OntarioWineReview.com

WineBook

Recently added -Most viewed -Rated the best

10 Recently added -
	Featherstone 2006 Merlot Estate Bottled If you’re thinking, “I’ve never seen a Merlot from Featherstone,” you’d be right. This is the first vintage from these 3 year old vines and they produced so little fruit in 2006 that only 60 cases of this wine was made. Louise Engel, co-owner, told me that each vine produced one cluster and they meticulously hand harvested every one (the good news is 2007 was a completely different story for these vines – producing enough fruit to get 500 cases made – but we’ll save that review for next year a... Hits: 35
	Cattail Creek 2007 Gamay Noir Hot Dog! Another winery on board to make Gamy – I love it. Such a versatile grape – you can oak it and make it stand up for a decade or you can leave it light and fruity, as a perfect summer red. Gamay is one of those grapes that can turn your white-only friends into budding young red drinkers. Here’s the wine to try that experiment. Cattail’s Gamay is in the light and fruity style with red currants and strawberries on the nose … black raspberries, red berries and a nice smooth red fruit fi... Hits: 41
	Thirty Bench 2007 Pinot Meunier Rosé Pinot Meunier is the third grape of Champagne, following Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s also a grape that Thirty Bench planted on their property over 15 years ago on a whopping 1.5 acres … so this wine definitely qualifies as “small lot” – only 232 cases are made. Winemaker Natalie Reynolds started making this as a Rosé a few years back; I tried the ’05 and it was wonderful, this ’07 is even better. For you geeks (like me) here is how she did it: 48 hours of skin contact, like she was makin... Hits: 56
	Picard-MacLaurin 2006 Pinot Noir The stage is set for Huff Estates to have a Pinot Noir, but not just any old Pinot, a special limited edition Pinot, made and promoted by sales manager Karen MacLaurin and winemaker Frederic Picard. You could call this either a vanity project, or a side project, the term is up to you; but this wine will bear both their names and be sold on the shelves at Huff Estate starting in July 2008. “There wasn’t a competing product in the store and some customers come in looking for Pinot, when we say w... Hits: 41
	Muscedere Vineyards 2007 Rosé To many, rosé is the equivalent of white Zinfandel – sweet, candied fruit smells and flavours. And while white Zinfandel has its place, that is not what rosé is all about. Take the Muscedere version, “it’s more European in style,” I am told by Rob, winemaker – meaning it’s dry – it’s actually considered a one, but a very low one, and here’s why. The nose is loaded with cranberry-strawberry and there’s even a tingle of raspberry at the back. Flavours are the same with a dash of citrus. As it... Hits: 50
	Muscedere Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir Currently their most expensive bottle of red wine, but it’s worth every penny. The boys of Muscedere beat the on-coming rains of fall 2006 by one day, picking their Pinot on September 7 … “the next day was forecasted for rain,” Rob told me, “we didn’t know they meant it in the biblical-Noah’s ark kinda way – you know, for the next 40 days,” he says with a waning smile. This is their first go around with Pinot, taking the fruit from their 4-year old vines, and putting it in 2-year-old French wo... Hits: 41
	Muscedere Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Franc Here’s a delicious Cabernet Franc made for sipping right now. The boys at Muscedere used to make an oaked and unoaked version of the grape - but they’ve settled on something in the middle, and it really works. 8 months in a mix of new and used French oak, the wine is pleasant to drink now, but could sit around for another 3 years with ease. The nose is beautiful: black cherry, black raspberry and strawberry, while the wine in the mouth displays earthiness and black fruit with a light easy go... Hits: 42
	Hillebrand 2006 Artist Series Gamay Noir Rosé It’s that time of year, time for Rosé – a time when those pink alcoholic liquids just seem to hit the sweet spot on the palate … mind you, they don’t all necessarily have to be sweet; in fact, some of the best rosés in the world are dry, and lucky for us, that particular style is coming back into fashion. This Hillebrand Rosé is made with the Gamay grape, the grape found primarily in Beaujolais - those light fruity reds from France. This wine is definitely on the darker pink side, colour-wise,... Hits: 45
	Pillitteri Estates 2002 Merlot Reserve I tried this wine during the 2008 Niagara Wine Auction Weekend; I found out it was available and immediately ordered a bottle to try. 2002 was such a great growing season in Ontario that the red wines from that year practically make themselves, but a deft hand, by then winemaker Sue Ann Staff, coaxed even more greatness from these great grapes. The smells are quite simply lovely: blackberries, black raspberries, vanilla, some barrel notes (from the 20 months of oaking in new and used barrels)... Hits: 32
	Pillitteri Estates 2002 Family Reserve Merlot The year two thousand and two was very good to Pillitteri. Their Cabernet Franc of that year won the OntarioWineReview Cabernet Franc Challenge back in November 2007 with the highest rated score of ANY wine. They have also won many other prestigious awards for that vintage. As these spectacular wines continue to age, the accolades for their greatness continue to roll in. Now check out this Merlot for instance … Merlot in Ontario usually needs time to age and come into its own. Now, with 6 y... Hits: 50

WineBook by Detodas