2012 Union Forté – Vintages 361758 – $16.95 – ****1/2 – There is a lot of people experimenting with fortified wines in Ontario, but the Union Forté sits above everyone else. This wine offers something very different from the nose until the finish. The nose is candied cherry, plum and spice. There is nice rich intensity to the fruit when you take your first sip. Fruit flavours of plum, dark cherry, raisin followed through with a bit of cocoa and spice. The spice notes in this wine have me thinking of Christmas already because this just feels like liquid fruit cake. Now the finish on this wine offers a bit of a nuttiness that lingers.
2010 Henry of Pelham Family Reserve Cabernet/Merlot – Vintages 616433 – $39.95 – ****1/2 – I am looking back at my notes for this wine and I have summed it up in one word — Impressive! Coming from the very warm and dry 2010 vintage this is a wine that will be hard to hold onto. The tannin is starting to relax and this is approachable if you decide to open this now. That being said it will continue to mature in a cellar for another 5-7 years. This is the sort of wine that will make a great gift to a budding oenophile because it walks that fine line being ready to drink or heading to a growing collection.
