The last time I was at Casa-Dea in Prince Edward County I was introduced to their first appassimento wine called Adamo. I had the opportunity to taste the white counterpart – Eva. It is always exciting to see what comes out of the doors of the winery when you have a creative winemaker pushing the envelope. One thing that is interesting about these wines in particular is that they are all made with Prince Edward County fruit.
2014 Melon de Bourgogne – ***1/2+ – Bright citrus on the nose. In the mouth this is very interesting. You have lemon and a nice subtle creaminess on the mid palate. The acidity is very high on the finish of this wine, but that is one of the signatures of Melon. This is your essential Oyster wine, but it will also make a great match to other fish.
2011 Pinot Noir – ***1/2+ – What a nice Pinot from a vintage that has brought us a lot of great Pinot (and Chardonnay) from the County. Fruit driven with lots of ripe red cherry on the nose and hints of floral with the same in the glass. There is just a slight hint of earthiness on the finish with good acidity. Enjoy this one on its own or with grilled lamb.
2010 Cabernet Franc Reserve – **** – The nose on this is ripe raspberry and plum. Flavours in this wine are Blackberry, Raspberry and Dark Plum with nice subtle Cocoa on the finish. Coming from the slightly cooler county (compared to Niagara) the acidity is a little higher on this than you might otherwise expect. High acidity on Franc just makes it a better match for more foods. This will pair with just about any Red meat but for the summer I would slow roast beef ribs on the long bone and finish with a good barbeque sauce.
2010 Reserve Chardonnay – ****+ – This was a stunning full bodied Chardonnay. The nose is Pineapple, Peach, and Vanilla. The flavours of this wine are rich Pineapple, Peach, and Vanilla with nice hints of spice on the finish. This is rich and buttery, but with good balanced acidity on the finish. I know you can pair Chardonnay like this with creamy pasta, or fried chicken but you would be best to enjoy this wine on its own.
2014 Eva (Chardonnay) – ****+ – I have to tip my hat to Winemaker Paul Battilana for this wine. Wines being made in the appassimento style are still being regarded by many as an experiment in the province. But I have found we are getting more hits than misses. Eva didn’t spend much time in barrel so you have beautifully concentrated flavours from the fruit without being hidden behind a lot of Vanilla or Smoke. There are flavours of tangerine, peach, and pineapple. There are just slight hints of vanilla on the finish giving the wine a nice layer of complexity on the finish. This is worth checking out for it’s uniqueness and make sure you enjoy this one on its own.
