The Old Tun 2019 Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc – $12.00 (375ml) – on-line
André – Thumbs Up … unfiltered and with lees – I wouldn’t call this conventional in any way shape or form – but sauvignon blanc with bubbles just isn’t something you normally see in the province. This delivered nice tropical notes and a slight bitterness on the finish – a perfect fish and chips wine.
Michael – Thumbs Down … Andre I think you are making excuses for a funky wine here, I don’t want things floating in my Savvy B, I want crisp, clean and refreshing – this one does not deliver – and that “bitterness on the finish” of which you speak, you’re just being kind.
Kacaba 2019 Reserve Riesling – $20.15 – at the winery and on-line
M – Thumbs Up … this one has some of what I want and a shockingly subtle acidity: some pear sweetness, apple, tropical notes and peach and the long finish is based on that sweetness not the acidity.
A – Thumbs Down … there isn’t anything wrong with this wine – but from the cool 2019 vintage I was expecting to be clobbered with more acid on the finish. I’m on the fence for up or down, but have to shift down because it just falls short of what I was hoping for from Niagara Riesling.
The Old Tun Cider – $7.00 (375ml) – on-line
A – Thumbs Up … this is a bone dry cider with honeyed notes – a little bit of honey was added to the cider adding a floral complexity. The apple notes are bruised and the finish is clean. Definitely sessionable.
M Thumbs Up … love this style of cider, dry to the bone. It’s a hard one to really get behind until you’ve had a few sips, and get the apple notes on the finish,but once you do you’re sold. Beauty.
Studio Gamay 2019 Chere Ella – $22.75 at Palatine Hills
A – Thumbs Up … Full disclosure: I helped new virtual winery owner Vladimir Skok design the labels on his inaugural wines called Studio Gamay. Another welcome addition to the Ontario landscape of high quality gamay. If you love the lighter side of this grape this easily stands shoulder to shoulder with village quality Beaujolais.
M – Thumbs Up … not sure it’s the label that really sold me, sure it’s colourful but did nothing for me, the wine inside on the other hand was right up my alley. Delicate, cherry, sweet cranberry, white pepper and very satisfying. If this is the inaugural vintage I am looking forward to more.
Flat Rock 2017 Gravity Pinot Noir – $34.95 – sold out at winery, coming to LCBO
M – Thumbs Up … Holy Moly Ollie, or should I say Andre, this one kicks ass, pure Pinot Noir from nose to palate and it over delivers; this is the best Gravity Pinot I have tasted in a long time.
A – Thumbs Up … A very enthusiastic thumbs up. The aromas climb out of the glass with unbridled intensity and it hits all the right notes for pinot from Ontario – OH and if that’s not enough coming in under forty dollars we’re looking at great value too.
Fogolar 2018 Cabernet Franc – $22.20 – on-line
M – Thumbs Up … this is not what I want in my Franc anymore, but it certainly shows the vintage it is taken from, 2018 being cooler and it shows the savoury side of the grape with its bell pepper, raspberry and tobacco. It brings me back to Ontario old school Franc.
A – Thumbs Down – I know that 2018 was a cooler vintage but I was expecting a bit more. There are nice red pepper jelly notes mingled with cranberry and raspberry on the nose but the texture was a little thinner than I was hoping.
Henry of Pelham 2019 Baco Noir, Bin 106 ‘Lost Boys Limited Edition’ – $29.95 – at the winery
A – Thumbs Up … I don’t expect to see off-dry red wines in my cellar often but the masters of Baco Henry of Pelham have delivered something balanced, juicy, and tasty. Red fruit pops thanks to a hint of R/S (10 g/l) mated with heavy vanilla notes and nice acidity.
M – Thumbs Down … I get the plum, vanilla, and black cherry and yes it is juicy, and I even get the comparison that Baco gets to Zinfandel from California … but … but … but … this one is not the good kind of Zin from California, it’s the overly sweet kind and those I do not like.
