Canadian Wine Guy

Personal bias up front, I like my Chards in a California style. Not too over baked. This wine is somewhere between pale and golden in color. Mild on the nose with a slightly sulphur nose. On the mid pallet this wine is dominated by some strong acidity. Almost tart but not necessarily in a good way. On the finish the wine is dominated by some strong tartness that build in the mouth. Not an overly food friendly wine either. We paired it with scallops and it went ok but not great. There isn’t a hint of vanilla or caramel. For me this wine is not a chard to my tastes. I would give it an 87-88.

From the LCBO web site:
INNISKILLIN OKANAGAN RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2009 VINTAGES 127696 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 14.95
Wine, White Wine 14.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD
By: Vincor International Inc. – B.C.
Release Date: Jan 7, 2012

Tasting Note
Here’s a tasty Chardonnay from the Okanagan. Light gold in the glass, it opens with ripe pear, melon, applesauce and cinnamon toast. Lip-smacking, juicy ripe fruit and bright acidity is backed by toasty oak, leading to a spice-kissed finish. Lovely round texture and good flavour concentration throughout. A nicely balanced, eminently drinkable Chard for planked salmon steaks, or roast pork chops with homemade applesauce. (VINTAGES panel, Nov. 2011)

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I’ve been reviewing my cellar and found this one begging to be tried. Niagara reds can be big tannic wines. The benefit of that is they can age VERY well. So I was curious how this one held up. Angel’s Gate don’t tend to tame the tannins much. This wine is dark in color. The cork on opening was inky black. On the nose the wine has some mild cherries. On the mid pallet this wine rewards one’s patience. Lovely deep rich red cherries. It’s quite smooth. On the finish the wine is medium in length with tannins that are well under control. It has some nice dryness that builds nicely in the mouth. This wine has aged amazingly. It is delicious. Perfect time to try it. I only wish I had bought more 🙁 According to my notes I bought this at the winery in 2006 for $22. I would give this a solid 90-91.

Update: I heard back from the winemaker AJ at Angel’s Gate and the blend of the wine was 68% Franc, 32% Sauv. The Cab Franc was certainly very prominent in the flavors for sure!

I had the pleasure of trying this at Corks that I have blogged about in the past. The wine is golden in color with a lovely varietal nose of vanilla. On the mid pallet this wine has vanilla, oak, and is slightly creamy. It has a medium finish that is best appreciated on it’s own. There’s a bit of acidity on the finish right out of the bottle but that soon passes. The flavors build nicely in the mouth as they coat the pallet. I paired it with sushi and it went quite well. I would give it a solid 90. Yumm. It’s available at the LCBO in half bottles for $16.95 or at the winery for $34.95. It’s not cheap by any means. This is another fabulous Niagara chard! I’m on a roll of great Niagara chards!

From the LCBO web site:
TAWSE ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2009 VINTAGES 253518 | 375 mL bottle Price: $ 16.95
Wine, White Wine 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD

Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Tawse Winery
Release Date: Nov 12, 2011

Tasting Note
This is a blend of grapes from estate vineyards, the first time Tawse has released this wine. It’s aged in 100% French Oak barriques for a year followed by six months aging in stainless steel before bottling. The nose shows notes of fresh-baked apple pie, toast, vanilla, citrus and spice. Love the verve and energy on the palate to go with elegant oak stylings, apples and spice integration. A well-balanced and fresh Chardonnay through the long finish. Score – 91. (Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com, July 27, 2011)

Winey’s web site.

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This is another Okanogon wine we tasted while at Big White ski resort. This is a traditional Bordeaux blend.  Dark in color,  deep rich red berries on the nose.  On the, mid pallet there are deep rich red berries to match the nose. On the finish the wine has some firm tannins and some nice pepper and spice. A nicely complicated wine with lots going on in the mouth. I would give it an 89-90.

From the LCBO web site:
MOON CURSER BORDER VINES RED 2009 VINTAGES 281030 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 44.95

Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Moon Curser Vineyards Inc.
Release Date: Aug 18, 2012

Wine, Red Wine 14.3% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content: 5 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Description
TASTING NOTE: This is the new name for what the winery used to call Six Vines – because it includes all six Bordeaux varietals. The blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (29%), Malbec (23%), Carmenère (23%), Cabernet Franc (4%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Production was 1,325 cases. It is a bold red, beginning with aromas of blueberries and cassis and with generous fruity flavours. The finish has a hint of spice and pepper, probably the contribution of the Carmenère. Score: 92 (John Schreiner, johnschreiner.blogspot.ca, April 26, 2011.

