September is the month for local, Ontario wine at the LCBO. This year sees a new twist on the goLOCAL promotion with a "People are Talking" theme. As Flat Rock Cellar's Ed Madronich explained it at a recent preview tasting this means focusing attention on Ontario wines through the dual lens of international and local buzz.
At that preview tasting Madronich and Dan Sullivan led us on a tour through six brand new VQA that are featured in upcoming LCBO releases. These three white and three red wines were all so called "lifestyle blends" with prices in the $15 – $20 range. After the formal tasting we moved on to a freestyle sampling of about a dozen more wines that are also coming to the LCBO in September.
Below are some of our personal highlights and notes from the preview.
David's Picks
Vinology Red 2011
Price: $18.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO.
Flat Rocks Cellars has created the two Vinology blends with the everyman wine drinker in mind. The red version combines Pinot Noir, Cab Franc, Merlot, and Syrah and has a nose of ripe berries and red fruit and surprisingly confident limestone terroir on the palate.
Fielding Fireside White 2011
Price: $13.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO.
This blend of Riesling, Gewurtz, and Chard Musque makes no bones about its slightly sweet finish. Intellectually I want to associate sweet drinks with cool weather (think mulled cider and hot chocolate) but there's something about an off-dry white that strikes an emotional, summer chord for me. Maybe it's that sweet is one flavour that isn't as affected when chilled or that this wine in particular adds food-complementing acidity and lingering tropical flavour.
www.fieldingwines.com
Jennifer's Picks
Creekside Cabernet Shiraz 2010
Price: $16.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO.
I've always had a soft-spot for Creekside's blends, and this vintage does not fail to disappoint. It's an excellent value at $16.95 with big, bold flavours that are enjoyable for both novice wine drinkers, but also has a complexity that will please those with more experience. This blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Shiraz is full of peppery notes and silky dark black cherry, currant and blackberry. There's a nice balance between the tannins and acidity, while the barrel aging gives it the satisfying feel of a nice plush red.
www.creeksidewine.com
Featherstone Cabernet Franc 2010
Price: $16.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO (Vintages).
One of the few single-varietals that we had the opportunity to taste, this Cab Franc, which spent some time in American Oak, certainly delivers. It has a nice balance with bright acidity and a weight that's neither too rich, nor too thin. Tasting of ripe red raspberries with a hint of tobacco, this is another big, bold wine coming from the Niagara region.
www.featherstonewinery.ca
Mark's Picks
Vinology White
Price: $16.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO (beginning mid-September)
From Flat Rock Cellars, who started the trend of highly-quaffable aromatic blends with its Twisted, comes the new Vinology White. It's marketed and crafted as an aromatic blend that's unpretentious and approachable. But if you want to explore a little deeper in the glass, it also delivers some interesting layers. The blend is mostly Chardonnay with some Riesling, Viognier, and even Pinot Noir (treated like a white without skin contact). The nose is quite floral and refreshing with some tropical fruit and white tea. The Viognier really shows through with some great texture. The easiest way to describe Vinology White is it starts starts like a Chardonnay with that rounder, fuller feel and ends with that long crisp Riesling finish. For those that dislike some of the heaviness in a bigger Chardonnay this an ideal alternative for a warm summer day.
Rosehall Run Defiant 2011
Price: $18.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO (beginning mid-September)
This Pinot Noir is intended to be easy drinking, but still maintain a bit of that sophisticated swagger. Winemaker Dan Sullivan was looking to keep that great Prince Edward County Pinot character while making it more approachable and accessible for first time drinkers. If I were to describe it in the simplest of terms, I'd consider it a 'pinot noir-light' for a palate that hasn't quite discovered the depth of Pinot, but is looking to try a wine a little more complex than a basic red. There's an earthy light nose, with sweet and simple light Pinot Noir notes of cranberry and cherry. This hits the mark perfectly as a delicious, but light, Pinot Noir that would be a great alternative for those that don't like rosé or want to try something different.
www.rosehallrun.com
Michael's Picks
You can now add winery label to Kevin O'Leary's long list of titles and accomplishments. The always passionate by sometimes controversial entrepreneur, investor and television host has partnered with Vineland Estates to put out a line of wines through his O'Leary Ventures business. O'Leary wasn't content to put his name on the label and hand things off, nor did he want to rebrand an existing wine. He worked closely with winemaker Brain Schmidt and the Vineland team crafting these wines. Sometimes a celebrity wine label can seem like a bit of a stretch, but O'Leary is a true oenophile. His top prized possession, outranking even his suits, is an extensive cellar including top Burgundy and Bordeaux. But as a straight shooter that built his business empire from humble beginnings, O'Leary appreciate a well-made wine that you can pick-up with the confidence that it will taste great with tonight's dinner and leave some money in your wallet for another.
As you'd expect those value permeate the branding with its “honest and direct” tag line and a label that someone at the tasting quipped fittingly looks like the Greenback. True to the keep-it-simple philosophy the line-up consists of one red, a Cabernet-Merlot, and one white, an unoaked Chardonnay.
O'Leary Unoaked Chardonnay 2011
Price: $14.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO (mid-September) 307751
Vineland winemaker Brian Schmidt seems to have a special touch with unoaked Chardonnay, which can sometimes wind-up tasting a little flat. For me it often takes the safe middle ground hoping not to offend or make a bold statement. Instead it ends-up lacking the depth and texture of a good barrel fermented Chardonnay without being able to obtain the crisp liveliness of a Riesling. That's not the case here. Picking based on acidity rather than sugar levels and giving it a just enough contact on the lees (dead yeast cells), it manages to have the bright crispiness that people crave from fresh white, while still retaining some of that satisfying creaminess that makes Chardonnay a star. It has a wonderfully balanced medium level of acidity and a texture not unlike a properly-made freshly-shaken Margarita; a drink that manages to play off its rich, frothy creaminess perfectly against a refreshing citrus zing. Inviting you into take a sip of this beautifully textured Chardonnay are flavours and aromas of fresh melon, white peach and Asian pear before ending on some crisp lemongrass and a touch of minerality.
O'Leary Cabernet-Merlot 2010
Price: $14.95
Availability: upcoming LCBO (mid-September) 307744
The O'Leary Cabernet Merlot comes from the Goldilocks vintage of 2010. It seemed to have just enough well-timed rain to balance a long and warm growing season. From that vintage Schmidt and O'Leary have crafted an approachable and balanced red with a nice supple texture and the signature cool climate elegance of Niagara. There's beautiful layers of black cherry, black raspberry and black plum. The Merlot, which can sometimes be a bit of tannic monster in Ontario, provides some nice structure without being overbearing, while the Cabernet Franc provides some great fresh berry fruit and an intriguing underlying earthy and smokey tobacco edge that comes out on subsequent sips. With its medium level of acidity this wine will certainly shine at the dinner table, but it has the texture to satisfy for those that like a glass of red on its own to unwind. Both O'Leary wines over deliver for the price, which is what you hope for from wines at this price point.
www.vineland.com
