My last trip to Prince Edward County included a stop by Lacey Estates to check out some of their new releases. This small, family run winery is a detour in this year if you have never had the chance to stop by. One thing that has me excited is seeing some red wines coming from the stellar 2012 vintage being sold in large format bottles. I have jokes about this before, but I keep magnums in my collection so I don’t risk opening them too soon. The Cabernet Franc and Dorland Reserve are made with Niagara fruit, and they are damned good. The 2015 Pinot Noir is made with Prince Edward County fruit. You will be hard pressed to find a better value to quality in this bottle.
2015 Pinot Noir – $25.00 – ****+ – This is liquid awesome. I have a hard time with Pinot Noir from Ontario because it’s a challenge finding a standout bottle without getting north of thirty dollars. This bottle from Lacey estates helps re-adjust the bar for value and quality. The aroma is juicy dark cherry with a subtle earthiness layered under the fruit. When you take your first sip the concentrated dark cherry flavours fill your whole mouth from cheek to cheek. After your first sip take a moment to savour the second sip and let the flavours continue to unravel in your mouth. Your dark cherry moves to blackberry, blackberry moves to violet, violet moves to mushroom. When the wine leaves your mouth the finish on the palate is clean with nice acidity but a bit of violet and earthiness linger. I don’t anticipate this wine to stay on the shelf for a long time so head to the County to stock up today.
2012 Cabernet Franc – $32.00 – ****+ – The fruit comes from Niagara so we get a wine from a hot summer that walks a fine line between medium and full bodied. This is another exhibit in the case for why we should start paying more attention to Cabernet Franc as Ontario’s grape. The fruit is perfectly ripe with raspberry, blackberry, black currant and cherry on the nose and on the palate. There is some nice depth with a smokiness that wisps over all this fresh fruit. The tannin is still firm in this wine, but it doesn’t overpower all the fresh fruit waiting to be unleashes in your glass. This is approachable right now but, this is definitely a wine that could spend some time in your cellar … which is great news because there will be some magnums of this wine made available. Pair this with red meat of any kind whether it’s grilled or roasted.
