I sat down with Carolyn Hurst and Casey Kulczyk to go through the Pinot Noir lineup in the Westcott portfolio. And as with the previous week Carolyn through a curveball at Michael and I as we were wrapping up the interview. She did a good job triggering Michael when she used the word typicity to ask whether Ontario has a signature style. And while the word typicity definitely has negative connotations among the wine community with regards to the standard being used by the VQA – It’s fair to ask whether Ontario has a style to define it yet.
New Zealand, and Oregon are two regions that are roughly the same age as Ontario. But both have done a fantastic job clearly defining what they are about. New Zealand has hit the ground running with Sauvignon Blanc – and Oregon with Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Has Ontario figured out its own definition? I would say no, but I would also argue that it’s not a bad thing. We are fortunate in Ontario to have a wide selection of styles and varieties but the result of this is we don’t have one grape that is king. Frankly, that’s not a bad thing, I don’t want to live in a world where things like Syrah might disappear. I mean it does create a challenge for people trying to market Ontario on the global scale – Ontario it’s where everything grows.
2016 Estate $29.99 – **** – Coming from the hot 2016 summer this has nice low alcohol at 12.5% and packs a lot of flavour in the glass. The rich violet notes are like an invasion out of the glass. The fruit flavours are fighting for attention on the onset but they are there – the cranberry, and sour cherry notes have to climb out of the violet garden and bring some earthiness to the party. This was made with 30% whole cluster – and the tannin is still a little firm if you open this right now. So an hour in a decanter should help this wine relax or you can wait until 2021-2023 to open.
2017 Estate $29.99 – **** – The 2017 vintage offers the same alcohol as 2016 stated at 12.5% on the bottle. The vintage conditions were much cooler throughout the summer. I would say this has a bit more harmony with flavours and the cherry, and cranberry notes dance harmoniously with violets. Compared to 2016 the winemaking was a little more hands off with indigenous yeast and minimal filtration being done to this wine. The tannin is already soft and integrated – so this is ready to rock if you’re looking for something to drink now – but a few years in a cellar won’t hurt at all.
2016 Reserve $44.99 – ****+ – What’s interesting about the wines from Westcott is the difference between the Estate and Reserve. While in the Estate the fruit is buried under an avalanche of violets – this arrives with an explosion of cherry, strawberry, and cranberry. The tannin is well integrated but still a bit grippy on the finish as it rolls off the back of your tongue. While this is definitely a bottle that is ready to rock now – a few years in a cellar should take the edge off.
2017 Reserve $44.99 – ****+ – The 2017 is going to need a bit of time to come into focus. It took a bit of time to have this come together when I was tasting it for the podcast – but with a bit of patience – wow – this unlocked delicate floral aromas mated to cherry and cranberry notes. The mineral note starts to poke through on the mid palate and finish. The tannin is soft and well integrated – but plan on putting this in a decanter for a bit if you’re opening now – this should be ready to drink 2021-2025.
2019 Butlers’ Grant Riesling – **** – A fantastic addition to the lineup of top shelf Riesling. This checks all the boxes of great Niagara Riesling. Mineral, citrus, and orchard fruit. Perfectly balanced with crisp acidity on the finish. There is not much of this available as only 44 cases were made – so make sure you can get your hands on it.
