Canadian Wine Guy

Inky dark in color (you should have seen the cork!) with am earthy nose as well as some dark berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays some dark berries and earth notes to match the nose. Maybe even some chocolate coming through. On the mid pallet the wine has some dry tannins and some mild acidity. I have to say this wine is better than I expected. I’ve previously had the wine and been a little underwhelmed. The reserve is so much more rich and complex. I would give it an 88-89!

From the LCBO web site:
HENRY OF PELHAM BACO NOIR VQA LCBO 270926 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 14.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Henry Of Pelham Family Est. Winery
Style: Full-bodied & Firm 13.0% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content: 14 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Deep ruby red colour with hints of purple; ripe blackberry and plum aromas with coffee, cedar and smoky notes; dry, full-bodied; black cherry flavour, well balanced with a long smokey finish.

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)

I quote from Wikipedia “Megalomania is a psychopathological disorder characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. ‘Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs’. Can you tell the name of this winery get up my nose? Nuff said.

Dark in color with a mild nose of red berries. On the mid pallet the wine displays some red berries a touch of tartness and some acidity. On the medium length finish there are some tannins, some dryness as well as some acidity coming through. I paired the wine with a filet mignon and the wine really did not hold up to the steak at all. I had to stop eating so I could focus on the wine to write this review. I would give it an 88-89. Not a bad wine, but sadly nothing outstanding either 🙁 But given the price it’s not a bad deal.

From the LCBO web site:
MEGALOMANIAC HOMEGROWN RED VQA LCBO 260364 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 13.95

Limited Time Offer
Was: $ 14.95 Now: $ 13.95 Save: $ 1.00 Until Apr 28, 2013
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: John Howard Cellars Of Distinction

Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity 13.0% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content: 13 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Bright medium ruby; aromas of cherries and berry fruit with smoky and herbaceous notes; dry and medium-bodied, with balanced acidity and moderate tannins; juicy black fruit flavours lead to a finish that is long and smooth.

Dark in color with a mild nose of red berries. On the mid pallet this wine is a deep rich cab, fruit forward with lovely dark cherries coming through. On the medium length finish the wine has some nice well balanced tannins and some nice dryness. It lives on nicely in the mouth with the rich dark cherries coming through without food but is not so strong as to overwhelm the food. I paired it with a Maltese baked rice (tomato based sauce). It went very well with the rustic flavors of the food. This wine is easily approachable now. This really is one of the better reds coming out of Niagara and when you factor in the price $21.95 this is not a bad deal at all. I applaud 13th St! I’ve been impressed with a number of their wines! I would give this a solid 89-90. Yumm. I bet it will keep pretty well too! Wish I’d bought more 🙁

From the winery’s website:
Tasting Notes

A nose of steeped black cherries, plums, sweet tobacco, bay leaf, earth and cedar with medium weight, balanced alcohol and fine mouth-coating tannins. This young wine will enjoy cellaring through 2018 or decant now for aeration and serve with roast duck, fine steaks, lamb stew or traditional moussaka, or firm aged sheep and cow’s milk cheeses.

This is the first year for this wine at Kacaba. I had the opportunity to taste this out of the tank bank in the fall and it was showing very well. I pre bought 6 of them! Pale in color with nice citrus nose. ON the mid pallet the wine displays some lovely citrus notes along with some grassy flavors. The wine is medium in length building nicely. It’s a milder Sauv blanc and very food friendly. For a first year off the vines the wine is quite good. This bodes well for future releases. I have often wondered why there aren’t more Sauv Blancs in the bench! I would give it an 88-89. $17.95 a bottle at the winery!

From the winery’s web site:
SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012
AROMATIC WITH CITRUS AND GRASSY NOTES. A CLEAN AND CRISP WINE OFFERING MANY LAYERS OF FLAVOR ON THE PALATE. HONEYDEW MELON, GRAPEFRUIT AND TART APPLE FLAVORS LINGER WITH A BALANCED ACIDITY THAT ADDS A REFRESHING QUALITY.

I’ve been to Calamus a number of times and never been disappointed. Derek and Pat have done a great job of setting up a winery that brings simple approachable wines at reasonable prices to the masses. I love what they have done with the old barn. It just seems consistent with the approach they take with the wine. Pat was behind the counter this time and as always the staff are great. Easy to talk to, not in the least pretentious, very down to earth! This wine is 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot. I was shocked, I would have sworn there was Pinot Noir in the blend. Dark and rusty in color. The nose has some oak, some red berries and again I would have said Pinot noir like. On the mid pallet the wine has rustic notes, some earthyness, some red berries, more towards strawberry. The wine is on the lighter side of medium in length with easy tannins and a bit of dryness. This is a simple, approachable wine. At $16.20 it’s reasonably priced and very food friendly!

