March 16 I spend the day in Prince Edward County. I went in expecting to pick up a few bottles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir… I left with my eyes opened to Gamay. There is no secret to the fact that I am a shameless promoter and lover of Gamay. I also make no secret that I look forward to the third Thursday in November every year to get my hands on the first bottle of Nouveau that rolls off the line.
Rosehall Run Gamay – $19.95 – Rosehall Run was pouring an extremely well put together Gamay. Lots of ripe juicy red fruit with a nice pepper kick on the finish. While this wine may not have a very long shelf life in the cellar it’s versatility is fantastic whether you’re serving casual fare like pizza or burgers or you feel like serving steak or a roast.
Three Dog Winery has just opened it’s doors and is selling very good Vidal based white wines. But I was given the change to taste a sample of Gamay that will be bottled shortly. Light red and fruity with a finish of white and black pepper if this wine is an indication of things to come from this winery it will be worth lining up to check out. The Doghouse White is available from the winery for $12.95 a bottle and there are two vintages available 2011 and 2012.
We spent a good part of the day checking out what was new at Norman Hardie. Everyone knows about Norm’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but the real story here was tasting some of the aromatic whites that will be available later this year. A few that I am really looking forward to are as follows.
2013 Melon to Bourgogne – A blast of citrus this is a wine that will elevate your seafood meals whether you’re cooking fish or serving freshly shucked oysters. If you’re not familiar with Melon you have been warned that the acidity is very high in this wine.
2013 Riesling – Lots of lime and lemon flavours. This riesling is very nicely balanced with just a kiss of sweetness on the finish.
We still have some great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to expect later this year as the 2012 Cuvee “L” wines will be released later this summer.
