I had a chance to recently visit Two Sisters winery in Niagara. There is quite a buzz about the new impressive facility and the wines since they opened their doors. I had to go and check it out for myself.
Lush Brut Rosé – $35.00 – **** – 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This is a bone dry pale pink sparkler. There are flavours of apple and bright lemon. There is just a hint of herbaciousness on the finish of this wine. This wine spent two years on lees. This is another reason to drink sparkling without a special occasion especially at this price.
2013 Sauvignon Blanc – $29.00 – **** – Subtle and restrained tropical flavours of passion fruit with lemon dance on the palate. The finish is clean with a strong acidic backbone. I love Ontario Sauvignon blanc as a match to Fish dishes using Cod or Halibut and freshly shucked Oysters.
2013 Unoaked Chardonnay – $24.00 – ***1/2 – There is a lot going on in this Chardonnay. The nose is baked peach and pear with apple mingled in there. The real surprise on the nose is a hint of white flower that rolls in and just builds with each sip of this wine. The flavours of this wine match the nose but the signature crisp acidic backbone washes away clean. This is the sort of wine that has me yearning for warmer weather.
2010 Merlot – $48.00 – **** – Two Sisters is very fortunate to have 2010 as their first vintage for sale. The ideal growing conditions created some very nice Red wines. The only thing to shed a tear about is that these wines come from young vines which means we likely won’t see any long ageing potential from these wines. That being said this wine is drinking great right now with Cedar, Dark Chocolate and Jammy Strawberry notes with a nice bit of smoke on the finish. While this may not age 10 years it should improve over the next 3-5.
2010 Cabernet Franc – $48.00 – **** – Lots of Raspberry and Blueberry are what you will find in this bottle with the signature subtle hints of spice and dark chocolate on the finish. This is a very fine example of what came out of the great 2010 vintage and should be enjoyed over the next 3-5 years.
2013 Riesling Icewine – $45.00 – ****+ – Honey, Peach and Mango. Riesling is something I hope to see more often as an Icewine. The high acidity in the wine helps to cut through the sweetness in the wine.
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine – $55.00 – ****+ – Red Icewine is a treasure that is still overlooked even though it’s made in our own backyard. If your only experience is with Vidal Icewine this would be a reason to come back. This has a nose of Nibs (yes… the Cherry Licorice Rope) and Strawberry Jam. As with Riesling this has a nice acidity to the finish to help cut through the sugar.
Overall the portfolio is very solid for a winery that has just opened their doors. It is clear that they have spared no expense in setting up the winery. However the table wines do seem a little pricey. That being said the Icewines and the Sparkling wine alone are worth the trip. What will be exciting is waiting to see what future vintages will hold and we should be seeing some very good wines with ageing potential coming out. (They do still have their 2012’s yet to be released)
