I’ve been to East Dell winery before but have not eaten there before. They have a lovely deck in the summer where they serve as well as an inside area for year round dining. We ate there this time and the food and service were good and the prices were not bad either. They offer a nice tasting room as well as flights that can be ordered with your meal.
East Dell wines are consistently good. Here are some mini reviews of the wines we tasted at the Winery.
I try hard to capture good and thorough notes. Of particular importance is the year. Niagara really does vary significantly year to year. Unfortunately I didn’t get the year of what I tasted at East Dell. Sorry about that.
Riesling $12.95
This wine is pale in color sweet honey suckle on the nose. Varietal Auselese came to mind. On the mid pallet the wine is smack on what is expected but it is not as sweet as the nose. The wine is medium in length. Not a bad Riesling at all. And given the price it’s a good deal! I would give it an 88 or so.
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Pinot Noir $12.95
Ruby in color, with a smokey nose. Some lovely varietal Pinot smells coming through. Rustic notes and the like. On the mid pallet the wine is bang on with the flavors to match the nose. Some nice rustic flavors coming through. The finish is medium in length with a nice dryness to it. I enjoyed this one. Another 88! Again a good deal for the price. Given how pricey Pinot Noir’s often are, I will be getting one of these for a more detailed tasting. And this time I’ll note the year! DOH.
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2007 Cab/Merlot $12.95
Niagara cabs can sometimes be big tannic monsters. Taming this beast can be the challenge. One of the ways they do this is to cut it with Merlot to soften it. This wine is dark in color with lots of dark berry smells coming off the glass. On the mid pallet are dark fruits to match the nose. This wine is smooth and well made. East Dell has done a wonderful job of managing this one. It’s well balanced and food friendly. We had this one with lunch and enjoyed it. The finish is on the lighter side of medium. I would also give this one an 88.
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2009 Reserve Sauv Blanc ~$18
This wine is pale in color with lots of lemon and citrus coming through. On the mid pallet the wine’s flavors match the nose with lemon and citrus dominating the flavors. It has a medium finish that lingers nicely. This is a smooth well made, food friendly Sauv Blanc. They’ve done this one VERY well. Unfortunately it is not available in the LCBO. I would give it an 89. I bought one and had it and quite enjoyed it. Sauv Blancs are definitely amongst my favorite white wines. So food friendly. And this is a good one.
2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay Reserve $17.95
This wine has a not great nose with some sulphur coming through. On the mid pallet this wine is a slightly buttery chard I’d say right in the middle of the road. On the finish there is some tartness not consistent with a chard. For me this wine is not great and I found the chard and the tartness fighting. I would give this an 87 or so.
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2009 Black Cab $12.95
This wine is a blend of cab sauv/cab franc/baco noir. On the nose some wood and black fruits are coming through. On the mid pallet the dark fruits match up with the nose. On the finish the wine is slightly tart with some tannins coming through. This is not a bad wine and given the price it’s a good deal. I would give it an 87.
2006 Cab franc Reserve $22.15
Deep red in color rich on the nose. On the mid pallet the wine is a big Niagara style Cab Franc. Loads of black fruits. This wine is big in the mouth and has lots of tannins on a long finish that builds in the mouth with some nice dry pucker power! The oak is present on the finish but not overwhelming. This is a well made cab franc, but it is a bruiser. Some time in the bottle will help smooth it out. Of course that will also take away some of it’s distinctiveness! I would give this one a 90.
Overall of the wines I tasted I was quite impressed with East Dell. They are continuing to make improvements in their product, and have kept their prices very reasonable. The restaurant is nicely done and well worth a stop over. In the words of the terminator … I’ll be back 🙂 End bad jokes here.
