Top Pick Wines from Taste Ontario

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, one of my favourite holidays of the year (this is Erin, by the way). I absolutely love the bounty and beauty of the season, celebrated with lots of good food and wine, surrounded by the people I love the most – and a few who I like reasonably enough, as well.

Picking up groceries and wine Saturday (shopping on holiday weekends is normally a practice I avoid at all costs, as you can read in this piece on how Courtney and I plan dinner parties), I was really pleased to note how many LCBO shoppers I saw loading their carts with VQA wines. Perhaps it’s the realization that Ontario is holding its own in international wine competitions, maybe it’s because almost everyone has been to at least one of Ontario’s outstanding wine regions and been impressed with breath-taking scenery, generous hospitality and fantastic food and wine pairings, or it could even be thanks to the LCBO’s annual Ontario campaign formerly known as “Go Local,” but now nebulously renamed “Shine On,” that has helped make Ontario wines a genuine option for wine lovers historically dubious of home grown vino.

Earlier this week Wine Country Ontario and Vintages held the annual Taste Ontario wine tasting at the Royal Ontario Museum. Now in its fifth year, this über popular show brought out nearly 400 wine lovers to taste their way through the offerings of more than 40 Ontario wineries.

One of my favourite shows of the year, it gives me a really great opportunity to try a fantastic line up of wines side by side. Here are my top scoring wines from the day.

Riesling

Cave Spring “CSV” Estate Bottled Riesling, VQA Beamsville Bench 2010
$29.95 cavespringcellars.com
A top tier Riesling from iconic Riesling producer Cave Spring, this offers lemon-lime, mineral, pink grapefruit and a faint trace of pine on the nose, while the slightly off dry palate is balanced by razor sharp acidity. Light bodied and focused with fresh flavours of citrus, flint, and raw fennel with a mouthwateringly lengthy finish. Beautiful with shrimp tempura, French onion soup or baked white fish. 89 points

2027 “Foxcroft” Riesling, VQA Twenty Mile Bench 2012
$25 2027cellars.ca
Pouring pale silver straw, this has an attractive nose of steely mineral, lemon-lime and yellow apple. The palate is bright and fresh with sour-edged citrus and fine focused acidity.  Try with beet and goat cheese salad, baked ham or roast chicken. 88 points.

Pinot Noir

13th Street “Essence” Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2010
$44.95 13streetwinery.com
The Essence series showcases the wines winemaker Jean Pierre Colas feels are the best of the vintage. In the hot, dry 2010 vintage, JP thought it was his Pinot that was doing exceptionally well. A blend of grapes from younger vines and older vines, plus some purchased fruit, went in to this ruby-garnet wine. The nose is rich and concentrated – almost jammy – with cassis, red cherry, black licorice, earthy raspberry, subtle spice and mint/eucalyptus aromas. The palate echos that same rich concentration with grippy tannin and fine, focused acidity and flavours of black tea, red berries, mineral and spice notes. Complex and powerful with a lengthy finish, this is drinking beautifully now alongside roast beef or game birds, and can also age another 4 or 5 years. 91 points.

Cave Spring Cellars “Dolomite” Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$21.95 cavespringcellars.com 
Named after the limestone soil type found in the Escarpment, this wine is a blend of 70% Beamsville Bench fruit and 30% Twenty Mile Bench fruit. Garnet ruby in colour with an earthy nose of dried leaves, cedar, sweet tobacco and red fruit roll ups the medium bodied palate is considerably juicy with red berries, mineral and baking spice flavours. A very enjoyable crowd pleaser that offers complexity and elegance. Try with pasta in pork ragu, seared duck breast or roast turkey and cranberry sauce. 90 points

Closson Chase “KJ Watson Vineyard” Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara River 2010
$39.95 clossonchase.com
A very impressive and pretty Pinot with a feminine nose of baking spice, lavender tea, cranberry and red cherry. Soft and spicy on the palate with warm cinnamon, red currant, berry tea, and a quiet mineral undertone, this has low tannin and a nice backbone of acidity and a considerably lengthy finish. Very nice. Try with coq au vin or pork tourtière. 89 points.

Bachelder “Lowry Vineyard” Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$44.95 thomasbachelder.com 
A brilliantly poised and elegant Pinot with aromas of tamarind paste, floral incense and red berries. Light bodied and refined on the palate, with flavours of spice box, red berry, mineral and bitter dark chocolate on the back, tannins are weighty but fine. Considerable length and loads of complexity. 92 points.

Chardonnay

Lailey Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$19.95 Vintages 193482
Pouring medium gold with lanolin, baking spice and musk aromas. The palate is creamy and ripe with focused acidity and a mineral edge and flavours of nectarine, spice and cream. Oak is evident but restrained. Nice value here. 88 points.

Le Clos Jordanne “Village Reserve” Chardonnay, VQA  Niagara Peninsula 2010
$30 Vintages 33936
Winemaker Sebastien Jacquey says this wine is a good example of how Ontario can navigate warm vintages like 2010. In order to preserve freshness and acidity he picked early, and then extended his normal year long oak aging to 16 months, to better integrate the oak. What results is a brilliantly focused and poised chardonnay with aromas of vanilla, poached pear, and a tinge of mineral. The palate, while creamy and rich to be sure, has a nice core of acidity to balance the ripe orchard fruit, warm spice and vanilla bean flavours. Pair with pasta carbonara or creamy chicken and corn stew. 91 points.

