Canadian Wine Guy

This will be my first attempt at blogging via my blackberry as the only method (aka write and post from berry). Simply put, I am traveling so much these days that doing reviews has become nearly impossible. So when I have wine I will do my best to blog it, and I will fill in the blanks (pictures, LCBO info) at a later date. As well, I will do my best to check spelling, but if my accuracy stinks from time to time, just be sure to chalk it up to excess wine!

On to the tasting!

The Trius reds have been on my must drink list for awhile. A good blend of the principle Bordeaux grapes, this specialty-winery of the Canadian giant Hillebrand already produces several great wines (Trius Brut (nv) for one). Inky red in colour with an excellent bouquet of cinnamon, cherry and oak this wine from an average vintage started off well. With the solid start, the wine was a nice and chewy but not overly tanniny. For an ‘03 this was surprisingly ready to drink now. A nice even finish with a good hint of pepper.

Of the Canadian reds I have had recently, this is up there. I am giving it a well deserved 87
Mrs.CWG says

“I am glad we have a few bottles of this left”

LCBO info to follow.

Ps: you will end up seeing a dspam message, ignore it!

EDIT: LCBO # is: 303800, $19.95 (they do not state a vintage year, which means ‘03 may no longer be available, unsure why there is no year attached to their listing)

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This picture says it all:

After her long trip away Mrs.CWG brought back a sheer bounty for me. She of course tried most but not all, and there are no guarantees to their quality but over the next few weeks we will review a wine here and there.

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Ah Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the famous southern Rhône town and appellation that lies to the north of beautiful Avignon. For those not aware, the town gets it’s name from the fact that the Papacy once ruled from Avignon. Of course any good Pope needs a new castle, so one was built, and voila you get “new Castle of the Pope” aka: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Creative? Well not really. The vines and winemakers long outlived the Avignon Papacy (which did not last even a mere hundred years) and by the end of 1300s Burgundy wine was well known and having had Popes enjoying it added much to the reputation of the surrounding wines. The wine that was once consider “for the popes” soon came to be known by the town to the north’s name. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée) under which thirteen different grapes can be used to make wine, for reds the three primary grapes used are Syrah, Mourvèdre and mostly Grenache Noir. The Domaine des Chanssaud is a family run house that can date it’s ownership back to 1826. Currently it is run by Patrick Jaume and was an original AOC member house in 1935. The house actually produces two reds under the Châteauneuf-du-Pape label a special Cuvée and the one we are drinking today.

This red falls under the usual heavy Grenache usage of most from the AOC, with both Syrah and Mourvèdre in single digit percentages as well. Also making appearance, though very limited, is the Cinsault variety of grape. The 2003 vintage came from a hot summer which led to the region producing some irregular wines in terms of quality. For that reason some gems can be found, but you also risk a poor wine on occasion. Enough about the nitty or the gritty, on to the tasting!

Decanting this led to a plum coloured wine that was ripe with black cherry on the nose. The first few sniffs led to more cherry but with a hint of vanilla. On the first sips this younger wine was not as harsh on the tannins as expected, both cherry and raspberry were present. With a few more sips the body of the wine came to light, while not a full blown heavy wine it straddles the middle between medium and heavy. With a few years that should soften slightly. I started to get a little bit of earthy and molasses out towards the end of the first glass, but what was most noticeable was the peppery tastes that was starting to dominate. Overall quite a few interesting flavours and quite a nice finish. The second glass had soften quite a bit from aeration. This wine will benefit from a few more years in the cellar but you will not be disappointed in cracking it right away. It is a serious wine from a serious region. I think I will need to try and find the special Cuvée the next time I am in France to bring back and enjoy. For those not familiar with Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s this wine will go tremendously well with a rack of lamb, duck breast or a strong cheese of three. Those looking for a nice bottle to bring to friends, while very worthwhile just make sure that lemon chicken is not the main dish, otherwise the meal will be dominated by wine instead of complimented.

This is a solid red from an excellent appellation, this is getting an 88.
Mrs.CWG is in transit and should be home for the next review to impose her strong thoughts and impressions upon me!

