RANT WARNING:
Ok, I am going to digress for a moment. If you aren’t interested in reading the rant, page down, I don’t mind 🙂
Ok thanks for hanging with me. In the last 5 years or so there have been a slew of celebrity label wines in Niagara. Everything from ex hockey greats (love ya Wayne) to golf guys to a pro fishing guy (pro fishing? What is that?). These fellows come to Niagara, sometimes put there name on someone else’s wine, sometimes setup a winery but no grapes (who wants to deal with those pesky grapes. And growing grapes doesn’t matter anyway, it’s all in the wine “maker” … NOT) to some of them that actually do the whole deal. Back in the 70’s using celebrity names to endorse products was all the rage. Are we really still lemmings that follow the name? Do we really need that now?
With this bias in mind (and disclosed) I have stayed away from celebrity wineries in Niagara. Proudly driving past them with my nose in the air.
RANT DONE
I was out at a box at a Blue Jays game last night and they were serving this wine. So I thought, why not … let’s give it a try. I must say I was surprised. This is not a bad wine. It is quite dry. The tannins are firm but by no means out of control. Oak is quite prevalent but again not out of control. There are some distinct cassis flavors consistent with a cab. The wine is slightly sweet, slightly jammy. Color is deep and the bouquet is mild. The finish is medium. Not a bad sipping wine at all. It went quite well with food as well, a steak. If I had to give it a number I would say 87-88.
From the LCBO web site:
MIKE WEIR ESTATE CABERNET/MERLOT (V) VINTAGES 109 | 750 mL bottle
Price: $ 18.95 Wine, Red Wine, 12.9% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Mike Weir Wine
Release Date: Feb 28, 2009
Description
This wine scores a hole-in-one with its penetrating aromas of blackberries, black cherry, roasted bell pepper, portobello mushroom, vanilla and hints of sweet herbs. Dry and medium-bodied, this lovely red blend features ripe, velvety smooth, cedar-laced, black fruit flavours that are nicely balanced by a lively acidity. A tasty partner for roast beef au jus, or gourmet burgers garnished with portobello mushrooms and gorgonzola.
