2013 Marynissen Platinum Chardonnay – Vintages 471532 – $25.00 – **** – If you’re not a fan of oaked Chardonnay you may want to take a pass on this bottle. That being said this bottle does offer tropical fruit, oranges with butterscotch and woodsmoke. The key to this wine is to be mindful of serving temperature. If you serve this too cold it will come off tasting a little like popsicle sticks. However serve this a few degrees below fridge temperature and you will unlock all the fruit in the bottle.
2013 Cave Spring Cabernet Franc – Vintages 391995 – ****+ – $19.95 – Wow. This is a textbook example of what happens in Niagara during a more typical vintage. This is elegant and approachable right after opening but there is nice tannin in the bottle so this should age gracefully for 5-7 years in a cellar. Flavours and aromas of licorice, raspberry and subtle hints of blueberry with a whisper of cocoa and spice on the finish. There is a slight savory edge to this wine but it is a shadow under all the fruit, licorice and spice.
