvineyards  @kewvineyards  @kewvineyard

Tasting at Pearl Morissette, July 2017

Pearl Morissette Cuvée Blu 2016, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (Winery, $25.00, WineAlign)

Cuvée Blu is an appellative blend like no other, amphora fermented, 100 per cent whole cluster chardonnay, with pinot gris, riesling and sauvignon blanc. The group spent three and a half (no, not a typo) months on skins, pressed and aged in foudres. I taste this and self-reflected that I would need to taste this once a day for two weeks to wrap brain, heart and imagination around its mythology. I’d also need to understand how it pushed further then just about anything and to see what would happpen, over and over, again and again, each time anew. You can drink this immediately or anytime over the next six years. What’s the difference? How can you know what to do? Self-described by the PM team as “a chameleon charmer and a poem built from the taste of colours.” Memories of a 2017 summer recall the whimsy of hues. “Yellow, orange,” smiled Svetlana Atcheva, “it might as well be blue!” Drink 2018-2024. Tasted July 2017  pearlmorissette  @PearlMorissette  Pearl Morissette

Southbrook Vidal Skin Fermented White 2016, Small Lot Natural Wine, VQA Ontario (Winery, $29.95, WineAlign)

The first time I tasted this blind (at Terroir Symposium) I noted it to be “vidal-like,” a touch oxidative, of this elegant paste or salve, with notes of green plum and just a touch of grapefruit. The second pass confirms it to be a fine vidal orange wine, with more texture than should or would be expected. It delivers lemon and tannin, plus a calculated layering of ample and enough acidity to carry it along. A fine example. Really mouth coating and so tannic. Takes what was learned from 2014 and 2015 experiments and with VQA category approval in its back pocket, begins the true journey forward. Drink 2017-2020. Tasted blind at NWAC17, June 2017 and February 2018 southbrookvineyards  thelivingvine  @SouthbrookWine  @TheLivingVine  Southbrook Vineyards  The Living Vine inc.

Stratus Vineyards Stratus White 2014, VQA Niagara Lakeshore, Ontario (660704, $38.20, WineAlign)

White assemblage under the Stratus label is not like spinning a single record, it’s like Rock ‘n Roll radio. Opening a bottle brings great excitement and anticipation, with a sense of wonder. What songs am I going to hear or more to the point, which grape varieties am I going to taste, in which percentages and in what order? In 2014 it’s a medley of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, sémillon and gewürztraminer. The blend spent 21 months in (15 per cent) new oak. The fruits are varied and each one (or mélange of several) represented a hit in their own right. Tutti frutti, orange blossom special, little green apples, the lemon song, kiwi, peach, tangerine and forbidden fruit. In the end I heard it through the grapevine, by way of a conduit provided by great and necessary acidity. A top quality Stratus White, worthy of repeat plays. Drink 2018-2025.  Tasted twice, May and June 2018    stratuswines  @StratusWines  @StratusWines

Hidden Bench Nuit Blanche Rosomel Vineyard 2016, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario (Winery, $40.00, WineAlign)

It’s primarily sauvignon blanc (94 per cent) but don’t discount the effect created by sémillon. This is a really lovely barrel fermented stroll through a fresh morning glade, with ripe fruit everywhere and a perfectly pointed and lifted flinty nose. A bit reductive and fresh, as it should and absolutely must be, with hints of vanilla and caramel. Quite ambitious and serious with a focus and a precision that speaks to the acumen of a specific cru that in the end, instructs for sauvignon blanc meets sémillon education. Drink 2019-2024. Tasted blind at NWAC18, June 2018    hiddenbench  markanthonyon  @HiddenBench @MarkAnthonyWine  Hidden Bench Estate Winery  Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits

Good to Go!

Godello

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