This post is long overdue. I had a chance to visit Coyote’s Run in March of this year and haven’t had a chance to go over the wines. Coyote’s Run is one of my favorite places to visit in the province because they remind that I love Pinot Noir, but also that I can buy great Pinot Noir that I can afford. Red Paw and Black Paw vineyard Pinot are in my house often year round regardless of vintage. I had the chance to sit down with Owner Jeff Aubry to go over some new wines. I knew I was looking forward to the Pinot Noir, but I was surprised at some of the other gems that I was able to find.
Let’s start this with their take on Pinot Gris/Grigio
2013 Pinot Gris Red Paw – $18.95 – Winery Only – **** – This wine is definitely all about the texture. The heavy, oily texture of this wine is terrific. Pinot Gris is a wine that’s all about subtlety. So contrary to the heavy texture the flavours are delicate and retrained with melon and apple notes both on the nose and on the palate. There is a nice mineral note that brings up the nice clean finish. Even with nice acidity the finish on this wine does linger.
2013 Pinot Gris Black Paw – $18.95 – Winery Only – **** – This is a little lighter than its red paw sibling. Lighter and with more mineral notes. The texture is still quite heavy and palate coating. Flavours of apple and melon are more restrained and subtle. The nose and finish of this wine are both driven by a strong mineral note.
2015 Pinot Grigio – $15.95 – LCBO 112144 – **** – This is perfect for the summer. This is liquid sunshine and something that will make a welcome addition to any fish fry or shore lunch. The nose offers up peaches and pear with a slight floral undertone all while still staying restrained. The acidity on this wine is crisp and clean and compared to the more “serious” Pinot Gris from Coyote’s Run this offers a lighter texture on the palate. The finish is clean but some of the orchard fruit flavours linger for a medium long finish.
2015 Unoaked Chardonnay – $14.95 – LCBO 26740 – **** – Vibrant citrus and apple on the nose. The flavours in this wine are apple, peach and lemon. There is a nice mineral note and a nice texture from time spent on lees. This wine is slightly creamy, but certainly not a full bodied Chrdonnay. There is bright, crisp acidity on the finish.
2014 Rare Vintage Chardonnay – $24.95 – Winery Only – ****+ – Easily one of my favorite Chardonnays on the market right now. Rich and complex on the nose you get aromas of smoke, and mineral… this is a BIG wine. The fruit is roasted pineapple and orange. The oak is well integrated, but don’t serve this wine too cold or it will overpower the wine. There is a bit of baking spice on the finish but there is just a pleasant smokiness that hangs over all parts of this wine from aroma to finish. You could pair this with food, but personally I won’t and you can’t make me.
2013 Red Paw Pinot Noir – $24.95 – Vintages 79228 – ****+ – This is easily my favorite Pinot Noir from the Niagara Peninsula way from the bench. Every year this wine comes out I smile at the price because I can afford this wine. Value aside it’s good juice! This strikes a perfect balance between fruit flavours and a nice earthiness to the finish. The nose offers up violet aromas and the flavours are Cherry and Raspberry. The finish offers up nice acidity and leaves you with damp earthiness that shifts its way to floral. Wines like these can help us erase “good” vintage and “bad” vintage from the Ontario wine lexicon. Coming from a cooler summer I would say that this is one of the best vintages of the Red Paw if not the best I have ever tasted.
2013 Black Paw Pinot Noir – $32.95 – Vintages 116442 – **** – Compared to the Red Paw this generally brings up a little more earthiness. In this vintage this is much earthier and heavier than the Red. There is more Cherry, Cranberry and Raspberry and just slight hints of floral on both the nose and the palate. This is a textbook example of great balance and great Pinot Noir from the Niagara Peninsula. It’s always fun to pick up both the Red and Black Paw vineyards to do a side by side tasting.
2013 Syrah – $24.95 – Winery Only – ****+ – I think at this point I can stop calling myself a Syrah doubter. There are some fine wineries doing a great job with Syrah and while I connect Coyote’s Run with Pinot Noir I will have to train myself to include them in the great company of producers like Kacaba, Creekside, and Marynissen when it comes to Syrah. This is very smooth and easy drinking right from the bottle with lots of Raspberry and Dark Cherry. There is a nice hint of vanilla and a good blast of pepper on both the nose and finish.
2012 Cabernet Franc – $32.95 – Winery Only – ****+ – This is a medium to full bodied offering from a very hot summer. There aren’t many wineries left releasing their reserve wines from this fantastic vintage so get your hands on this while you can. The nose has a meatiness to it. The flavours on this wine bring a lot of Raspberry, Strawberry, Blackberry and Currant. The finish on this wine brings a bit of a floral note, which is a little unexpected from franc… but very nice. The tannin is already velvet smooth and approachable, but if you have the patience this should age for another 5-7 years in a cellar.
2010 Meritage Rare Vintage – $40.00 – Winery Only – ****1/2 – When I was at the winery there were very few bottles of this wine left. The nose is Raspberry and Strawberry, completely ripe and completely fruit driven aromas. When the wine hits your mouth it will fill every part of it with flavour. The Raspberry, Stawberry, Blackberry and Current flavours are very ripe and juicy but not jammy. Even though this is a big wine, it maintains it’s composure and I would go so far as to call it elegant. A wine of this quality should only be paired with the finest cuts of beef served rare (or medium rare if you insist on over cooking your meat).