For Ontario residents: Vintages #959833 @ a price of $33.95

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Today it is CityNews:

“I bought a birthday card for my nephew that was $5 U.S. And it was $8 Canadian, and I said to the clerk, ‘That’s ridiculous. You know, that’s a 60% exchange rate,’ ” complains a man who knows a thing or two about loonies and toonies, BMO economist Doug Porter.

Despite an exchange rate of mere pennies, Porter says at the retail level we’re still miles apart.

“There is roughly a 10% price gap between Canada and the U.S. Even when you use a very conservative exchange rate like 88 cents, which is what the average has been over the last year and a half,” he said

Welcome to last week, wait two weeks ago!

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Tonight I ventured off to the Sip Ontario event, a showcase of the Ontario Wine Awards, below is the blow by blow as blogged by the berry throughout the night (pardon the spelling!). There will be no pictures this year as Mrs.CWG took the small pocket camera and my hands where to full to bring the full sized AND drink wine, since drinking wine took precedent!

18:44
Hot hot walk for a short jaunt of 20 minutes, I can fully grasp now why the movement in the Caribbean is so elongated and drawn out. It is their attempt to avoid sweating. Does not help that my recent running regime has led to excess perspiration… Of course I arrived 30 minutes to early, as Mrs. CWG would tell you I have a habit of being early or at least overly prompt. I have decided to browse the lovely distillery district for the next 20 minutes pretending to be tourist and mostly watching the people. For those that have never been to this district you are missing a hidden jewel. The area is a former distillery (hence the creative name) and now boasts an excellent assortment of restaurants, arts and crafts house plus a few specialty shops. It is without a doubt one of the best walks in good weather. Just a note to the ladies out there, this area is mostly cobblestoned, meaning high heels are not recommended!

18:53
Apparently I am not the only one early as when I strolled around the corner, I witnessed some 50 people in line. Very good to see, no word if the event was a sell out but I will inquire as I can. (edit: it was not a “sell” out but the tickets sales exceeded expectations)

19:21
First gem, while being distracted by the charming Inns of Ontario representative, I tasted an excellent 2005 Pinot Noir (Gravity) from Flat Rock Cellars, bright on the tongue and solid finish, I will ensure I do a full review in the upcoming months.

19:45
Just tasted the Reif Estates 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon that beat out the Château des Charmes Cab Sauv for the gold. Solid wine with firm tannins, 2-5 years of cellaring still to go at first glance, I will be picking up 2-3 bottles to review and store.

19:57
The 2004 Angels Gate Cabernet/Merlot appears to be a sleeper. Solid tannins, ripe fruit and a good nose. No awards but worth investigating, I will be sure to buy a bottle or two to get a full review in. (At this point I am sure Mrs.CWG is cringing)

20:11
I know that outside of 2002 complex reds I am eagerly awaiting the 2005’s, since we are still 8-10 months away from release, next year this event will be stunning for bold reds. Lots of 2005 Pinots and Bacos here, but the few “heavier” reds are still young and really not ready to taste. That said, to change gears, I just tried the Konzelmann Estates 2004 Riesling Traminer Late harvest, phenomenal, these will be a bottle or two in the future. Late harvests are so often overlooked by their big brothers the Icewines, but this is one excellent wine.

20:24
Strewn Three (Strewn Wineries), a nice meritage with even tannins and ripe fruit, 3 to 5 via the winemaker, with 5 to 8 if you are looking for even balanced Bordeaux style. This little known winery may actually have a solid winner here if the price is not too high. I believe this was a 2004 and I will follow up if I can with a review.

20:32
I am going to wrap up, I am touring the desert wines at this time as I have tried most of the bold reds and some of the award winning whites. While not much else has griped my palate with solid “Wows” it is not for lack of quality but from sheer overwhelming aromas and tastes. The icewines and late harvests are simply tremendous and while Canada is often thought of as a desert wine producing country, it does produce some of the best and has deserved that reputation, on to more late harvests and icewines, pardon me!

20:45
Lies, lies, lies; alright I am not a wrapping up yet, just had the 2004 Coyote’s Run Barrel Fermented Vidal Icewine, at $40 a bottle may be the biggest steal in the pricey icewine market. As well it is the gold medal winner. Things to ponder for those looking at the big named vineyards in Niagara.

