Canadian Wine Guy

I’ve had this one over a number of years and it has been consistently very good. Dark in color with a nice dark cherry nose, along with some oak coming through. On the mid palate the wine displays lovely black cherries and some subtle blueberry notes. The fruit is quite vibrant without being fruity. On the medium length finish the wine displays lovely smooth tannins and the black cherry notes live on nicely. It’s lovely and dry … This is a well made red … I would give it an 88+. We had it with steaks and it went perfectly! This is a belnd of 40% Merlot, 35% syrah, 15% cab franc, 5% cab sauv and 5% baco noir.

From the LCBO web site:
Henry of Pelham Family Tree Red 2015 — VINTAGES#: 247882
STYLE – Medium-bodied & Fruity
This is a ripe, savoury, complex blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and one of Pelham’s great specialties, Baco Noir. It was aged for 17 months in 65% French oak and 35% American oak. The resulting wine offers blackberry, plum, strawberry, smoke, leather and spice, with a hint of black pepper. Pour this with grilled pork ribs or a hearty lamb stew. (Vintages panel, Aug. 2017) $18.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:April 28, 2018
Alcohol/Vol 13.5%Made in:Ontario, Canada By:Henry Of Pelham Family Est. Winery Sugar Content: 5 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry

Pale in color with a lovely rich bold varietal chard nose with lots of apple/pear coming through. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with bold rich apple and pear coming through along with some nice creamyness. On the medium length finish the wine displays lovely vanilla and acidity that lives on nicely in the mouth. This is a nice crisp, dry, well made, elegant chard. Not at all over oaked. I would give it an 99+. The LCBO say full bodied and rich … Oh ya!

From the LCBO web site (for a different year):
Bachelder Wismer Vineyard Chardonnay 2012 —VINTAGES#: 345819 | 750 mL bottle
STYLE – Full-bodied & Rich
Hailing from a warmer vintage, this is one large, rich and fleshy chardonnay. But despite the girth and depth it still pulls some fine acidity and minerality out of its hat as the wine wanes on the finish. Expect very lifted peat smoke from the barrels, with ripe almost custardy peach/pear fruit and almond on the nose. Some sense of herbality there as well. It rolls across the palate then battens down on the finish, hitting excellent to outstanding length. Score – 92. (David Lawrason, winealign.com, Jan. 25, 2015) $44.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:October 5, 2017
Alcohol/Vol 13.9% Made in: Ontario, Canada By:Les Bougognes Delaney-Bachelder Sugar Content:3 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry Style:Full-bodied & Rich

I love Pinots, and Niagara make some great ones. Inniskillin is in the Niagara on the lake area. This particular wine was available at the wine store as I was walking out of Metro, and I couldn’t be bothered walking across the parking lot to the LCBO so I thought WTF (not Wed/Thur/Fri) let’s grab it and see. It was $2 off so the risk wasn’t huge. Garnet in color with nice varietal soft red berry nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with nice smooth strawberries. The fruit is better than I expected at this price point and this is not just a fruit bomb. On the medium length finish the wine displays lovely smooth tannins and acidity along with some earthy notes. This was shockingly good for the price. I would give it an 88+. How can you go wrong for $13.95! Not at the LCBO, so from the winery or winerack.com

From the WineRack web site:
inniskillin Cellar Select Pinot Noir
SAVE $2.00 WAS $15.95 NOW $13.95 Case of 12 – $167.40
Rich red fruit flavours, light bodied with a smooth finish. Enjoy with chicken, pork, or fish. VQA
Table Wine Wine Rack Exclusive
Residual Sugar g/L 5.1
Calories / 5 oz glass 113

Dark in color with a nice plum nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with black plums coming through along with some cherries. This is a lovely bold merlot. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice smooth tannins, acidity and dryness. It’s got some nice complexity that lives on in the mouth. This to my tastes is one of the best, varietal, merlots coming out of Niagara in quite a while. Yummy. I would give it an 88-89. This wine is 86% merlot and 14% cab franc.

From the LCBO web site (for a different year):
Queylus Grand Reserve Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2012 — VINTAGES#: 536987
STYLE – Medium-bodied & Fruity
In 2012 the varietal relationship is magnified, pursued with prejudice and made blatantly obvious. The Cabernet Franc does the heavy lifting, bringing out the lovely dust, fine aggregate and mulled berry aspects of the Merlot. Richness is Merlot deep. Length, depth and a serious zest for blended life emits from energy. This vitality begins in the clay soil and the pioneering vision of Mr. Alain Sutre. Thomas and Kelly have transmitted his identification for the Queylus site to be one of the great essential locales in the development of harmony and power for the Bordeaux in Niagara varietal treatise. This is the starting point for the plan. It’s also a wine that is a product of Pinot Noir winemakers and doubting Thomases. Because it goes ripe. Drink 2017-2027. Score – 92. (Michael Godel, winealign.com, Dec. 24, 2015) $49.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:November 2, 2017
Alcohol/Vol 13.5% Made in:Ontario, Canada By: Gestion Queylus Sugar Content:2 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: XD – Extra Dry Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity Varietal:Merlot/Cabernet Franc

I’ve had this wine over a large number of years and they are always consistent. I consider this wine a benchmark. It has all the things you should expect from a pinot and none of the things you don’t want! Garnet in color with a lovely varietal soft red berry nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with soft red berries, strawberry and the like along with some nice rustic notes. On the medium length finish the wine displays nice acidity and tannins along with some nice dryness. I would easily give this an 88+. If your looking for a wine to introduce people to what Niagara can do … this is, and has been for quite a while, a great choice. Don’t be fooled by the lower end (non-gravity) pinot from Flat rock. This one is the one to get!

