A vine romance
November 22, 2007
Gordon Stimmell
WINE CRITIC
Ontario this year became an exciting wine world.
First, we had celebrity wines. The Mike Weir lineup, which is always tasty. Dan Aykroyd joined the fray in summer. Then Wayne Gretzky hit the ice – and yes, he scored!
We had the most exciting labels produced in the entire world of wine, the Megalomaniac series produced by John Howard. Limited quantities – but brilliant packaging and delicious wines.
Then the normal wineries kept on upping the ante with older vines. Riesling was king for me, with several producers bottling stunning world-class versions. In reds, pinot noir finally stepped up to Burgundian delicacy and intricacy.
Here are wines to celebrate our uniqueness and our homegrown winemakers.
Sparkling: Winner was Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Brut ($29.95, #616441) made in the classic Champagne style, with secondary fermentation in the bottle. A far cry from the cheapo headache sparklers made locally with injected bubbles. This is toasty, lemony, with ripe peach and citrus elegance. Rating: 90. (If you can't track a bottle down now, more is coming in the Dec. 8 Vintages release.)
Sauvignon Blanc: Peninsula Ridge 2006 Sauvignon Blanc ($15.15, #53678) is zesty and exotic, with liquorice, lime peel, kiwi fruit and a hint of tropical guava with a mineral driven finish. Winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas, originally from Chablis, has a masterpiece here. Rating: 90.
Riesling: Cave Spring 2006 Riesling ($14.15, #234583) brims with nectarine, peach and dried tangerine peel subtleties and marvellously balanced sweet and tart flavours leading into a peachy, clementine finish. Best of all, there's lots on all shelves now. Rating: 90.
Chardonnay: Flat Rock Cellars 2006 Chardonnay ($16.95, #681247) is totally elegant. Lovely buttery apple, candied lime, ginger and lemongrass accents. Flat rock had a long hit list of winners this year. This one rates 90.
Pinot Noir: Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace 2005 Pinot Noir ($34.95, #33951) was part of several terroir-driven single vineyard pinots opening our eyes to the enormous potential for this grape in Ontario. This shows rich, suffusive beetroot, vanilla wafer and black cherry finesse; rating 92. Most of the Jordanne pinots have sold out at the winery, but this wine is coming to Vintages Dec. 8.
Big red blend: Thirty Bench 2005 Red ($19.95, #53389) is a very rich, multiple medal-winning mainly cabernet sauvignon Bordeaux blend, with inky graphite, blackberry, cedar and vanilla notes, and hints of chocolate and mocha adding depth. Dec. 8 at Vintages. Rating: 91.
Celebrity wines: The Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Unoaked Chardonnay ($13.95, #63826) has nice spicy apple elements, rating 89. Mike Weir Cab/Merlot ($18.95, #109) shows fine black cherry flavours, rating 89, and is new to Vintages Essentials. And the Dan Aykroyd 2005 Cabernet Merlot ($16.95, #53827) is sturdy, showing nice blackberry and cherry-vanilla depth, rating 89.
Santé!
Toronto Star