20:54
Whoa am I going to have to find links tonight (for those that do not know this entire evening has been blogged on my blackberry), and I have found another gem. Lailey Vineyard has produced an excellent barrel fermented 2005 Vidal icewine that should be reviewd. Make note Mrs.CWG I see several purchases on the horizon. The Winemaker believes 2 to 4 years to mature to excellence.

Aftermath: The event was excellent, great venue, excellent setup, good representation from the wineries, there was tremendous food throughout (I avoided blogging as to what I was eating, but suffice it to say the food was bite sized and perfectly matched to the multitude of wines).

Okay that is it, tomorrow is an excellent southern Rhône for review. Till then, sip well!

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This 2005 came to the CWG household via a housewarming gift. The kind fellow brought this plus one for himself (you may say he is the best sort of guest, non?) and proceeded to enjoy the Italian white with much passion. Once placed into the cellar this wine has sat untouched … TILL NOW!! I will be very brief this evening as I am running out of internal gas. On to the tasting!

This is a straw coloured white that while young is at the perfect age to drink. On the nose right away is a solid aroma of apple. The initial slurps yields more of the green apple with a hint of peach. Continuing on lent more of the same with a soft finish (which was expected). After a glass I ended up getting a hint of pear and lemon. Needless to say this wine brings out a solid amount of fruit and with a soft finish lends itself to lighter dinners, appetizers or aperitif style drinking. For a hot summer night you will not be hard pressed to serve this chilled to guests as it will be both refreshing and pleasant; that said, I’d avoid having 2 or more all by itself as you may be overwhelmed by the fruit. If you were looking for dinner suggestions to go along with this I’d look at a pasta with a light sauce (avoid cream based), a lemon pepper chicken or a nice cedar plank salmon.

While a solid white I am not sold entirely on, for that it gets an 85.
Mrs.CWG for once is quiet (might have something to do with being in Europe.)

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Yesterday was a day to sit back, sip wine and contemplate life, simply because most of the city was stuck indoors as Mother Nature was doing her best to pretend it was late fall, not early summer. With the winds a blustering and the rain a drizzling the Canadian Wine Guy decided to sit back, relax and sip some wine. I know, I know, a novel idea! When looking into the wine fridge I wanted to drink a red, but with no particular region calling me, I decided to look at the Canadian section and see if there was something ready to at least give the ‘Ol College try. Sitting there, all lined up in their little part of the cellar world were 6 bottles of Henry of Pelham Meritages all of different vintages. I could not resist pulling out a 2003 as I had not actually tried one yet and if my memory served me correctly I was sure to have a nice wine. Mrs.CWG and I had gone with some close friends a few summers ago to Henry of Pelham estates to do a traditional wine tour, while we in fact decided to forgo the only tour that day we did not however leave without tasting and buying wine. Our friends are huge fans of the Estate’s Baco Noir but being the Bordeaux man that I am, I was drawn to the Meritage or “Cabernet-Merlot” as they have dubbed it. Getting away from the actual wine (as I will review it below) and focusing on the Estate I have to recommend a few things. First make the trip, it is a lovely drive and Henry of Pelham Estate has a charm to it that is uniquely Niagara. The tasting and wine boutique are very quaint and well laid out, the staff is typical wine region: friendly and knowledgeable. But mostly, plan on going for lunch in the summer to harvest times. The Coach House Cafe is a great little eatery that is worth spending some time sipping the house wines and nibbling on food. In the good weather months you can sit outside and soak in the surrounding vineyards. Okay, enough of that, on to the tasting!

