Canadian Wine Guy

It’s been a bit since I reviewed this wine so I decided to give it a whirl as I passed by the wine store at the grocery store. Pale in color with a nice nose of grapefruit and some grassy notes. On the mid pallet the wine displays grapefruit to match the nose. The flavor is by no means sharp like some. The wine is on the lighter side of medium in length on the finish. I would give the wine an 88-89. Very nice and quite food friendly. We paired it with seared ahi tuna with sesame oil and soya sauce and it went well. I always find sauv blancs are good choice for meals with an Asian lean to them and this one was no exception.

From the LCBO web site
TRIUS SAUVIGNON BLANC VQA LCBO 221804 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 13.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Andres Wines Ltd
12.7% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Light & Crisp Sugar Content: 5 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Tasting Note
pale straw colour; lemon and grapefruit with mineral, gooseberry and grass aromas; dry, medium body; fresh lemon flavour with a long crisp finish.

From the winery’s web site:
Gold Medal Winner! This refreshing Sauvignon Blanc is a summer favourite and the most popular white wine at Trius!

Fresh and lively flavours of grapefruit, lemon, lime and gooseberry dance on the palate with a touch of grassy notes on the refreshing finish. Sip and enjoy!

Delightful with summer gazpacho, goat cheese and roasted pepper stuffed pitas, summer salads, lemon parsley chicken, delicate fish fillets with fresh herbs, shellfish and sushi.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM
Gold Medal – All Canadian Wine Championships, 2013

Sometimes when a wine is heavily blended, as this wine is, you loose the individuality of the varietals. Not in this case … Dark in color with a mild nose of red berries not giving a lot away to what’s to come. On the mid palet this wine is dominated by some lovely varietal Niagara style cab franc. Some nice red berries. There’s also some traditional Niagara cab sauv earthy notes. On the finish the wine displays some lovely spicy notes consistent with a Shiraz. There’s also some nice dryness and some velvety tannins. This wine really shows off the blend. According to the bottle it is 58% Shiraz, 17% Cab Sauv, 15% Cab Franc (it’s amazing how little cab franc it takes to dominate the flavor) and 10% Merlot. Of all these I didn’t get much off the Merlot. This is a lovely wine. Very approachable now and will likely keep for a while too. I would give this wine a 89-90. Very nice. And quite food friendly. Yumm.

From the LCBO web site:
HENRY OF PELHAM FAMILY TREE RED 2010 VINTAGES 247882 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 18.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Henry Of Pelham Family Est. Winery
Release Date: Aug 17, 2013
13.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Sugar Content: 7 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
This fresh, juicy blend – primarily Shiraz with Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot – sports a lifted nose of dark berry fruit, rich cherry and roasted herbs. It rolls over the palate in endless, delicious waves with black plum and currant interlaced with boysenberry and spice. It’s mid weight with good mouth feel and a balanced, fruit-laden finish. What’s not to like? Score – 4 Stars (out of 5). (Vic Harradine, winecurrent.com, Oct. 24, 2012)

From the Winery’s web site:
Winemaker’s Notes
• Harvest Dates: September 27th – October 23rd, 2010
• Crop yield <4 tonnes an acre
• 100% barrel aged with 65% French oak and 35% American oak for 17 months

Family Tree celebrates the idea of family. These wines are made from fruit sourced off of our own vineyards but also those of our friends, neighbours and distant cousins across the Niagara Peninsula. There is no one grape variety in each wine. Instead they reflect the best fruit from each site married with other complimentary grape varieties from neighbouring vineyards. In this way we have created easy going wines of sophistication that are a reflection of the people and place that they come from.

According to the bottle 958 cases were made!

Pinot Noirs are one of those love em or hate em varietals. I quite enjoy them. When I saw this one from Okanagan I was curious. The review drew my attention. Darker in color than a typical Pinot, with an earthy note along with some rustic notes. This is very interesting and alluring nose. Draws me in … On the mid pallet this wine is kind of sneaky. At first it has some mild cab like notes of cherries. A more typical fruit forward pinot would display strawberries and raspberries. The wine builds in the mouth revealing some more typical rustic notes. There’s a hint of red berry sweetness there backed on the medium length finish by nice firm tannins and some nice dryness. This wine is quite interesting in it’s layers. I would give it a solid 89-90. Quite a good pinot if you like pinots.

