The 2013-14 winter was brutal in Ontario. Many vineyards lost Syrah and Merlot and my heart goes out to the wineries who lost vines. The light at the end of the tunnel is that events like that cold winter will continue to help define the Ontario wine industry as a whole. We grow a lot of great wine here but maybe Syrah and Merlot should be left out of the mix and we should focus on Cabernet Franc or Gamay Noir. That being said there is one specific vineyard that had me shed a tear and that was the Semillon vines at Rosewood that did not survive the winter. Here is the review for the final vintage of the Semillon.
2013 Rosewood Semillon – The nose is honey with wild field flower. Flavours of pink grapefruit and floral are what you will find in the glass. The floral touch to this wine gives it some depth compared to most Ontario Sauvignon Blanc. It tastes like there is almost a tiny kiss of sweetness on the back of your tongue before it is balanced out with good acidity. This will make a great match with oysters, light pasta dishes, or fish of any sort.
I was also fortunate enough to have 2010 and 2011 kicking around. This wine ages well but it does change quickly. The 2010 was showing some slight signs of drying fruit layered underneath bright citrus. 2011 was still bright with a clean finish and was just as good as I remembered it last year.
How do you do a sendoff for a wine you will not get to taste anymore? You throw it a proper wake. I served Buttermilk Fried chicken with a Celeriac Slaw and Potato Salad (recipe for the fried chicken can be found here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/recipes/buttermilk-fried-chicken/article7618857/). The acidity from the wine cut right through the salt and grease in the fried chicken. The floral and citrus flavours meshed very well with the many herbs and spices in the recipe.
The only thing that consoles me about the loss of this vineyard is that the folks at Rosewood have planted Gamay Noir instead. Anyone who knows me will know how excited I am to taste those wines.
Goodbye Semillon, I will miss you!
Here is a throwback to my original review of the 2011 Semillon – http://tmblr.co/ZZ_vXwo4khyg