I was worried that the 2003 really was not going to be ready to drink, well maybe not “ready” but I was at least concerned that I was opening it a good 3 to 5 years too soon. With the knowledge that I had another 2003 in the cellar I choose to take the plunge anyways, wine, after all, is for drinking. When decanting the Meritage gave off a nice solid red with hint of rust on the edges and a distinctive raspberry smell came to my nose. The initial swirls led to an even more in depth raspberry with a hint of blackberry. Initial sips showed an equally balanced wine with amazingly light tannins. After I got into the wine light oak came to the surface as well as a light hint of caramel. The equal balance from the initial sips did not change, how it rolled on to my tongue seemed to finish with the same polish. I was quite surprised that a 3.5 year old Bordeaux style blend would be as ready to drink as this was. As I sit here writing this I still cannot seem to shake the feeling that this wine is actually ready to drink now, though I will hold the final bottle in my stock for 2 to 3 years just to see the changes. While not an overly “complex” wine I found it to be detailed enough and with plenty of room to change. If you have a bottle or can find a 2003 I doubt you will be disappointed with this. This wine can compete with most lower to moderately priced reds and is worth having a “go” for yourself.

After some soul searching, despite enjoying the wine it simply did not wow or amaze, a solid well priced wine gets a solid 84.
Mrs.CWG has nothing to say on this topic as she is off in Eastern Europe for work. She has however promised to bring back some Bulgarian wine which she has been remarking is quite nice. If she brings back wine then she will be forgiven for abandoning me!

EDIT: Mrs.CWG says

“How could you open that without me!”

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Is it just me or does the full names of some wines seem to stretch two to three pages in width? Well this long named wine (and we need to include the whole name to properly define it) is one of wines Mrs.CWG brought back for me over a year ago during her worldly travels. Why it may seem strange to an outsider to see the Canadian Wine Guy requiring his better half to retrieve a Canadian wine via traveling as opposed to me just walking down to the local vintages section, it is not strange, it is simply very difficult to get Okanagan wines in Ontario (while it must be said the same is true in British Columbia in respect to Ontario wines). While the Niagara wine route has some geographical recognition, the Okanagan Valley for most is a question mark. Nestled into the interior of the rocky mountains in British Columbia, the wine region extends from the Okanagan Lake in and around Kelowna all the way south to the border of Washington State and the Osoyoos Lake region. The region boasts almost 75 wineries, many of which have had wines win or be recognized on the international scene. Included in this recognition, if not leading the charge has been the Jackson-Triggs Winery. Canada’s largest winery has presence in both the Niagara and Okanagan regions with their Okanagan operation located in the southern portion of the valley near Osoyoos. While they have been in Niagara for just over 23 years, their presence in British Columbia is much less experienced yet their short time in the region has led the winery to some high accolades.

Okanagan Jackson-Triggs has three labels plus one “terroir” brand, starting from the entry level Proprietors’ Selection to the intermediate Proprietors’ Reserve all the way to the more selective small quantity Grand Reserves. The wine we are reviewing today is their Bordeaux style Meritage from the high end Grand Reserve collection. The wine blends what most consider to be the five traditional Bordeaux grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Somehow in recent years the Carmenere grape has been banished to the sidelines and ignored from “Bordeaux” clarets! The 2003 is simply not purchasable anywhere in Toronto, and as such Mrs.CWG had to bring it in from BC on one of her many trips in 2006. We can buy the 2004 now in select LCBO’s but not the 2003. While I will be giving the 2004 a shot, if the 2003 is any indication, I expect that it will need to be cellared for 5 to 8 years more before being truly ready to drink. With that…. on to the tasting!

The decanting produced a very simple purple colour which surprised me with it’s extended time in oak (18 or so months), generally I have found this alone tends to soften the colour away from the “grape juice” look. The initial nose on this was strong berries, with oak in the mix. Upon swirling and getting a good sniff the berry smell (raspberry and/or strawberry simply too hard to discern) was firmly entrenched. The initial slurps did nothing to tone down the berry flavours. After several sips the true complexity of the wine began to come through, hints of vanilla and strawberry jam made for an interesting collage. The oak and tannins soon took over. The tannins did not soften over time and were very abrupt even towards the end of the second glass and the oak seemed to get a tad heavier instead of smoother, which I found to be odd. This wine in my viewpoint is simply not ready to drink yet, it is too young. I am very glad that Mrs.Cwg bought two bottles, as I am tagging the second bottle as a drink in 2010+. Odds are good with the effort put into the wine and the quality of the grapes that this wine will soften while not taking away any complexity as it ages. That will surely lead to a fine wine if you have the patience.

