I recently had the chance to taste through a couple of the new releases from Southbrook. The “Whimsy” line is being replaced with the “Estate Grown Small Lot” line. I’m not sure it has the same ring to it that Whimsy does, but the wines are beautiful. Consider this your teaser trailer to what is yet to come from Southbrook in 2016.
2013 Cabernet Franc “201” – $34.95 – Winery Only – ****+ – This is the first of eight versions of the 2013 Cabernet Franc that will be released by Southbrook. I am sitting on the edge of my seat with anticipation if the next bottles are going to be anywhere near as good as this one. Striking a perfect balance between perfectly ripe fruit on the nose with hints of savory notes poking through. The flavours in this wine are concentrated and match the nose perfectly. While there is quite a bit of mint and roasted herb that are hiding on the mid palate of this wine the fruit is very ripe. This will make a fantastic mate to barbeque or roasted beer or lamb dishes, but it does make a very elegant red wine to enjoy on its own. This may not have the aging potential of some of the Red Wines from 2012 or 2010 but who cares? It just means you don’t need to wait to enjoy this wine right now.
2013 Chardonnay Wild Ferment – $34.95 – Winery Only – ****1/2 – There is something about Wild Ferment Chardonnay that just gives the wine this unrefined, but delicious funk that pokes it’s way through everything in the wine. Pineapple, Peaches, Apple, Orange, Lemon, Baking Spice, and then a hint of that funk that just pokes through slightly in everything. This is definitely helping to raise the bar for what a well priced Chardonnay should be from Ontario, even at thirty five dollars this is worth every penny. Pairing any food with this wine would be criminal as this is meant to be enjoyed on its own served after being slightly chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes.
