2017 Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling – Vintages 80234 – $16.95 – ****½ – It’s amazing that this wine came from the challenging 2017 vintage given how ripe and rich the fruit is in the bottle. If there’s any summer that makes a strong case for how important Riesling is to Niagara it’s 2017, and if there is any winery that seals the deal it’s Featherstone. Peach, pear, golden delicious apple are met with lime. There is a mineral note buried under all this fruit, but it’s understated compared to previous vintages of this wine. Bright fruit flavours are mated with bright crisp acidity keeping this wine perfectly balanced. Perfect for the patrio, or something to be mated with grilled sausages or souvlaki.
2016 Vieni Gamay Noir – Vintages 498519 – $17.95 – **** – There is a juicy note of sour cherry that immediately moves to blackberry and it feels like this wine is about to take a dark turn. But it is lifted with great acid and a floral flourish on the finish. This is a wine when I visited Beaujolais that some would call “presqu’pinot” but make no mistaking that this is Gamay. It’s amazing how the wineries in niagara are knocking it out of the park with this variety. What’s amazing about these wines is that you’re getting something at an affordable price, but something that could evolve nicely in a cellar for 5-7 years easily.