From the LCBO web site for the 2014 Vintage (check stock):
Flat Rock Gravity Pinot Noir 2014 — VINTAGES#: 1560 | 750 mL bottle
STYLE – Medium-bodied & Fruity
Aromas of fleshy cherry yet it’s balanced with racy acidity. The winery uses the gentlest methods to press the grapes and make the wine via a gravity flow system rather than pumping (thus the name gravity on the label). Then the wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. Medium ruby hue with cherry accents, polished tannins, silky smooth texture and medium bodied weight. Gorgeous cherry-berry aromas and flavours on the mid-palate. Then it finishes with wisps of black raspberry and vanilla toast. This red wine is so vibrant and so fantastically great year after year. Try it with roast chicken or turkey. Score – 92. (Natalie MacLean, nataliemaclean.com, Dec. 31, 2015) $34.95
PRODUCT DETAILS
Release Date:April 28, 2018
Alcohol/Vol 12.9% Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Flat Rock Cellars Sugar Content:3 g/L Sweetness Descriptor:XD – Extra DryStyle: Medium-bodied & Fruity

From the winery’s web site for the 2013 Vintage:
About This Wine:
The Gravity bottling of Pinot Noir is designed to showcase the ‘best of the best’ in our vineyard and cellar. With a very good crop of fruit in 2013, we were able to have an even greater selection of Pinot Noir fruit to choose from and more barrels of wine to select for our top Pinot Noir blend. The end result is a wine that is very subtle in its oak profile in order to showcase the sweet & savoury notes of Pinot Noir. The core of fruit is balanced with some use of stems or whole clusters in the fermentation vat. We are always looking to craft our iconic wines to showcase fruit purity with nuance and elegance. This is how we feel we can best express the terroir of our Twenty Mile Bench vineyard.
Acid: 6.5 g/L PH: 3.75 Residual Sugar: <2 g/L Alcohol %: 13%
Bottling Date: April 2015
$34.95
2013 Gravity retail sheet.

Pale in color with a nice crisp dry minerally nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with lovely crispness, and some noticeable chard notes, some apple/pear. On the medium length finish the wine displays lovely acidity and citrus notes. In spite of being on the lees for 48 month it’s not all that creamy. All in all a lovely bubbly. I would give it an 88+. Super food friendly and a great add to any table. Unlike some bubblies that are non-vintage this one is noted as a 2012. Not in the LCBO but available at the winery for $34.95. I’ve had this over a number of years and they have been consistently good …

From the winery’s web site:
PREMIER CUVEE 2012 $34.95
Fresh and pure with classic aromas of toasty brioche and light fruity notes of apple and lemon

The nose is fresh and pure with classic aromas of toasty brioche and light fruity notes of apple and lemon. The mousse is fine with bracing acidity refreshing the palate on the long toasty finish. Certainly perfect to drink now but will further develop complexities through short to medium term aging.

This wine will pair nicely with fresh shucked oysters, white fleshed fish or lobster. Also a perfect pairing with bloomy-rind, double or triple cream cheeses. Or serve on its own as the perfect aperitif. Serve chilled at 5-8° C.

WINEMAKING NOTES
A blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the 2012 vintage. Both varieties are primarily sourced from our estate vineyards in the Creek Shores sub-appellation, with some fruit coming from some of our favourite growers in both Creek Shores and Niagara-on-the-Lake. After harvest both varieties The Pinot Noir provides notes of berry fruit, power and richness while Chardonnay the acidic structure and backbone. This dry sparkling wine underwent second fermentation in the final bottle and aged sur lattes (en tirage) for a minimum of 48 months during which the bubbles became smaller and more compact. A slight autolytic, or toast and bread character also developed during this time. After the lees was removed, winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas felt the wine was in perfect balance so decided to not add any sugar to the dosage resulting in a classically dry sparkling wine in the zero dosage style. This wine was not exposed to oak and did not undergo malolactic fermentation.

Slightly golden in color with a nice apple/pear nose. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with spot on apple/pear notes. On the medium length finish the wine is nice and dry and shows some nice vanilla notes. This is quite a good chard 88+.

From the winery’s web site (for a different year).

2015 Terroir Chardonnay American Oak $32.00 / Bottle

Presenting beautifully! A rich, complex palate with generous aromas of pineapple, green apple and pear that combine with caramel, toasty vanilla and creme brulee. Long, warm and well-balanced finish.

Wine Specs
Appellation: VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake
Brix at Harvest 23.3 Residual Sweetness 3.0
Cases Made 129 cases Alcohol %14.5
Tasting Notes
A complex wine with aromas and flavours of apple (yellow and green), pear, papaya, melon, cantaloupe, lime, vanilla, butterscotch, caramel, coconut, spice and toasty oak. All harmonize with the acidity producing a long, lingering finish. Best serving temperature 10-13C

Food Pairing Notes
The toasty oak notes complement grilled seafood dishes such as salmon, scallops and shrimp, and grilled chicken.

I previously rated the 2013 Small Lot chardonnay and was impressed. This one is much less expensive. Pale to golden in color with a mild apple/pear nose, spot on varietal. This is one of those chards that’s sensitive to temperature. Serve it too cold and your will miss some of the complexity. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with lovely pear/apple. On the medium length finish the wine displays lovely vanilla and some creamyness. The wine has some nice mouth grip. This is a lovely and food friendly chard, not over baked. I would give it an 88+, which at $19.95 a bottle is not a bad deal. I bought it at the wine store as I was exiting Longos. It doesn’t seem to be on the winery’s web site so I am assuming there is limited left. It should easily keep a year or two so don’t hesitate to buy a few!