A recent visit to Kacaba Vineyards raised an eyebrow – Obviously, I was excited to taste the current lineup of 2020 Reserve wines. What I have here are five wines that are worth making the visit to Kacaba this summer. In hot vintages the team at Kacaba work to make a statement – memorable wines from 2012 and 2016 immediately jump to mind when I think of some of the best Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon from these vintages. That being said there is something special about the 2020 vintage – cool nights helped ripe red fruit retain acidity better than the aforementioned “hot vintages”. Also – the head winemaker is now Vadim Chelekhov, who was the assistant working under John Tummon previously.
If you’re a fan of the big reds from Kacaba you will not be disappointed. But, these wines do seem a bit different. The tannin is shorter, and better integrated allowing these wines to be accessible while young. These wines are very well structured and may have more longevity than any previous vintage form Kacaba. Notes to follow on a trio of 2020’s you MUST pick up.
Syrah can be a challenge in cool years for Ontario. This wine writer has tasted more than a handful of underripe Syrah’s during his writing career. So, I didn’t have high expectations for the 2019 round up from Kacaba. I feel guilty to have ever doubted the winemaking from this winery that is known for Syrah. I recently tasted a pair of 2019s – opening up the Proprietor’s Block Syrah next to a Crozes Hermitage – finding that Ontario bottle … from a challenging, cool vintage holding it’s own with Northern Rhone Syrah. Notes to follow on this beautiful pair of wines.
2020 Reserve Syrah – ****+ – Texturally this is a full bodied Syrah – but it still manages to be elegant (… for a hot vintage). If I were tasting this blind I might guess this is a well made Australian Shiraz from McLaren Vale. Aromas are plum, cassis, and dark cherry. There are whispers of spice on the nose and on the finish. The fruit flavours explode on the palate unapologetically announcing the wonderful hot summer that brought this wine to be. Drink now with light decanting or cellar until 2033
2020 Reserve Cabernet Franc – ***** – I hesitate to say ‘the best’ – but this is without a doubt one of the finest bottles of Cabernet Franc made in Ontario to date. The concentration, and depth of flavours mated with balanced acidity. The nose is refreshing notes of cherry, and raspberry. The franc’ness is restrained but present with notes of tobacco subtly mingling with the rich fruit notes. Cocoa notes pop on the back palate as the short well integrated tannins roll off the back of your tongue like silk. Bold, and Elegant – this is everything you could ask for if you love Ontario Cabernet Franc. I would wait for the tannin to integrate a bit further before this wine is truly going to rock – the sample bottle provided by Kacaba was revisited over 4 days with continued improvement. Drink 2026-2040.
2020 Reserve Meritage – ****+ – Aromas of candied cherry, blueberry, and loads of baking spice climb out of the glass. The flavours are dense cherry, strawberry, blueberry with hints of smoke and spice. I would say this is more approachable, and maybe a hair less cellar worthy than the Cabernet Franc. If anything, that’s a reason to grab a couple of bottles of this to enjoy while you’re waiting for the Cabernet Franc to be ready to rock. Drink 2023-2033.
2019 Proprietor’s Block Syrah – ****+ – I enjoyed this bottle as a follow up to a Crozes Hermitage – Knowing this was from the challenging 2019 vintage I was not prepared for this to stand up to the French. This delivered the goods! Pepper notes and blackberry on the nose and palate. This has nice intensity – but it remains light and balanced with beautiful food friendly acidiy. There are hints of smoke that linger on the finish that have me craving bbq’d lamb or beef. This has some cellar potential – but this writer thinks that this wine is ready to drink right now. Drink 2023-2028
2019 Silver Bridge Syrah – ****+ – With a bit more smoke and spice than the Proprietor’s block – this is the more austere of the pair of 2019 Syrah’s currently available from Kacaba. This is medium bodied with good balance of fruit – and lingering smokiness on the finish. This is also a match to bbq’d lamb or beef – slightly more cellaring potential than the Proprietor’s block – but I don’t predict any additional fruit to reveal itself. Drink 2023-2029.
