This sauv blanc has been aged in oak for 1 year. Most sauv blancs from New Zealand for example see no oak. In California an oaked sauv blanc is called a fume blanc. This one is pale in color with a mild nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some subtle citrus notes along with some nice minerality. On the medium length finish the wine displays some firm and acidity and builds slightly in the mouth. This is definitely a more subdued sauv blanc, I suspect due to the oaking. I prefer mine a bit more edgy but it is a nice wine none the less and will be very food friendly. An easy sipper. I would give an 88- or so. It’s $30.20 at the winery.
from the winery’s web site (for the 2013 vintage):
Harvested from estate owned vinyeards and our long-standing growers in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Only premium free-run juice from Sauvignon Blanc grapes were used for full expression of the fruit. A small portion of the juice began spontaneous fermention using wild yeast from the vineyard, then aged in barrel (the wild yeast contributes to aromas and complexity). 80% of the juice was barrel fermented and aged sur lie for 12 months in 100% French oak barrels (new and older barrels) to develop a rich, complex mouthfeel. 20% of the juice was fermented in our concrete ‘Egg’ to enhance mouthfeel and texture, then transferred to barrel for aging.
Serve with grilled halibut with a barbecued corn salsa; smoked salmon and trout appetizers; creamy pasta dishes with smoked salmon and asparagus; buttered grilled asparagus; herbed roast chicken; smoked turkey; smoked cheeses. Enjoy lightly chilled at 14 to 16°C. Drink now through 2017.
