I really love the wines from Icellars. I look forward to stopping by whenever I get the chance. Simba, the golden retriever, and door greeter is quickly gaining notoriety to match Brix, the Bernese mountain dog and door greeter at Sue-Ann Staff’s winery. In short, this is one of the most exciting places to visit on Niagara and the Lake. The property is located next to Coyote’s Run and has quietly been increasing their production since opening the doors a few years ago. Owner’s Adnan and Elif have spared no expense… where it matter. Peter Gamble is consulting winemaker and vineyard management is handled by Craig Wismer. You won’t find ornate architecture at the winery, but when you enter the front door the barrel cellar doubles as a tasting room. I do find something more intimate about tasting the wine where the wine is being made – as much as I love a nice tasting room, there is something that feels authentic about this.
I went on this visit to check out the new wines for sale. I also needed to follow up on my podcasting co-host who recently scored their Cabernet Sauvignon five stars. It’s been no secret that Michael Pinkus and I are frustrated with elevated scores from other writers – so I needed to make sure that Michael isn’t losing his mind. It turns out there is a lot more at Icellars than just the Cabernet Sauvignon that are worth checking out.
2017 Sauvignon Blanc – $35.00 – **** – This is intense and tropical. I’m not sure Ontario has quite defined an identity for what Sauvignon Blanc should be, but this bottle certainly sets a benchmark for how good it can be. The fruit flavours on the palate bring peach, nectarine, and passion fruit. In perfect balance with bright crisp acidity that pushes through the intense flavours leaving the palate refreshed and anticipating the next sip. This is definitely something I am looking forward to in upcoming vintages.
2016 Chardonnay – $45.00 – ****+ – Every year this wine gets a little more solid, and brings a little more depth to the bottle. Compared to previous vintages that brought a lot of mineral to the bottle this is an avalanche of butterscotch, creamed corn, peaches, and pineapple. There is nice balance with baking spice, and a whisper of woodsmoke. The texture of this wine is heavy, but kept in restraint with nice acidity. This has everything I am looking for in a Chardonnay from Ontario because it is most definitely rich and big – but the acidity does keep this food friendly and something you can find on my table with roast chicken or turkey as the temperature gets cooler.
2016 Syrah – $39.00 – ****½ – This offers outstanding value – and for a winery that is making a name for itself working with Bordeaux style wines it’s nice to see another name in the ring for high quality Syrah in the province. Without a doubt this is cool climate Syrah with a hint of black pepper, smoke, and a meatiness on the nose. But on the palate this opens up with rich dark fruit – plum, and blackberry. There is a nice note of gingerbread house, and licorice that works well with the fruit. The tannin is velvet and approachable from the onset, but expect this to soften over the next 3-5 years.
2016 Cabernet Franc – $30.00 – ****+ – It’s exciting to me to see this bottle occupy the entry level tier of the portfolio at Icellars. There are aromas of pencil shaving layered over raspberry, cherry, plum, and a hint of red pepper jelly. Great balance and structure – a bottle that is approachable and easy drinking from the onset, but you can expect this to mature in a cellar with ease over the next 3-5 years.
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon – $60.00 – ***** – There is nothing subtle about this wine. If you have ever met owners Adnan and Elif you can see that their enthusiasm and passion for their winery is infectious – and that passion has easily been captured in this bottle. The concentration of blueberry, blackberry, cassis, and cherry is off the charts – even for a hot vintage like 2016. The fruit is juicy and ripe – but balanced perfectly with great acidity. You can anticipate holding onto this in your cellar for 10 years easily.
