Domaine Queylus is a new winery in Niagara. I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peak at some of the portfolio at Cuvée in February this year. Winemakers Thomas Bachelder and Kelly Baker were pouring two pinot noirs that evening, but the current Queylus portfolio has 5 PInots. They are also making Bordeaux style blended wines.
The 2011 Pinot Noir Reserve is what was being poured in February and it was easily one of the standouts for the evening. (They were also pouring a 2011 Pinot Noir Grande Reserve behind the table … should you have the means I highly recommend it).
2011 Pinot Noir Tradition – Winery Only (http://queylus.com/) – $30.00 – Well put together and even touching the thirty dollar price point this wine is very well priced. Lots of cherry with nice acidity making this very easy to drink right now. Will make a perfect match to roast duck. I would highly recommend picking up an entire “set” of Pinot Noir currently available from Domaine Queylus.
2011 Cabernet Franc Merlot Reserve – Winery Only – $45.00 – This wine is drinking dangerously easy. Building a wine cellar can be a challenge if you’re as impatient as I am. But, with a bit of effort you can build a collection of wine that will hopefully be better than it was the day you bought it. This particular blend may not age for 15 year… but it will improve over the next 5 years. The great news is that if you ARE impatient you can enjoy it right now. I tasted this wine right out of the bottle with no decanting and I was rewarded with a very fruit forward blast of black currant, and plum. The tannin on this wine is soft with a very smooth finish. This will make a perfect match to roast beef dinner.
