Henry of Pelham remains one of the most overlooked Niagara region wineries. Despite the consistency that most vineyards long for, its location and lack of ‘cache’ tend to put them on the forgotten list. The Speck family make good wine and a visit to their property is always recommended. Their top end label has some of the best priced first growths on the escarpment, this is one of them at $36.
This wines rusty colour was the first indication that five years of aging was probably enough. A sure sign of an aged red is that rust/orange hue for those not aware. This pinot has hints of wild red fruit with undertones of leather. The first few sips present red cherry and some earthiness. The body is still rich with tannins with a medium length finish. While fruit is still present I would avoid laying this wine down much longer than a year or two at most. Any longer and I fear you’d lose the fruit and have something much less complex. Overall a good Pinot Noir, though not great enough to put it top 5 in a fantastic producing region.
The CWG Subjective Rating is 87 out of 100.
