I don’t usually make a big deal out of my birthday… but this year I made a point of celebrating by visiting both Niagara and Prince Edward County. My trip to Prince Edward County was a pilgrimage as I have tried for the past three years to taste the wine known as “the Blessed”. The Blessed is Chardonnay made at Exultet and has won White Wine of the year from the Ontario Wine awards four year running. Needless to say this wine is a hot commodity and usually sells out very quickly … thankfully there were still a few bottles kicking around when I stopped by. The Blessed isn’t the only reason to stop by Exulted as they have a focussed, well crafted portfolio.
I had a chance to taste through the portfolio with proprieter/winemaker Gerry Spinosa. To say he is fiercely passionate about making wine from the County is an understatement. Many other wineries in the county make wine with fruit that is a combination of county fruit and fruit that is often trucked in from Niagara. Grape growing in Prince Edward County is not cheap as they have to bury their vines in the winter. The wineries in Prince Edward County have not quite entered their adolescence but seem to have found solid footing in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay and Cabernet Franc. That’s what makes visiting the County so exciting is watching a wine growing region enter adolescence.
Exultet – www.exultet.ca to order any of the wines listed below.
2013 Pinot Gris – $30 – Pinot Gris is the first varietal I fell in love with in Ontario. It was 2008 and it was from Malivoire … every Pinot Gris I have had since has just not lived up to my first… until this one. Loads of tropical fruit and peach with just a hint of spice on the finish. This wine is made very dry even though it tastes like it should be sweet. This would be best enjoyed on it’s own not paired with anything on a hot patio … while you still can. If you pick up a bottle it should still hold onto it’s freshness until Spring, but drink this wine young.
2013 Mysterium Blanc de Noir – $35 – Did you know that you can make white wine out of red grapes? It’s all about getting the juice out of the grape before letting it sit on the skins. It turns out that white wine made from red grapes tastes an awful lot like Chardonnay. There is roast pineapple with a nice subtle creamy finish.
2013 Cru X Chardonnay – $38 – Bright citrus with subtle tropical flavours well integrated. Nice crisp acidity with a good finish. This wine is lightly oaked and well balanced. This wine drinks very easy and will pair well with roast or fried chicken.
2012 The Blessed Chardonnay – $40 – When anything has a lot of hype I tend to be the skeptic… and there is nothing worst than when something has a lot of hype and it doesn’t live up to it. That being said, there is nothing better than when something lives up to the hype. Before I even took my first sip of this wine I had goosebumps… literal goosebumps just from the nose on this wine. Dangerously smooth with loads of vanilla on the nose. This wine has big fruit flavours of pineapple and apple and perfectly balanced acidity. The only reason this wine is still available is that Gerry is good enough to limit his customers to one bottle each… it is also great incentive to keep going back.
2011 Cru X Pinot Noir – $39 – Nice balance between ripe Cherry flavours and Earth on the finish. The earth on the finish is heavier than most Pinot Noir made in the county. Good acidity will make this a perfect match for roast lamb… but let’s face it… with great County Pinot you’re talking about wine that isn’t made to be paired with anything.
2011 The Beloved Pinot Noir – $50 – If red silk could be bottled it would be the Beloved. Very ripe cherry flavours with hints of nutmet and allspice and vanilla on the finish. There is a very subtle earthiness on the finish of this wine. There are certain wines that are not made to be paired with anything and this is one of them. I made a pact with a friend that in the distant future we will be getting together to share a bottle of the Blessed and the Beloved. These wines are made to be shared with your closest friends.
Domaine Darius – http://domainedarius.ca/
Domaine Darius is the new kid on the block. In spite of their small focused portfolio they are worth checking out because of the prices and the quality of wine making. They currently offer three wines.
2012 (Unoaked) Chardonnay – $20 – Apple, Citrus and Melon flavours dominate this wine with nice bright acidity and a clean finish. This is a great food wine and will make a great match to roast and barbequed chicken.
2012 Gewurztraminer – $22 – Rose Petal and Lychee on the nose and in glass with this wine. Bone dry but all the flavours in this wine are focused like a laser and with a beautifully clean finish. This is what the Prairie boy in me refers to as a “perogy” wine … the acidity and floral flavours cut through the fat and salt that you get in a full spread of perogies, sausage and saurkraut … pick up a few bottles and wait for the fall weather to roll in.
2011 Pinot Noir – $22 – “Cheap” Pinot can be hard to find in the County … this is a welcome addition to my cellar. Loads of ripe cherry, gingerbread spice and nice balanced earthiness. The finish has nice acidity making this a great wine to match with beef, roast duck or lamb.