From the LCBO web site:
QUAILS’ GATE PINOT NOIR 2011 VINTAGES 585760 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 26.95
Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Quails’ Gate Vyds. Estate Winery
Release Date: Aug 17, 2013
14.0% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Sugar Content: 2 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Tasting Note
This is the Pinot Noir to drink now while waiting for the reserve to be ready. This wine has a fine dark hue. It begins with attractive aromas of cherry, raspberry and mocha, leading to bright cherry flavours, with mocha and toasty oak subtly on the finish. The texture is already showing the classic velvet of the variety. Score – 90. (John Schreiner, johnschreiner.blogspot.com, April 14, 2013)

I’ve had this wine from a number of vintages so didn’t hesitate to blindly grab this one. Dark in color with a mild nose of rich red berries coming through. The nose gives little hint of what’s to come. On the mid pallet the wine displays big bold rich red berries. Some black cherries definitely coming through. The cab franc which Niagara does so well is prominently displayed in this wine. On the long finish the wine displays some firm tannins, some lovely dryness, some nice spicy notes and some mouth coating flavors leaving behind some lovely rich black cherries that live on in the mouth. This is a big wine for sure. Make sure your pairing it up with something hearty or not a chance your tasting the food. Yumm. This is a classic Niagara bold rich red. But thankfully, there’s none of those classic Niagara earthy notes coming through. I would give this an 89-90.. And this puppy should have lots of longevity to it too. Easily 2-5 years IMHO.

From the LCBO web site:
TRIUS RED (V) VINTAGES 303800 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 22.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Hillebrand Winery
12.5% Alcohol/Vol. Style: Full-bodied & Smooth Sugar Content: 4 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Description
From a pioneer of premium Ontario red wines, this Bordeaux-inspired blend has been crafted to perfection every year since 1989. Features notes of blackcurrant, grilled herbs, tobacco and cedar. Savour with blackened Ontario lamb, slow-cooked pork shoulder or roast beef.

From the winery’s web site:
The newest vintage of our iconic Trius Red is here. The Red 2011 excites the palate with luscious black fruit and blueberry layered with subtle notes of spice, oak and tobacco. Elegant and complex with silky tannins! Stock up for family dinners, summer barbeques, special gifts and just because! Serve at a cool room temperature of 18°C. Enjoy now or cellar for 5-8 years.

Winemaker, Craig McDonald, calls this dark horse vintage ‘a star!’ He selected grapes from our finest vineyards in Niagara to create the delicious blend of 43% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. Each varietal is barrel aged separately in 60% French oak and 40% American oak barrels for 6 months, then blended to perfection and oak aged a further 6 months for a total of 12 months in barrel.

Fabulous paired with grilled pepper steaks, beef tenderloin, winter stews, gourmet burgers with eggplant and mushrooms, 2 year old Canadian cheddar and 70% dark chocolate.

A while back I discovered Carrick winery at an Ontario wine tasting event. The winery is located just outside Mildmay Ontario, the only wnery in the area and a long way from the where most people would think of as a wine region. Sometimes the stories you discover when you visit a place like this! It turns out the owner did some research and discovered that Minnesota has very similar growing conditions to Mildmay so the owner decided to plant varietals from The University of Minnesota. Of this presents a ton of challenges. The grapes are not something most people (including me) have heard of. When they approached the LCBO they discovered there already was a Carrick and so were “encouraged” to change there name and thus they now are called Hoity Toity Cellars. They have also discovered since they are not using specific varietals (and likely not in an AVA) they will not be able to get VQA for their wines.

I was surprised at the dizzying array wines and ciders they are offering.

This one is kind or slightly orange in color with a mild nose. On the mid pallet the wine displays some mild peach flavors, a hint of honey suckle, along with a bit of minerality. The wine is on the lighter side of medium in length with some minerality lingering. This is a light refreshing wine but not overly complex. We paired it with a bacon quiche and it went fine. I would give the wine an 88. $16 at the winery.

From the winery’s web site:
Dusty White Glove 750 ml This is our slight off-dry white wine, possessing a sharp citrus flavour. This wine appeals to both the palate and the eye with it’s unique blush colour that develops with age. Similar in style to a Reisling. Serve cold along with high acid foods.