Canadian Wine Guy

I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. This wine is pale in color and on the nose there was a distinctive smell that passed quickly that I could not place. On the mid pallet the wine is surprisingly fresh, some lemon, lime with some nice minerality on the finish (almost slightly tart) that builds nicely in mouth. I would say it was on the lighter side of medium in finish. Not a bad wine at all and quite food friendly. I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I would give it an 88-89. $19.95 at the winery (not available at the LCBO). Now for the price this doesn’t hold the value equation for me, there are much better wines for less money.

From the winery web site:
Winemaker’s Notes
Our Pinot Gris was hand-harvested on the 1st, 2nd and 15th of September at an average of 21.2° brix, titratable acidity of 7.1 g/l and a pH of 3.3. After hand sorting, the fruit was destemmed and then left on the skins for an average of 3 hours. Gently pressed to 1.1 atmospheres, settled, then fermented cool in stainless steel. Aged in stainless steel to preserve fruit and crispness. The finished wine at 13% alcohol and 9 g/l of residual sugar, was bottled on January 25, 2011. Drink now through 2013.

Food Pairings
Served slightly chilled, this Pinot Gris is an excellent aperitif. Enjoy on its own or with oka style cheese. A superb match for braised veal, pan-fried pickerel, or mussels. For a vegetarian match, try with a white pizza or cheese ravio

Winery

Ok, I have to admit it. I have never heard of a white pinot noir before so this wine peaked my curiosity. I got to taste it at the iYellow Pino event. Flat Rock Cellars have been doing some great stuff. I really enjoy their Gravity Pinot Noir and I consider it to be one of my favorites in Niagara. The wine is slightly golden in color with a nose of honey reminiscent of a Chardonnay, and some oak as well. On the mid pallet the wine’s taste matches the bouquet with very chard like elements. Some honey, some vanilla, some creamyness, and a little butterscotch and a bit of butter. If you closed your eyes you could imagine this being a California style chard. The finish is medium in length and would be VERY food friendly. I would give this a 90. It is only available at the winery and is $35.20 a bottle. Unique experiences do not come cheap! I’d love to get a bottle of this to do a more in depth tasting.

From the Flat Rock web site:
Well, somehow this red grape variety became a white wine, with a peachy tinge to it. Ross has kept his winemaking techniques very secretive for this wine, but we suspect it involves French oak barrels and maybe some lees stirring based upon the creamy butterscotch and toasty, spirit like oak characteristics. 



He suggested we stop asking questions and just taste it. Here’s what we found: 


On the nose you could be forgiven for thinking this was in fact a Chardonnay. That is until you catch the distinctive Pinot Noir like characters in the background, such as strawberries, rhubarb, and a hint of earthiness. 


The palate is ridiculously smooth and velvety. There is a layer of fruit driven flavours including canned peaches, berries and rhubarb. And then comes the minerality, ever present in wines grown from our limestone rich soils.

2005 was a great year for Niagara reds. Vineland Estates kept some of these back and recently sent them out to their wine club members. The wine is dark in color with a mild nose of black berries. Around the edges there is some browning (just a little) inidicating this one is getting near it’s due date. Out of the bottle the wine is dominated by big alcohol. Some time in the decanter was warranted. Be sure not to breath to deep or you will be choking … Once it breathed for a bit the mid pallet is dominated by black berries, some blue berries. It starts out nice and big in the mouth and hold promise but then dies out really quickly. The wine is light in finish with no perceivable tannins. This wine really is quite past it’s prime. A mere shadow of it’s former self. It is smooth on the finish with and quite food friendly. I would give it an 88 or so. This one is not at the LCBO and I’m not sure which one on the winery web site is the one this is so I’m not sure what it’s worth.

Ok, I have to start out by saying the name of this one made me giggle. Niagara’s escarpment is a mere bump in comparison to any kind of mountain range so I find it amusing to think Niagara has the gall to call anything “elevation”. To top it off they hyped this wine as being sold to their Wine of the month club first as an “exclusive”. Ok so I admit, I’m already a little biased before I even pop the cork. Always better to admit it. This was a wine review wasn’t it … right, right, back to our regularly scheduled program 🙂 The wine is pale in color mild on the nose. This bodes well … On the mid pallet the wine is slightly thicker, not watery and then it starts … this is quite a sweet Riesling. Lots of honey suckle. If I had to put it on a German scale I would say this is a Spatlese. No where near as sweet as an Auslese and definitely not as syrupy. On the finish the wine is again dominated by sugar. I would have to say this is not to my tastes. I prefer the drier Rieslings. I would give this no better than an 87. They say a good marketer can sell anything … well, good luck with that 🙂 $25.20 at the winery (not in the LCBO). Yikes.

Notes from the winery: Product Description
Subtle aromas of flint and lemon zest reveal a hint of effervescence on the nose. The palate is as refreshing as having delicious sweet pink lemonade on a hot summer day. Even before tasting this wine you won’t be able to wait for the next sip.

The balance of this wine is remarkable. The acidity, sweetness, alcohol and extract are all in perfect concert delivering a taste sensation that fills you from head to toe. The light spritz that is found upon opening (original carbon dioxide from fermentation) magnifies the zesty lemon lime characteristics and is also a testament to the gentle care this wine has received since it’s birth. It’s youthful punch and perkiness will please us now but it’s deep inner greatness will only be revealed with years of mindful cellaring.

Appellation: Niagara Escarpment
Varietal: 100% Riesling
Alcohol Percent: 8.0 %
LCBO Sugar Code: 3
Residual Sugar g/L: 32.5 g/L
Brix at Harvest: 17.8
Total Acid g/L: 9.90 g/L
Cases Produced: 1,142
Drinking Through: Now – 2015
Service Temp.: 8 – 10 oc