For now though, this wine is no more then an 85.
Mrs.CWG says

“Make sure you mark this for later consumption!”

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Well it has been a long while since a review and without a doubt this is a good place to start. Bordeaux’s can often times be overstated and over appreciated, largely due to the huge price that many collectors pay for bottles from famous Maisons in the upper echelons. The Château d’Argadens is a smaller house located south of the city of Bordeaux and slightly north and east of the town of Langon in a region called Côtes des Bordeaux - Saint-Macaire. Originally this house was called Château Salle d’Arche but when the Maison Sichel bought the house in 2002 they renamed it after a noble family from the town of Saint-Macaire. While a small house for many a year, the Sichel clan (it is still a family business) has plans to make it into one of the better maisons in the Bordeaux-Supérieur category. For those unfamiliar with d’Argadens but knowledgeable about Bordeaux’s, you will be familiar with another Sichel house Château Palmer, one of the bigger names with reputation to match in Médoc.

The d’Argadens red is not hard on the wallet, surely due to the Sichel family looking to have a solid entry into the affordable Bordeaux export market. Since 2002 was their first vintage I am sure the years to come (with mother nature approving) will come to find more and more refinement. The terroir lends itself to excellent wine and the almost equal split of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and a small growth of Cabernet Franc grown on a good altitude slope. On to the tastings!

As I decanted this, I thought to myself, “self, this looks about right”. A slight rusty hue to the colour but otherwise a nice solid red, neither cloudy nor “see-through”. The initial scents were distinctly black cherry and the legs (if you believe in such things) were long and slow. Initial sniffing led to large cherry with solid strawberry to compliment. I must say it was much “fruitier” then I was expecting. The first few sips (with solid chewing and slurping) brought about those same flavours as well as a nice hint of oak, not too uncommon! Further jumping into the wine the fruit mellowed, the tannins were even and the wine had a lovely balance, something that can be expected of a five year old red. Hints of vanilla and molasses lent itself to this easy drinking red. I was expecting more tannin and puckering in my mouth then I received, all of which was a pleasant surprise. Without a doubt this would be an excellent wine to have with a medium dish (not too spicy, not too weak, think grilled chicken or pork with a glaze) but I would much rather have it with a nice piece of Blue and Emmental cheese with maybe a few other local “stinky” (as Mrs.CWG would call them) cheeses to compliment. The wine would also be a great bottle to bring to a dinner party as it could be easily served with dinner or enjoyed before or after the meal.

Too many times people expect great robust and complex wines to come from Bordeaux, this wine has elements of both but in large is a very solid affordable wine from a great region. It will not displease the purchaser and will achieve it’s greater goal, tingling the senses, due to this I am giving this wine an 87.
Mrs.CWG says

“Would like to grab a bottle or two for another night!

The hope is, over the upcoming years, that the Château d’Argadens starts producing even more

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Well aren’t we in a Burgundy mode? If you read the review of the Burgundy yesterday you would be thinking “why Canadian Wine Guy would you review two Burgundies in a row?” Well fun enough, this is a Canadian burgundy, a joint venture between Canadian wine conglomerate Vincor Canada and Burgundy based Boisset . Vincor owns Inniskillin, Sawmill Creek and Jackson Triggs as well as a few other smaller Canadian wine producers. Boisset is an equally large vintner with vineyards primarily on the Rhône both in the Burgundy region and the southern Rhône region. When the two of these got together to create Clos Jordanne it brought some excitement to the Canadian wine industry. Their decision was to plant and produce as if Clos was a Burgundy house, soil separation and only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. This, as well as French influenced wine makers, allowed the house to begin to produce excellent wines with a good sense/feeling of a French wine.

This Clos is the Village Reserve which is very reasonably priced for the effort, skill and patience put into it. For Clos Jordanne reds they have three Pinot Noirs with the Village Reserve being the best priced. The grapes come from all of the Clos vineyards and the care taken can be seen and sensed quickly on the wine. While not one of the true “terroire” Jordanne wines I doubt most would call this the inferior horse in the stable. While a single vineyard wine produces great variations (if unsure refer back to the Château des Charmes review where a mere 50 meters made all the difference in the world) if does not truly indicate superiority over it’s multi terroire cousins/brothers/sisters (or whatever they may be called.) On to the tasting!

