I spent a couple of days in Niagara on the Lake. I didn’t take formal notes, but have a few impressions to share.
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- vintages: 2007 seems to be a great year for reds there. All of the wineries are talking it up, and with reason. All of the reds I tried are very ripe, with none of the greenies that can happen in cooler areas. I hadn’t tried a 90 point red there, but many in the mid to high 80’s. Some whites were a bit cloying, but most were excellent.
2009 may have some potential, although everyone was pooh-poohing it. Most grapes are still hanging on the vine. I tasted some pinot graps that seemed excellent. Sure, you cannot tell much from tasting grapes, but I think it is worth a wait and see.
\ - Terrior:
There is real, honest to god terrior here. It was never more evident to me than this trip. Reisling on the bench tastes very different than the escarpment. Terrior heads should try some Ontario wines. Plenty of fruit, lychee down below on the Escarpment, and lots of minerality up top on the Bench.
\ - Thirty Bench: Continues to great great reisling, from their table wine to the IceWine. They were bought by the Hildebrand group and their wines can now be tasted downtown.
\ - Stratus: they have a winemaker form Bordeaux, and he is doing unique things with varietals, including having a single varietal petit verdot. He is doing a 2007 Malbec. I didn’t get to barrel sample it, but I have my fingers crossed. This is a place to follow.
\ - Henry of Pelham: their 2007 Reisling IceWine is, at a minimum, as good as their 2002, and may be their best yet. Yes, it screams of terrior. It tastes uniquely like a HoP and like no other reisling in the world. I scored it 95 points, and even then was wondering if I was being a bit harsh.
\ - Inniskillan: I tried the 1986 Vidal Ice Wine. It is interesting to try vidal that old. it really takes on an almost tokay like profile. Very interesting, and I am glad I am aging some vidal bottles from Trius and others.
\ - Reif: Has always made my favorite Vidal IceWine, and I finally figured out why. they age it a bit lobger, meaning that when they bottle it, it has the taste and color of a vidal icewine that has aged a lot longer.
\ - The Ice House Winery is a new project. I was not at all thrilled with what they had to offer.