From the Winery’s web site:
Tasting Notes: Colour Ruby
Aroma Cherry, blackberry, vanilla
Palate Ripe currant and blackberry with moderate tannins.
Food Pairing
BBQ ribs, lamb, or chocolate desserts

Happy Easter to one and all from CWG and myself. For our family gathering quiche was on the menu so I selected two wines from our visit to Kacaba’s winery!

Bias up front I like my rieslings Dry, not sweet. This one is pale in color with a lovely lighter varietal riesling nose of dry honeysuckle, not too sweet on the nose. There’s a bit of bubbles on first pouring. On the mid pallet this is a smooth crisp dry Riesling with honeysuckle coming through but not at all too sweet. There’s a hint of effervescence on the tongue at first. The wine is medium in length with some lovely fruit coming through. This is a very food friendly wine. I would give it an 88-89. It available from the winery for !17.95 a bottle which IMHO is not a bad deal at all!

From the Winery’s web site:
RESERVE RIESLING 2012
MUCH MORE THAN A TYPICAL BENCH RIESLING! ALLURING NOTES OF RIPE MANGO, PEACH, YELLOW PLUM AND HONEYSUCKLE GIVE WAY TO A FRESH BALANCED ACIDITY AND A LONG FINISH BRIMMING WITH FLAVOUR. ENJOY ON ITS OWN OR WITH CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD DISHES.

Our second wine for the celebration was the Kacaba Susan’s Sauvignon Blanc. This it the first year for this wine at Kacaba. I tasted out of the barrel back in the fall and preordered a case of it. Very pale in color with a lovely varietal nose of citrus and grass. On the mid pallet the wine displays flavors spot on to the nose. Lovely citrus flavors along with some grass. This is lovely smooth well made sauv blanc. It’s amazing how good this is for the first year! The wine is medium in length in finish with smooth food friendly flavors. I would give it a good solid 89. $17.95 a bottle at the winery!

Both were awesome and paired very well with the quiche!

From the winery’s web site:
SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012
AROMATIC WITH CITRUS AND GRASSY NOTES. A CLEAN AND CRISP WINE OFFERING MANY LAYERS OF FLAVOR ON THE PALATE. HONEYDEW MELON, GRAPEFRUIT AND TART APPLE FLAVORS LINGER WITH A BALANCED ACIDITY THAT ADDS A REFRESHING QUALITY.

I’ve written up a number of Kacaba wine in the past. I love visiting their winery. The wines and the people are so approachable. Every year they are doing better and better with their wines. On this occasion Vadim Chelekhov the assistant wine maker was our host. He spent a lot of time with us sharing his passion for wine, his knowledge about the wine and about how he loves working at Kacaba. I really appreciate the time he spent with us there. If you haven’t made your way out to Kacaba yet, do!

This wine is pale in color with a lovely varietal chard nose with some oak and some vanilla coming through. On the mid pallet the wine displays some lovely vanilla to match the nose along with some pineapple. This wine is VERY sensitive to temperature. Serve it too cold and you will find it a bland wine with not a lot going on. Warm it up and it opens up nicely. I suspect it also maybe a bit too young. The wine has some butteryness to it and is backed by some acidity to match the pineapple on the mid pallet. I would give it an 88-89. Very nice, $22.95 a bottle at the winery.

From the Winery’s web site:
BARREL FERMENTED CHARDONNAY 2011
AROMAS OF PINEAPPLE, GUAVA AND PEAR MINGLE WITH HINTS OF VANILLA. THE PALATE IS FULL BODIED AND RICH WITH THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN FRUIT, OAK AND ACIDITY. THIS WINE IS A JOY TO DRINK WHEN YOUNG BUT WILL ALSO AGE AND DEVELOP BEAUTIFULLY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

Golden in color with a nose of apples. On the mid pallet the wine displays some green apple flavors to match the nose. It’s got some minerality and some tartness on the medium length finish. It’s an unoaked chard so what you are getting is the fruit itself. This isn’t the style of chard I prefer. I like California style buttery/creamy. I would give it an 88 or so. It’s $20 a bottle.

From the winery’s web site:
Appellation: VQA Niagara Peninsula Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol Percent: 12.0% LCBO Sweetness Descriptor: Dry
Residual Sugar 7. 6 g/L Brix at Harvest: 20.6 o Bx
Total Acid 6.15 g/L
Cases Produced: 270
Drinking Through: Now – 2022+
Oak Treatment: None
Service Temp.: 10 – 12 o C

I decided to checkout the Megalomaniac winery this time around, I’ve not been here before. To be honest, the name puts me off. “Mr Howard” as they refer to him in the store use to be a part owner at Vineland before he sold it off and then later opened this winery. As you drive up you encounter what could best be described as a bomb shelter like front to the tasting room and working winery. They are rebuilding the tasting room upstairs given they have outgrown the current setup. There’s lots of concrete, lots of stainless steel and in all it has a very industrial cold feel to it. For me, it’s not really to my tastes. None the less onto the wines. The wines are named equally eccentrically including Big Mouth Red Narcissist Riesling, Bravado Cab etc. I would have to say for me, this is an in your face experience that would have to create exceptional wines to make me overcome this approach.