Without a doubt I was surprised by a slight rusty colour as I both decanted and later poured into our glasses. The scents were primarily fruit, cherries and raspberries with black cherry winning the war once the swirls started. Swirling brought out a nice blend of smells, some of which i was not truly able to distinguish while also getting both oak and hint of earthiness (not the bad moldy/dusty, just a hint of earth). First sips did little to dampen the cherry flavours and provided a nice light Burgundy style wine with a hint of oak on the finish. The following sips brought forward a bit more oak and a little less cherry with a small undertone of apple and a small bit of floral. Wow, alot of smells and feelings out of this wine, but still very enjoyable. I found that for a Pinot Noir this wine still holds strong tannins, not overwhelming but strong none the less.

I took some time to rate this, one because it was Canadian and I did not want to show favouritism for the region and two because it is so largely different from the red wines I truly think Niagara and Okanagan does best (Bordeaux style). After much thought and careful deliberation’s I came up with a rating of 88.
Mrs.CWG says

“Even for $25 I would have this again, but I wouldn’t share it!”

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Mommessin, an old wine maker situated close to the town of Mâcon in the Burgundy region of France. The Burgundy region is considered one of the top three wine regions in France for reds, but that whole concept of “top” is too suggestive. Suffice it to say, the Burgundy region is probably the most diverse. From Chablis to Beaujolais the region’s appellations and wines vary greatly. This wine from Moemmessin comes from the highly regarded Beaujolais region and while most people know Beaujolais for their Nouveau’s, the real first class wines from this region are the Cru Beaujolais. There are ten Crus and this wine comes from the Fleurie part. Unlike most wines from the Beaujolais region, Crus are more robust, stronger and can be aged longer. Also, unlike northern Burgundy reds which are primarily Pinot Noir based, the Beaujolais region is uniquely Gamay only. This wine is 100% Gamay.

Having had this wine before I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into. Aging was not required, though unlike most Beaujolais it will add a bit to the wine if left on it’s own another 2 to 4 years. I am not the biggest “light” red wine fan so I naturally sway to the Cru Beaujolais over it’s appellations brothers (and sisters). This wine is well balanced and a good representative for Fleurie and the La Chapelle Des Bois designation. On to the tasting:

First smell was fruit, fruit and fruit. The fruity nose was distinctive with strawberries being the only discernible scent. The colour was balanced and not too “purple” for a fruity wine, almost a hint of rust on the edges. Initial sips and chews brought forward a nice mix of berries and a hint of flower. Reading the label tells me the flower smell is close to violets and peonies, I will trust the winemaker’s nose on this one as I all I noticed was a hint of flower to go along with the soft berries. The taste of oak followed with several more tastes, but not an overwhelming oak, a nice compliment to the existing flavours in my mouth. The finish was smooth and solid with the tannis being well behaved. I think what I liked about this wine more then anything is that it is completely balanced, from aromas to tannins to colour. This is the well polished Mercedes c240, not too expensive but many years of fine automaking has yielded a fine product with good heritage.

This wine has earned it’s 88.
Mrs.CWG says

“light and soft, enjoyable”

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Tonight I felt like stepping back into the lovely world of Bordeauxs, and in this case the Saint-Emilion region of Bordeaux. St Emilion, despite it’s newer classification system is actually the oldest region in Bordeaux. The vineyards are in the Saint-Christophe des Bardes region of St Emilion which has been designation by UNESCO as World Heritage. Saint-Christophe des Bardes is located east and slightly north of the city of Bordeaux. The grapes grown in the region are primarily Merlot with Cabernet Franc and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon also grown. This wine includes a blend of all three from what I could ascertain.

On to the wine. Well I can tell you the first thing about this 2004: It needs to age. Not a little bit, a whole bunch. I’d say after the tasting was done and the bottle consumed that I will not open my other 2 bottles of this vintage for 5 to 6 years. Originally I thought: “Well maybe 3 to 5 years”, but in all reality this wine needs a great deal of time to mature. This is not to say it was a poor wine, or lacking good wine crafting, it simply was too tannic to be opened now. The 2004 vintage in the Bordeaux region was not a highly regarded one, of recent harvests only 2002 seems to be regarded less, but as this is now my 5th or 6th Bordeaux from 2004 I can honestly say that the issue is not as much a lesser quality harvest but more so very uneven product, as odd as that is to say from Bordeaux.

