I had the pleasure of attending the County in the City event at the Berkeley . A number of wineries from Prince Edward County came down to bring the fruits of their labour to our front door. I applaud those wineries that took the time to come and and spread the good word about the great wines coming out from the county. I last travelled to Prince Edward County in 2010 and was impressed with a number of the wines from there. One of the ones I was most impressed with was Casa Dea. Carmella Estates (Casa Dea’s previous name) had the distinction of being one of the longest Rieslings I had ever tasted. Paul Battilana the wine maker at Casa Dea came to the event and I enjoyed chatting with him about his passion and the great wines they are producing. I had a number of their wines at the event and I will post reviews of more of them in upcoming posts.
This wine was my hands down favourite of the night. And when you include the price I highly recommend it as a great bargain! Now Pinot Noir is one of those grapes that you either love or hate. This one is garnet in color with a nice rustic nose. On the mid pallet the wine has some lovely bold varietal pinot noir rustic flavours. This is not a fruity Pinot as some are. There’s lots to like here (if you like Pinots). On the long finish the wine has some nice dryness, minerality, and fine tannins that linger nicely in the mouth. I would pair it with some form of foul (chicken, turkey, Cornish hen) or red fish (salmon or trout) so that you can enjoy the lovely flavours of this wine. I would give it an 89. Paul thought it might keep for another couple years but personally I would be enjoying it now in all it’s glory! This one was so good I went back for more and ended my night with it!
Thanks Paul and your team for a great wine, please keep up the excellent work!
from the LCBO web site:
CASA-DEA PINOT NOIR 2009 VINTAGES 296210 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 19.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Casa-Dea Vineyards Ltd
Release Date: Dec 8, 2012
12.2% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content: 4 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry
Description
This lovely PEC Pinot offers exceptional value for Pinot Noir.
Tasting Note
Here’s a light, tight, juicy and mineral example of County pinot in the style that excels in the region. The palate is light and flavour intensity modest, but this displays a good dose of limestone minerality and delicate freshness that should be allowed to characterize the wines of the area. For current consumption or short term hold. Tasted September 2011. Drink 2011-2013. Score – 88. (John Szabo, M.S., winealign.com, Sept. 2011)
