2008 Rosehall Run Cold Creek Cabernet Franc – VINTAGES 149039 – $22.95 – I have raved about the Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Franc for it’s value and this Wine would make an excellent dance partner if you want to see two different sides to the same grape variety, but different region in Ontario. While the Triomphe has a more velvetty bold fruit flavour and texture on the palette this offering from Rosehall Run is more like a right hook. Bold flavours of Currant heavy on the typical Black Pepper you find in Cabernet Franc the finish on this is smoky with a lingering flavour of new oak barrels that rides on the back of your tongue and continues right up into your nose. If you were to pick up both this and a lighter Cabernet Franc, or if you were not pairing this one with food I would save this to be your encore for the end of a night entertaining with friends.
2009 Stoney Ridge Excellence Chardonnay – VINTAGES 254243 – $26.00 – I am very excited to recommend this wine as I feel this is THE BEST Ontario Chardonnay I have tried this year. I am not the only one who has recognized the greatness in this wine as it has been recognized with the Lieutenant Governors Award for Excellence in Ontario Wine Making. The best way to describe this wine is balance. Like many of the great Unoaked Chardonnay there is a pressence of Tropical Fruit on the nose and initial taste of this wine (Pineapple), turning immediately to a creamy and buttery flavour and texture courtesy of aging in Oak Barrels. The finish is a bit acidic which washes most of the bright flavours off the tongue but leaves you with just a bit of everything that you’ve just tasted.