On to the tasting! First note was the colour on decanting, it was very purple/ruby with not a hint of rust in it. The initial smells were distinctly cherry with a hint of black currant. Initial taste followed through with the smells first discovered with a heavy tannin on the finish. Over a couple more sips the wine brought forward more oak and a hint of caramel. Without a doubt the finish stayed with strong tannin in the mouth and oak on the tongue. This wine at this stage would be excellent with Cajun, Creole, spicy lamb, or you can insert a spicy or strong bold type meal here. I would not recommend this to be drank on it’s own in it’s current condition, check back with me in a few years to see if that changes!

Despite it’s youth and need for cellaring it gets an 85 (we will revisit this in a few years)
Mrs.CWG says

“Good thing the meal was spicy, made the wine compliment it well”

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If you have never had the chance to do a Niagara Wine tour, I truly think you are missing out on a little slice of life that needs to be enjoyed. Nestled away from the hub-bub of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and far enough away from the “glitz” of Niagara Falls lies the Niagara Wine Region. The region is bound mostly by Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment but tends to have some vineyards that rise above the escarpment. The area is known for it above seasonal temperatures and fertile ground which yields good fruit harvests one of course has become grapes. More can be said on the escarpment area (in much much more detail) but suffice it to say, the wine region has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 30 years and despite being overlooked on the international scene still produces outstanding wines. Wine touring the region from Beamsville to Niagara on the Lake can produce some lovely visits and at last count there were over 70 wineries to explore and enjoy, each with it’s own charm and usually it’s own gem. Fielding Estate Winery is located in the Beamsville Bench area, nestled nicely up a ways into the escarpment such that the Lodge has a nice view of the Toronto skyline way across Lake Ontario, Both Mrs.CWG and myself have had the pleasure of enjoying tastings at the Lodge with what turned out to be some of the most knowledgeable and friendly staff in the entire region. During our tastings (we have been more then once) we had a chance to find two wines that had us very happy after the sale was complete. In fact we had found 3 or 4 to be honest that we liked enough to buy, but it ended up being 2 that kept our attention.

One of the above mentioned two wines is this relatively inexpensive white hybrid chardonnay. While 2006 is young, this white is meant to be drank young, and enjoyed thoroughly. While it may change ever so slightly from one or three years sitting in the cellar, it is a “drink now” wine. The colour is a straw yellow, and the initial citrus aromas take over your senses. Not to try and guess which citrus smell hit me first, lemon tended to be the one with the most “oompf”. First tastes brought forward the citrus but also peach and apple. The wine is a a semi sweet, if you are using the sugar scale I believe it would be a “2″ in terms of sweetness. The lasting impression is of a nice easy to drink white, with heavy citrus, light peach and a hint of apple. This wine would be a nice compliment to fish, rosemary chicken or early summer evening sipping on the terrace. A pleasing, no nonsense wine that is overly enjoyable, worth the purchase.

This is an 84 overall.
Mrs.CWG says

Have always loved the Chardonnay Musque

Btw the other wine that is a must have from Fielding, but requires cellaring, is their Meritage Reserve, very yummy!

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Well here it is, the 2002 Château des Charmes St. David’s Bench Cabernet Sauvignon. For those that have read my posts in the past, you are probably wondering why on earth is the CWG acting all weird over this wine from a winery I really have not heard anything from? Well… during the 2007 Niagara Ice Wine Festival Mrs.CWG and I had the pleasure of having a nice private wine tasting session at the Château set up by Michèle Bosc who is the Director of Marketing for the vineyard. For those that are not familiar with the winery be sure to visit the link top their website and do a read on the history of the Bosc family’s dedication to wine making. During the tasting we got to enjoy over 9 different wines from different vintage lots and despite expecting to enjoy the 2002 Equuleus (Bordeaux style blend/meritage) it was this gem that took all at the tasting by surprise. Château des Charmes has two 2002 vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, one is from the Paul Bosc vineyards the other is from the St. David’s Bench vineyards, both of which are no more then 50 meters from each other. In a true display of terroir the wines were remarkably different and the St. David’s Bench took away the prize for the best wine in everyone’s book.