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My frequent readers know I’m a big fan of California style chards. I enjoy the Inniskillin Three Vineyard chard as well as the J Lohr Riverstone chard.

I was walking out of the grocery store and they have a wine store. They were sampling this wine so after I tried it I bought one for a more in depth tasting. Slightly golden in color with a lovely nose of oak and vanilla. On the mid pallet this is a lovely smooth California style chard. Lots of vanilla, some butterscotch and just a hint of acidity. The finish is medium in length. This wine builds slightly in the mouth when drank without food. When enjoyed with a meal (we paired it with pan fried scallops) it takes more of a back seat to allow the meal to come through. This is a smooth elegant, gentle wine. I would give it an 89 or so. Only available at the winery or in their branded store. $18.95 so not a bad deal. It’s tough finding cheap, but good chards.

From the winery for their 2009 vintage:
Trius Chardonnay ‘Barrel Fermented’ has a beautiful bouquet of toasty oak, grilled pineapple, lemon and clove. Medium to full-bodied, this wine has a slightly rich mouth feel, and a wonderful splash of acidity that refreshes the palate. Flavors of lemon, hints of tart tropical fruit, toasty oak and spice gently caress the palate. The long lingering finish of spicy oak is perfectly balanced by refreshing lemon acidity.

Serve with roasted chicken; creamy pasta tossed with grilled chicken or shrimp; smoked gouda with water crackers. $18.95

The winery’s web site.

One of the Red wine varietals Niagara does VERY well (in my opinion) is Cab Franc. They make some wonderful big bruising wines. Ready to stand up to steak or lamb! And this one is no exception (if you like them that way). Approach this too early, or without breathing and you will have a mouth where you won’t be tasting much of anything other than the wine! This ain’t no wine you sit on the patio sipping in the summer heat …

Inky dark in color with spot on varietal nose for a cab frank. Lots of dark berries and some oak. On the mid pallet is where this one comes alive. It is deep and rich with dark berries and cherries coming through in spades. The finish is dominated by firm tannins and a dry pucker power that leaves your mouth going yum (or yuk if you don’t like big wines). I would say this wine should age well and will likely be even better in another year or so as the tannins ease a bit. I would give this a solid 89-90. I tasted this one at Corks. $38 at the LCBO. I’m thrilled Stratus did not find it necessary to blend this wine in anyway. It can be appreciated 100% on it’s own, in all it’s grandeur!

Stratus winery’s web site

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A while back I visited and wrote up a number of Hidden Bench wines. I was impressed. I’ve since run into them at a few Ontario events and been suitably impressed. So I needed to do a wine run to Niagara for gifts and Hidden Bench was on the list, specifically for this wine. I was interested to see if I was impressed enough to plop down cash this time. I’m a real value kinda guy. There’s always more wine to buy than money to buy it with. I have been heard to utter the phrase I don’t know what enough is … but I sure know what not enough is 🙂 Very appropriate for money, horsepower and well, one or two other items that come to mind. Deposit a dime into my account any time you choose to use that phrase. I’ve copyrighted it 🙂 I do digress … Hidden Bench wines while delicious are pricey. So I didn’t buy any last time. But this time … it’s for gifts. Nothing says great gift quite like something you wouldn’t buy for yourself. A treat! Yes believe it or not this is a wine review. If your still reading … bonus points for you!

Pale to golden in color with a lovely varietal nose of candied fruits with some sugar. On the mid pallet this wine is not as “thick” in texture as some chards can be. The wine shows some lovely vanilla and some butterscotch coming through beautifully in the mouth. The wine is medium in length on the finish with the vanilla lingering nicely. Oak and alcohol are well under control. It’s slightly buttery, slightly creamy. This is one big glass of yum. Pair it with scallops, or cod. I would give this wine a 90-91. For me this is the best chard coming out of Niagara (with price removed). You will have to go to the winery to get this one. A different chard from Hidden Bench has been in the LCBO but it was no where near as good. I was thoroughly disappointed in that one, not because it was bad, but because it was not as good as this one. $38 a bottle. Did I mention yum, and pricey? 🙂 Enjoy.

The winery.