Canadian Wine Guy

I bought this at the winery back in 2012. When is wine ready to drink? Well when you can’t wait any longer of course 🙂 Peninsula Ridge have really been kicking up a notch in recent years. A statement of how Niagara continue to move the quality of their wines forward, and this is one small example of that. Garnet in color with a little browning around the edges. I was getting a little concerned … A mild light red berry nose. On the mid palate the fruit on this wine is still holding it’s own nicely displays lovely soft red berries, raspberries and the like along with some nice rustic and earthy notes. On the medium length finish the wine displays some mild acidity and tannins. This is a super food friendly wine. We paried it with duck tournedos and it went very well I would give the wine an 88-89. Very nice. $24.95 when I bought it.

Dark in color with a nice varietal nose. On the mid palate the wine’s lovely fruit is expressive and varietal. Cab franc done right! On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice firmness without being aggressive. A beautiful well made wine. I would give it an 88-89. $24.95 at the winery.

Dark color nice red cherry nose. On the mid palate you get some nice red cherries to match the nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice lively acidity along with some mild pepper and tannins. There’s some noticable alcohol upon first opening, surprising because it’s only 13%. It’s a touch young but approachable now. I would give it an 88+. $24.95 at the winery. One the better cab sauv’s out of Niagara! As always, great job Kacaba!

From the winery’s web site:
CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013
Details

Cabernet Sauvignon has a tendency to be vigorous and therefore we hard prune these vines in order to reduce the yield and increase the colour and flavours. The bunches were also hand thinned in order to retain only premium quality fruit. The 2013 vintage fruit was hand picked in the cool of the early morning to retain the primary fruit flavours. The grapes were crushed and transferred to open fermenters then fermented to dryness which took a period of 21 days. Each day, the Cabernet Sauvignon was hand plunged 3 times to ensure maximum colour and flavour extraction. The resulting wine was then pressed and transferred to a mixture of French and American oak barrels in readiness for malolactic fermentation and consequent barrel ageing. After the 21 months, the barrels were racked and blended into stainless steel tanks. Prior to bottling the wine underwent light filtration to ensure freshness of flavours and brightness of colour.

Pale in color with a nice citrus nose. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice smooth citrus notes. It’s a softer gentler sauv blanc. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice food friendly acidity and the citrus notes linger nicely in the mouth. I would give it an 88 or so. A nice pairing for seafood.
From the LCBOs web site:
Trius Sauvignon Blanc VQA — LCBO#: 221804
STYLE – Light & Crisp
pale straw colour; lemon and grapefruit with mineral, gooseberry and grass aromas; dry, medium body; fresh lemon flavour with a long crisp finish
$14.95

From the winery’s web site:
Our refreshing Sauvignon Blanc is a summer favourite and the most popular white wine at Trius!
Fresh and lively flavours of citrus, fresh apple and green herbs on the palate. Zippy, refreshing flavours of grapefruit linger on the finish. Sip and enjoy!

Niagara cab francs are some of my fav wines. They have really gone through a fabulous evolution of the years. For a long time they were edgy tannic monsters you didn’t dare approach for 5-10 years. Over time the wineries have learned to tame the beast and come up with a wine just like this one. Kacaba have been doing some great things for a number of years now, and regular readers know I’m a fan and visit the winery often. The staff are amazing (and no, they don’t pay me to advertise for them :)). Dark in with a nice varietal dark cherry nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some lovely rich dark cherry fruit along with some nice chocolate and mocha. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice vibrant acidity and some fine but firm tannins. There is some noticeable oak on the wine. Alcohol is well under control. This is a perfect example of a well done, elegant styled cab franc … yumm. I would give it an 89. Pair it with something like steak/lamb. Looks like the winery is onto the 2014 vintage of the wine. I paid $24.94 at the winery.

When people think of ageable wines most think of red wines. I submit this one for your consideration. It’s not my first oak aged chard I have aged and been very happy with the result. Slightly golden in color with a lovely varietal chard nose. The fruit is still coming through on the nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some rich bold apple and pear. On the medium length finish the wine is showing huge oak, and vanilla. This wine has aged extremely well. I would give it an 89+. But if you don’t like oak aged chards skip this one because the oak is really prevalent even now. It’s not to the point of over baked but it is heavily crafted. I bought this one at the winery a long time ago and paid $40 for it. Yumm. We paired it with a pan seared cod and scallops and it went very well.

From the winery’s web site:
Release Date: Sept 2009
Appellation: 100% Prince Edward County
Harvest: Hand harvested September 30, 2007 2.1 ton/acre Barrel fermented with indigenous yeast
In barrel, March 2008 19 months 26% New French Oak, 13.7% alcohol. 3204 Bottles made.

Tasting Notes:
www.clossonchase.com 629 Closson Road, Hillier, Ontario, K0K 2J0 info@clossonchase.com
Closson Chase Vineyards Inc. T) 613.399.1418 F) 613.399.1618 Wine Maker: Deborah Paskus
September, 2009 Very rich and opulent on the nose: sweet and rich and round. More Californian than anything else really with
just a hint of popcorn. Big and bold, but not fat. Drink 2009-2012 ~ Jancis Robinson, Seriously Cool Chardonnays Taste
Event,London, England, May 2010 This Chardonnay was selected from our older section of the vineyard, and represents the best of the Chardonnay harvest. The nose is rich and warm with great balance of aromas contributed by the fruit, the barrel and the
19 months of aging, in barrel. Peach juice, orange peel, home made apple sauce, butter, toast crumbs, cedar, taffy. The structure is the true feature of this wine, a result of the vines feet being in a home of gravel and fractured limestone. Should age well.
~ Deborah Paskus, Viticulturalist