O’Leary Wines – Reserve

We have a few celebrities who threw their hat into the ring early when it came to making Canadian wine. The main three were Wayne Gretzky, Mike Weir, and Dan Akroyd. I don’t doubt for one minute that there is a passion from these individuals to making wine. A couple years ago Kevin O’Leary, Mr. Wonderful himself, tossed his hat in the ring of celebrities who have added their name to a wine label. When I caught up with him to talk to him about the release he had a Cab Merlot and an Unoaked Chardonnay on the shelves of the LCBO. This was back in 2012 (https://andrewinereview.ca/2012/10/12/wine-review-october-14-2012-kevin-oleary-wines/) and the wines were impressive. I think as far as celebrity wines go Mr. O’Leary has a leg up on the competition.

Now Kevin O’Leary has expanded his line to include two Reserve wines. Trevor and Savannah are named after Kevin’s children and they show a continued commitment and faith to the Ontario wine industry. I think the most remarkable thing about these wines, other than the price, is that Trevor (that’s the red one) is made with Cabernet Franc. When I spoke with Kevin about these wines he told me that he is a firm believer in working with what grows well in Ontario and he’s happy to champion Cabernet Franc. As a consumer I am happy to see this brand expand beyond the regular list wines. These are wines that are definitely made to be approachable and affordable but these are also wines that reflect the region, and the vintage.

2012 Kevin O’Leary Trevor Family Reserve Red (Cabernet Franc) – Vintages 421347 – $29.00 – ****+ – The first reserve wine from Kevin O’Leary to make it to the vintages shelves. This is a worthy step up from the very good Cabernet Merlot that you can currently find in the general list of your LCBO. This is made from Cabernet Franc from the very warm 2012 Summer vintage. This is fruit driven, with Raspberry, Blackberry and hints of currant. There is nice Cocoa and Smoke with just a slight hint of herbaciousness. This is a wine that is drinking great right now with soft tannin right out of the bottle. If you do have some patience this will age very nicely over the next 5-8 years.

2012 Kevin O’Leary Savannah Family Reserve Chardonnay – Winery Only (Vineland Estates) – $30.00 – ****+ – I’m going to warn you now if you serve this wine at fridge temperature it’s going to taste a little woody so you will want to wait for it to warm up. The nose is wonderful with vanilla and baking spice layered over pineapple and citrus. Chardonnay is one of those things that we do so well in Ontario because regardless of vintage it just ends up tasting so good in the glass. In the glass you have mainly citrus and orchards fruit … apple and peach with hints of roasted pineapple poking through and the baking spice working it’s way out as it rolls off the back of your tongue. Nice balanced acidity rounds out the package, and as with the Trevor Cabernet Franc this is drinking great right now but should settle down a bit with another year or two in bottle…. so pick up 2 or 3 bottles.