Canadian Wine Guy

This wine came to us from the Vineland wine of the month club. The wine is pale in color with a nose of candied fruits. On the mid pallet the wine is sweet with some apricots and honeysuckle coming through. The wine is on the lighter side of medium in length and the sweetness does not live on overly long. According to the write up that came with the wine it is 15% alcohol and LCBO sugar code 2. It definitely is sweet. It has an almost Riesling like flavor. As a Riesling I would say it’s about a Spatlese in flavor. We paired the wine with a pan fried snapper with a chili pepper on it and it went reasonably well. I would give this wine an 87-88. Not entirely to my tastes but not undrinkable either. At the winery this sells for $18.20 and for my money I’d be looking elsewhere.

Winery

I tasted this one at the Salut wine festival at the Brickworks. Dark in color with lots of black berries coming through on the nose. On the mid pallet are some lovely blakc berries to match the nose along with some smooth velvety textures on the medium length finish. This is an impressive wine with Niagara’s dominant tannins and terroir well under control. I would give this a solid 89. I want to get a full bottle to do a more thorough review. For the money, this is a good deal!

From the LCBO web site:
KACABA VINEYARDS MERITAGE LCBO 101477 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 16.95
Wine, Red Wine 12.8% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content : 1

Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Kacaba Vineyards

Tasting Note
deep ruby colour; cassis, black fruit, vanilla and spice aromas; dry, medium body; dark fruit and pepper flavours, good length

From the winery’s web site:
2006 Meritage – (LCBO# 101477) $16.95 per bottle / $203.40 per case A blend of 50% cabernet franc and 50% cabernet sauvignon. Purplish in colour with aromas of earth, chassis, cedar and leather. The palate offers plenty of plum and blackberry flavours with a touch of mocha and beetroot on the finish. – Mike Lowe – Pulse, Wine pick of the week

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I previously review my visit to the winery and was impressed. When I was over in the LCBO I saw this one and grabbed it. To be honest I thought at the time I was grabbing the one I tasted. Turned out to be not … The one I tasted was a single vineyard premium wine. This one is more of a blend of numerous vineyards. The wine is semi golden in color. Not too dark. I find chards really give themselves way in their color. On the mid pallet the wine has some smack on varietal chard flavours and out of the bottle there are noticeable alcohol hints. It’s slightly creamy, slightly buttery with some oak. This is a middle of the road chard. Very food friendly. The finish is on the lighter side of medium in length. I would give this wine an 89. We paired it with a pan fried pickerel. It went extremely well. Now on the value side I think there are much better wines for the money such as the Wente Morning Fog . And compared to the one we tasted at the winery this is a much milder wine.

From the LCBO web site:
HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2007 VINTAGES 68817 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 35.20
Wine, White Wine 14.4% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD

Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Hidden Bench Vineyards

Release Date: Nov 27, 2010

Description
David Lawrason, at Wine Align, gave this wine a score of 90, while his colleague, John Szabo, M.S., gave it a 92. (www.winealign.com, Sept. 2009)

Tasting Note
This comes on like a great Montrachet. Lovely buttery hazelnut, toasted golden apple and pear scents contribute to the elegant aroma. On the palate, rich toasty apple, lemon zest, minerals and buttery finesse merge magically. Score – 91. (Gordon Stimmell, The Toronto Star, 2009)
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I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. I had not heard of the Meunier so I was interested to try it. Garnet in color with a nose very similar to pinot noir with some rustic notes coming through but little to no earthy smells. On the mid pallet the wine is smooth, well balanced with the oak and tannins well under control. If you were to compare this to a pinot noir it is a well made one. None of the distinctive “barn yard” smells or flavors or earthyness coming through. This would be a VERY food friendly wine. I would give it a solid 89. $17.95 which for my tastes is a good deal!

From the winery’s web site:
Product Description
Much like its very close cousin Pinot Noir, this dark cherry coloured Pinot Meunier expresses a lacy, youthful, complex berry character underpinned by a solid tannin structure and a bright seam of acidity. Our winemaker Brian Schmidt is embracing this variety as it is far more reliable and consistent that its often “psycho” mirror image, Pinot Noir. Brian is very happy with this inaugural offering but as is his nature he is far more interested in pushing the envelope, “exploring the potential of this unique varietal within the dynamic frame of Niagara.”

Appellation: Niagara Escarpment
Varietal: 100% Pinot Meunier
Alcohol Percent: 13.0%
LCBO Sugar Code: 0
Residual Sugar g/L: 9.4 g/L
Brix at Harvest: 22.1 oBx
Total Acid g/L: 6.60 g/L
Cases Produced: 525
Drinking Through: Now – 2015
Oak Treatment: 4 months
Service Temp.: 15 – 17 oC
Bottle Size(s): 750ml
Decanting: 15 minutes using the “slip” method
down the inside of the decanter side wall.

winery

I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. The wine is pale in color mild on the nose. On the mid pallet are some slight mineral tastes along with a bit of citrus. It is slightly tart on the finish, on the lighter side of medium. This wine starts out quite bland but it does build in the mouth. I would give it an 88. Again a very food friendly wine, but not a lot of depth to it for my tastes.

From the LCBO web site:
MISSION HILL PINOT BLANC FIVE VINEYARDS VQA LCBO 145094 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 14.95
Wine, White Wine 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

This is a VQA wine

Made in: British Columbia, Canada By: Mission Hill Vineyards Inc.

Tasting Note
clear, straw colour with green flecks; pineapple and pear with a hint of hazelnut; dry, medium body; creamy round fruit flavour with balanced acidity, medium finish with a touch of spice

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I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. Ruby in color mild on the nose. On the mid pallet the wine displays some dill along with some sour cherries. On the finish the wine is quite tart and builds in the mouth. For me this wine is too young. Some time in a decanter or aging might help it some and it might become more integrated. I would give it an 88 or so.

From the LCBO web site:
ROSEWOOD ESTATES PINOT NOIR 2008 VINTAGES 112177 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 20.00
Wine, Red Wine 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : XD This is a VQA wine

Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Rosewood Estates Winery

Tasting Note
A first look at the 08 Pinot with cherry, earth, spice and cedar aromas. The palate reveals nice cherry, raspberry and vanilla to go with charred oak and spice. Enjoy! Score – 3 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Rick VanSickle, www.winesinniagara.com, Undated)