Canadian Wine Guy

I stopped by Gretzkys for the first time. Celebrity wines put me off. All Gretzky wines are made by Creekside. The wines are dedicated to supporting the Wayne Gretzky foundation with all profits going there. A charity that brings hockey to underprivileged kids. The Sauv blanc is pale in color with a nose of citrus, mostly lemon. On the mid pallet the wine matches the bouquet with citrus flavors and some grassyness coming through. The wine is medium length in finish dominated by tart grapefruit flavors. Not a bad Sauv blanc. The person working the tasting booth said the grapefruit flavors were even more dominant when it was first bottled. I would give it an 88. $15.95

Notes from the winery’s web site:
Given extended aging time (averaging 15 months) in French oak barrels, the region’s hallmark seam of lively acidity has been maintained while adding the rounded mouthfeel and structural depth associated with fermentation and aging in neutral oak. Crisp, focused, and complex, the 2008 Estate Series offering showcases the breadth of potential for Sauvignon Blanc on the Niagara Peninsula. Enjoyable now, this wine should evolve further in bottle with 2-3 years of cellaring.

I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. This wine is VERY pale in color mild on the nose with nothing distinctive coming through for me. On the mid pallet this is a VERY subtle wine with a hint of some citrus coming through. On the finish this wine is on the lighter side of medium. If your looking for a light easy drinking sipper for the patio for folks that don’t like wine this would be a good choice. This is somewhat varietal for a pinot grigio so I think they have actually done a reasonable job of it, it’s just not to my tastes. I like a deeper wine for my $$s. I would give it an 87-88.

I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. You could insert my usual diatribe about celebrity named wines or we can just move onto the review 🙂 Quite dark in color (much darker than a typical pinot) with a nose of lots of black berries and some oak. On the mid pallet this wine is dominated by what I often refer to as the Niagara terroir. For me it’s like dirt in a glass. Pinots are often earthy but this one is earthy not in a good way. On the finish the wine is dominated by strong tannins typical of some Niagara reds. For my tastes this is a poorly made wine. It would not be particularly food friendly but would hold up to big hearty meals like a steak. I would give it an 87 and for my money I would buy much better wines.

From the LCBO web site:
MIKE WEIR PINOT NOIR 2008 VINTAGES 75 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 19.95
Wine, Red Wine 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.

Sugar Content : D This is a VQA wine

Made in: Ontario, Canada By: Mike Weir Wine

Tasting Note
Elegant Pinot Noir featuring aromas of strawberry, sour cherry, earth tones and a touch of wild raspberry. Dry, with focused acidity and harmonious fruit flavours. Medium bodied with a good finish. Would match a vast array of foods, from grilled salmon or grilled pork to stuffed roasted chicken. (VINTAGES panel, May 2010)

I had this one at the iYellow Pinot event. This wine is pale in color and on the nose there was a distinctive smell that passed quickly that I could not place. On the mid pallet the wine is surprisingly fresh, some lemon, lime with some nice minerality on the finish (almost slightly tart) that builds nicely in mouth. I would say it was on the lighter side of medium in finish. Not a bad wine at all and quite food friendly. I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I would give it an 88-89. $19.95 at the winery (not available at the LCBO). Now for the price this doesn’t hold the value equation for me, there are much better wines for less money.

From the winery web site:
Winemaker’s Notes
Our Pinot Gris was hand-harvested on the 1st, 2nd and 15th of September at an average of 21.2° brix, titratable acidity of 7.1 g/l and a pH of 3.3. After hand sorting, the fruit was destemmed and then left on the skins for an average of 3 hours. Gently pressed to 1.1 atmospheres, settled, then fermented cool in stainless steel. Aged in stainless steel to preserve fruit and crispness. The finished wine at 13% alcohol and 9 g/l of residual sugar, was bottled on January 25, 2011. Drink now through 2013.

Food Pairings
Served slightly chilled, this Pinot Gris is an excellent aperitif. Enjoy on its own or with oka style cheese. A superb match for braised veal, pan-fried pickerel, or mussels. For a vegetarian match, try with a white pizza or cheese ravio

Winery

Ok, I have to admit it. I have never heard of a white pinot noir before so this wine peaked my curiosity. I got to taste it at the iYellow Pino event. Flat Rock Cellars have been doing some great stuff. I really enjoy their Gravity Pinot Noir and I consider it to be one of my favorites in Niagara. The wine is slightly golden in color with a nose of honey reminiscent of a Chardonnay, and some oak as well. On the mid pallet the wine’s taste matches the bouquet with very chard like elements. Some honey, some vanilla, some creamyness, and a little butterscotch and a bit of butter. If you closed your eyes you could imagine this being a California style chard. The finish is medium in length and would be VERY food friendly. I would give this a 90. It is only available at the winery and is $35.20 a bottle. Unique experiences do not come cheap! I’d love to get a bottle of this to do a more in depth tasting.

From the Flat Rock web site:
Well, somehow this red grape variety became a white wine, with a peachy tinge to it. Ross has kept his winemaking techniques very secretive for this wine, but we suspect it involves French oak barrels and maybe some lees stirring based upon the creamy butterscotch and toasty, spirit like oak characteristics. 



He suggested we stop asking questions and just taste it. Here’s what we found: 


On the nose you could be forgiven for thinking this was in fact a Chardonnay. That is until you catch the distinctive Pinot Noir like characters in the background, such as strawberries, rhubarb, and a hint of earthiness. 


The palate is ridiculously smooth and velvety. There is a layer of fruit driven flavours including canned peaches, berries and rhubarb. And then comes the minerality, ever present in wines grown from our limestone rich soils.

2005 was a great year for Niagara reds. Vineland Estates kept some of these back and recently sent them out to their wine club members. The wine is dark in color with a mild nose of black berries. Around the edges there is some browning (just a little) inidicating this one is getting near it’s due date. Out of the bottle the wine is dominated by big alcohol. Some time in the decanter was warranted. Be sure not to breath to deep or you will be choking … Once it breathed for a bit the mid pallet is dominated by black berries, some blue berries. It starts out nice and big in the mouth and hold promise but then dies out really quickly. The wine is light in finish with no perceivable tannins. This wine really is quite past it’s prime. A mere shadow of it’s former self. It is smooth on the finish with and quite food friendly. I would give it an 88 or so. This one is not at the LCBO and I’m not sure which one on the winery web site is the one this is so I’m not sure what it’s worth.