I love travelling down to Niagara and went down with a group this past weekend and had to stop by Fielding. I’ve been impressed with a number of their wines of late. The 2011 Pinot Gris was nice, the 2010 Fireside Red is a terrific deal and the now unavailable 2012 Cab Syrah was also very good. So when we were heading down to Niagara Fielding was a MUST visit part of the trip! Niagara IMHO does a terrific job of cab Francs. They are spot on varietal.
This one is dark in color with a lovely rich varietal Cab Franc nose. On the mid pallet the wine displays some varietal cab franc fruit, red fruits, and some nice mocha. On the finish the wine displays some firm tannins, some big dryness and some pallet coating flavors that linger in the mouth. This is a BIG cab Franc, the way Niagara does well. I really enjoyed this wine. It’s still young, but as long as you like big wines it’s approachable now. It will keep for a quite a while and I suspect it will settle down and the fruit will be more noticeable. I would give this a solid 89-90. For $22.15 this wine is a bargain.
From the Fielding web site:
Deep red in colour with a youthful purple rim, the nose of this wine is quite
expressive with violets, wild blueberry, cedar-smoke, and dark chocolate. Midweight on the palate with fine-grained tannins and a lengthy, spice-filled finish.
Awards & Accolades
Calling all Cabernet Franc lovers, this is a wonderfully flavourful, deftly crafted red. Complex aromas include a floral note, hints of roasted red pepper, mineral and sweet spice and a rush of red berry. Dry, medium bodied and tangy, displaying firm tannins, lively acidity and depth of red and black berry fruit. Spice, herbal notes and a hint of chocolate add complexity, garnishing the long-lasting, earthy, flavourful finish. Serve with grilled meats
From the LCBO web site:
FIELDING ESTATE CABERNET FRANC 2011 VINTAGES 36194 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 21.95
This is a VQA wine
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Fielding Estate Winery
Release Date: Apr 13, 2013
Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Wine, Red Wine 13.0% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content: 5 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry
Tasting Note
Very complex nose with strawberry-rhubarb, baking spices, wild raspberry and red pepper. The palate is juicy, savoury and uninhibited. Still young, with grippy tannins you could easily put this one aside for another year. Decant for 2 hours and enjoy tonight with pork burgers, steak and grilled red peppers. (VINTAGES panel, Feb. 2013) .