Bachelder “Wismer Vineyard” Chardonnay, VQA Twenty Mile Bench 2011
$44.95 Vintages 345819
Creamy, elegant and utterly delicious, this wine has a beguiling nose of beeswax, lanolin, creamed corn, butterscotch and baked orchard fruit. The generous palate is smooth and rich with flavours of vanilla, toasted pecan, baked orchard fruit, clove and cinnamon spice. An intriguing wine  of substance and class. Pair with grilled veal chops, pumpkin ravioli, or aged cheddar cheese. 90 points.

Flat Rock Cellars “The Rusty Shed” Chardonnay, VQA Twenty Mile Bench 2011
$24.95 Vintages 1552
A barrel fermented Chardonnay that is aged on its lees, this is quite the powerhouse of a wine that still holds onto refinement. Flint, toast, rich baking spice and ripe tropical fruit on the nose with a medium to full bodied palate with crème brûlée, mango, pineapple and toasted spice flavours. Oak is dominate, but nicely rich and structured. Try with baked oysters, grilled swordfish or mushroom risotto. 88 points.

Bordeaux Blends & Varietals

Cave Spring Cellars “Estate Bottled” Cabernet Franc, VQA Beamsville Bench 2011
$24.95 cavespringcellars.com
Made with fruit coming from a single block of 10-year-old vines, this deeply concentrated Cabernet Franc has aromas of smoke, tar, black licorice, cassis and plum that follow through on the palate. Medium bodied with fine tannin and balanced acidity, and a lengthy finish that has a subtle herbaceous note, this offers decent complexity and depth. Pair with braised red meats like beef stew or osso buco. 88 points.

Kacaba “Reserve” Cabernet Franc, VQA Niagara Escarpment 2010
$44.95 kacaba.com
Powerful and rich with aromas of face cream, dark cherry, spice and an interesting celery note, the palate is concentrated and deep with ripe cassis, black cherry and plum followed by chocolate pudding, cherry tobacco and wet leaves. Fat tannin and balanced acidity make for a very indulgent wine with masculine appeal. Pair with steak au poivre or venison stew. 89 points.

Foreign Affair Cabernet Sauvignon, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2009
$34.95 foreignaffairwinery.com
Made with 40% dried grapes in the appassimento style of Amarone, this wine pours deep inky purple with concentrated black berry, dark cherry, mocha and minty notes on the nose. Velvety, rich and slightly sweet on the palate with flavours dark berries, cassis nectar, vanilla extract and mocha. Plush tannins and balanced acidity, this is an intensely opulent and full wine that will definitely find favour with lovers of Amarone and ripasso styled wines. Pair with braised red meat, dark chocolate desserts or salty, blue cheeses. 88 points.

Lailey Cabernet Sauvignon, VQA Niagara Peninsula 2011
$25 laileyvineyard.com
Still youthful and exuberant, this pours a deep purple ruby and has an alluring nose of sticky toffee pudding, violet incense, smoke and licorice. Quite a lot of concentration on the palate with powerful tannins and bright acidity and flavours of dark cherry, blackberry, crushed peppercorn, bay leaf and cedar. Pair with Korean beef or blue cheese burgers. 88 points.

Palatine Hills “Neufeld Vineyard” Meritage, VQA Niagara Lakeshore 2010
$29.95 palatinehillsestatewinery.com
A blend of 40% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with the balance being Cabernet Franc, this Bordeaux blend offers a nose of smoke, cooking spice, red cherry, cranberry cocktail and wet earth. Full bodied and a touch sweet on the palate, with bright acidity and smokey, toasty notes against macerated red and black berry flavours. Fine but firm tannin with a voluptuous, soft mouthfeel and decent length. 89 points.

Stratus Red, VQA Niagara on the Lake 2008
$44 stratuswines.com
A blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, this red spent 608 days in French oak (to be precise), nearly half of it new. What result is a beautifully drinkable wine that is elegant and enjoyable with a nose of bright red fruit, plum, crushed black pepper and a savoury salty edge. The palate is plush and full with black currant, cherry, humidor, pencil led and dusty, dried herbs. A weighty wine of finesse and class, pair this with roast lamb or game birds or even duck confit. 89 points.

Syrah

Kacaba Single Vineyard Syrah, VQA Niagara Escarpment 2010
$39.95 kacaba.com
I’ve been very impressed with Kacaba as of late, and this is another winner in my books. A masculine example of Ontario Syrah with aromas of brining spice, dill, smoke and bitter cranberry/pomegranate. The predominately savoury palate offers toasted caraway and dill spices along with flint, smoke and cassis and fine, but firm, tannin and balanced acidity. A wine that definitely takes a bit of time to open up, so decant for 30 minutes or longer, and enjoy with  braised leg of lamb, or beef brisket. 88 points.