When people ask me who makes the best wines in Prince Edward County there’s a handful of places I send them. But Rosehall Run is a must stop for anyone who ventures up the 401. I have said it many times on this site, but Rosehall is one of the most important spots in the county. It is one of those rare places where there is literally a wine for everyone. A quick search of Rosehall Run on instagram these days you will see many smiling people holding a glass or bottle of pixie, or the popular pixie petite. On the other end of the portfolio the JCR wines are something I always look forward to tasting. It’s hard to create a portfolio that has the depth to appeal to everyone.
I don’t want to bury the lead – but the latest lineup of largely Prince Edward County wines is a bit more varied in terms of quality. But still some very solid buys here. Including the latest JCR Pinot that stopped me dead in my tracks after the first sip.
2019 JCR Pinot Noir – $42.00 – ***** – I have been on a journey to better understand Pinot Noir over the past couple years. This has culminated into a pretty awesome experiment involving Star Trek and Burgundy (you can read about it here). But when I reflect on my experience with the grape I think about my origins as a wine writer over a decade ago and looking at these wines with a lofty price point and wondering if they are worth the money. 2019 was not an easy vintage anywhere in Ontario. If defies logic that this wine is as good as it is. The nose is rich and complex, while maintaining it’s delicate pinot-ness. Layers of cherry, earth, and violet notes are all asking for attention but somehow do it politely. What I really tasted was the potential for this bottle – If you open this in its youth and guzzle the bottle you will not be disappointed, while young, it delivers all the goods for great county Pinot. By the time I got to the bottom of the bottle this wine had opened up into something so well put together it made me a bit sad there was nothing left in the bottle. In my ten years of writing about wine I believe this is the best Pinot I have ever tasted from Rosehall Run. Buy and hold for 5-10 years or decant when opening.
2019 JCR Chardonnay – $36.00 – **** – This wine marks the 10th anniversary of the flagship JCR wines. The fruit from the long cool growing season was harvested the third week of October – this is quite late even for the County. Balanced with nice spice notes, and orchard fruit – what this wine lacks in intensity it makes up for in complexity. Beyond the fruit there are fantastic mineral notes and bright acid that keeps this clean on the finish. Notes of spice to linger – so you will need to be mindful of food pairings.
2019 Small Lots ‘UV’ – $39.00 – **** – When I think about what makes Dan Sullivan a great winemaker, and a hell of a storyteller in liquid form – it’s wines like these. I love the one off labels, and the outliers in the portfolio because I can always count on something interesting. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from 2019 are definitely grapes I would consider underdogs given the cool summer. Looking at the notes from Rosehall Run it seems some creative work in the vineyard had the fruit hanging until November. This wine is beautifully ripe with nice notes of blue and red fruit and soft tannin have this ready to enjoy now or improving with 5-7 years in a cellar.
2020 Hungry Point Sauvignon Blanc – $26.00 – **** – While many are debating what the third (and fourth) grapes in Price Edward County – I’m not sure we need anything else after Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But man – the Sauvignon Blanc in the right hands delivers something mighty tasty. Low alcohol at 12.5% and pure ripe tangerine notes on the nose and palate. Barrel fermented in older large barriques – and the addition of acacia are what I suspect is responsible for a honeyed note on the nose and palate. I enjoyed this out of a burgundy glass and found that it added an extra layer of enjoyment to this wine.