2011 Reserve Riesling
Pale in color with a slight nose of apples. The wine is slightly effervescent on the front of the tongue but this passes quickly. The wine displays some nice minerality on the mid pallet and is a nice dry Riesling. The wine is medium in length on the finish with some tongue grip and some citrus coming through. I would give this an 88 or so. At $27.95 there are way better Rieslings out there for a whole lot less money. If I were you … I’d look elsewhere.

Pinot Meunier is a chimeric mutation of Pinot Noir whatever that means. Darker in color than a pinot noir, but not as dark as say a cab sauv. The wine is almost cloudy. On the nose there’s a bit of sweet fruits, almost like dried fruits coming through. On the mid pallet the wine displays some red berries and some sweetness to match the nose. On the finish the wine has an almost vermouth like taste. It dials down a bit as it breaths. Again almost like dried fruits. Not as strong but similar to a port. The wine is one the lighter side of medium in length on the finish. Not a bad wine. I would give it an 88 or so. We paired it with a maple glazed beef short rib. It didn’t go famously but did hold it’s own. Not a perfect pairing unfortunately. $17.95 a bottle at the winery.

From the Winery’s web site:
Appellation: VQA Niagara Escarpment
Varietal: 100% Pinot Meunier
Alcohol Percent: 12.0 % LCBO Sugar Code: 0 (Dry)
Residual Sugar 5.7 g/L Brix at Harvest: 21.4 Bx
Total Acid g/L: 6.12 g/L
Cases Produced: 1254+
Drinking Through: Now – 2017+
Oak Treatment: 3 months
Service Temp.: 16 – 18 C

Another Mr. Wonderful wine (from Dragons Den). The wine is made for him by Vineland Estates. This is another of these celebrity wines. They put there name on a bottle made by someone else. No idea how much input Kevin actually has in the making of this wine. Lighter in color with a nose of red berries coming through. On the mid pallet the some has red berries to match the nose. The finish on the wine is on the lighter side of medium in length with some tannins, some acidity and earthy notes. It’s fairly smooth wine. The wine is largely unoaked according to the person behind the counter. I would give it an 88 or so. Not a bad wine. Mr Wonderful on Dragons Den is all about making MONEY. Well let’s hope he turns his passions to making even better wine! I won’t be rushing out to grab either of these wines 🙁

From the LCBO web site:
O’LEARY CABERNET MERLOT VQA LCBO 307744 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 14.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Vineland Estate Wines Limited
Style: Medium-bodied & Fruity
13.0% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content: 6 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Red ruby red colour; aromas of cassis, green pepper, plum, vanilla and spicy oak, with earth and tobacco notes; dry, medium bodied, rounded palate, flavours of red currant, plum and vanilla, with earth and blackberry.

I tasted this one at the iYellow Ice wine event and then bought a bottle for a more in depth tasting. Dark in color with nice nose of red berries, even a little dried fruits coming through. Quite nice. On the mid pallet the wine has lovely red berries and again dried fruits to match the nose, with a touch of sweetness. On the finish the wine has some nice dryness, some nice tannins, some earthy notes and some acidity. The alcohol is noticeable so I would suggest a bit of breathing. I would give it an 88. Not a bad wine for the price.

From the winery’s web site:
Estate grown in our organic and demeter certified vineyard. Harvested for “fresh fruit level of maturity”; this intense flavour window provides full expression of red fruits, blueberries and cassis. 39% Cabernet Franc, 31% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Appellation: VQA Niagara Peninsula
Alcohol: 13% Titratable Acidity: 6.2 g/l ph: 3.66

Grapes were handpicked and cluster sorted before destemming and crushing. 50% fermentation in oak vats and stainless steel tanks for 4 weeks total maceration time before gentle pressing, settling and aging in oak vats for 3 months. Blending Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon then sterile filtration prior to bottling. No fining.

From the LCBO web site:
SOUTHBROOK ORGANIC RED CONNECT VQA LCBO 249565 | 750 mL bottle Price $ 15.95
Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Southbrook Farms Winery
12.9% Alcohol/Vol. Sugar Content: 9 g/L Sweetness Descriptor: D – Dry

Tasting Note
Ruby-purple in colour; fragrant aromas of black currant, raspberries and vanilla oak; dry and medium-bodied, with balanced acidity and moderate tannins; flavours of blackberry-cherry, spice, earth and a medium long finish.