So with great glee I could not wait to revisit this little gem. One of the hardest things to get through to people unfamiliar with Canadian wines is that while you may experience a poor or medium wine we do produce a large amount of great wines in both the Okanagon valley and Niagara peninsula. The fun part is finding those precious wines! This Cab Sauv is one of them. On to the tasting notes:

We decanted the Cab Sauv and the first smell was a distinctive strawberry with hint of currant, not what I remember but still nice on the nose. The wine was a deep ruby colour with a hint of rust on the edges. First sips led to the same berry hints but with the currant being stronger this time. As we consumed the wine, the wine was extremely well balanced and the a slight spicyness came out to complement the berry flavours. Added to the strong structure of the wine it also had a medium tannin so it left the mouth fully satisfied after a good chew or two. Without a doubt the wine met the lofty expectations. I think that despite it’s wonderful state now, it will be equally beneficial to cellar this for 3 to 4 more years, which, if you do not have any will mean you will have to act fast. Château des Charmes lists it as sold out on their website and I have only seen a few bottles in a select few LCBO’s here in Toronto. For $25 a bottle it is under-priced for the level of quality of the wine.

It is with trepidation that I rate this wine, one because I am about to give my first 9x rating and second because I think I will be using this as a benchmark. It is hard to rate/judge wines when you have a good idea of what you see as a complete wine, and of late this is the most complete wine I have had. While in France in late April I drank many a french wine, trying to enjoy Rhônes, Bordeauxs and Burgundies as much as possible. During that trip I found so many wines I truly enjoyed, this Cab Sauv would have easily have been mistaken to have been from one the better French vineyards had someone snuck it in.

This wine gets a solid 90
Mrs.CWG says

“Delicious”

Oh, sorta a PS on this post, in the next 2 to 3 months I will be reviewing another Château des Charmes gem that deserves mentioning in case anyone is looking for a well priced dessert wine between now and then: 2006 Late Harvest Riesling

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Well day 4 since I wanted to have the 2002 Cab Sauv by Château des Charmes, and lo and behold we failed again at the basics of opening it. That is okay, we were rescued by this hidden little gem. The Periquita Classico came highly recommended and decently priced for what ended up a great wine. Portugese wine is often overlooked by most “sophisticated” wine folks, and in reality i think it is due to the hit or miss syndrome, you either get pleasantly surprised or terribly disappointed, seems there is no in between. Jose Maria Da Fonseca is one of the oldest producers in Portugal. This single grape variety (Periquita is officially called Castelão Frances) has been one of the staples of the vineyard for over 150 years. The Classico is said to be only bottle in vintages of exceptional qualities. This vintage without a doubt follows suit. Mrs.CWG and I opened this after what ended up a LONG and tiring week. Wanting a nice smooth red to finish the evening off, we opened this up under the stars of the evening and sat back to experience the wine and the May sky. What we discovered is in the below tasting notes:

First sniff: rhubarb , orange hue, light cherry

On the pour: Subtle red with a hint of rust in the colour

First sip: heavy black cherry, large wine, solid tannins at the end

Over time: the finish is nice, almost a citrus ending, tannins softened nicely. Complex wine but not due to the wine maker trying for it to be, nice and solid from first taste to finish. This wine, while already 6 years old will benefit from a few more years of cellaring if you have the conditions. Those drinking now will get a well developed wine which can go with most meals and is easily drank in a relaxing atmosphere and a nibble of cheese. I would not recommend having a light fish or salad but grilled chicken will not get lost here. At 27.95$ worth the price.

This is a solid 89.
Mrs.CWG says:

“If we went to the liquor store for a $28 bottle of wine, I’d buy it again”

Fear not, we WILL get to the 2002 Cab Sauv, but not tonight. This evening we are going to have a white, not sure which, but I moved 3 to the cold portion of the wine cellar so that we were ready to choose.

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