Gary & Charlotte brought this mystery wine last night:
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Henry of Pelham BacoNoir VQA: Ontario (13%) 2012: Med.dark color w/ thick/viscous legs; rather plummy/boysenberry/blackberry slight herbal/earthy bit hybridy light toasty/oak quite grapey/lush nose; bit off-dry thick/lush/ripe strong plummy/boysenberry/very grapey slight herbal/earthy flavor w/ light/soft tannins; med.long strong boysenberry/plummy/licorice soft/thick/ripe/lush slight earthy/herbal finish w/ light tannins; quite an interesting atypical (for me) red. $20.00
A wee BloodyPulpit:
- I was totally clueless as to what this mystery wine was. It was very thick & grapey, suggestive of a high-alcohol wine, and made me think it might be a Paso Mourvedre (and not a particularly good one, at that).
I was shocked that it was a BacoNoir. Generally, the Bacos I’ve had (maybe some 40-50) have a distinct hybridy character of plastic, like sticking you head inside a brand-new vinyl trash container at your local HomeDepot. They typically have a rather coarse/earthy/loamy character like sticking your head in a fresh compost pile. Despite being off-dry and very/very grapey, this was easily the best Baco I’ve had and I rather liked it. Would pair well w/ a steaming bowl of chili.
I’ve heard lots of good reports on Henry of Pelham Baco and have long wished to try it. This wine confirms those stories.
Tom
Baco Noir in general is a very highly underrated varietal (In fact, I’m gonna post on that underrated varietal thread after this) that Ontario wineries do extremely well and which I have long argued should be the signature varietal of the entire Niagara Wine Region industry.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much respect at all from our industry that believes it should copy Bordeaux and Burgundy despite being far too young at just 30 years old to achieve those levels of greatness.
Henry of Pelham makes a great one and you are correct in noting some sweetness at a relatively high 18 g/L of RS. Sandbanks makes one even higher with 26 g/L. In both cases, I find the sweetness really brings out the fruit flavor in the wine and is low enough that dry wine drinkers will notice it but not be offended by it as I find our Baco Noir wines quite well balanced with acidity and tannin structure to offset the sweetness.
Henry of Pelham is on of the hidden wonders of the Niagara region. A bit off the beaten path, but very worthwhile. IIRC they have been doing Baco Noir for quite some time there.
heavens, Tom, you are branching out, aren’t you?
From New Year’s Eve. Baco is a variety that does quite well here, though I have in the past often associated it with much more peppery characteristics. The fruit of the 2012 vintage is in ascendancy, though. Glad we’re together on the boysenberry fruit ![[grin.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/5/53ba06e9b6e4b370ae7e3d7b3702ad1bda0a2d8e.gif "grin")
"2012 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir
Aroma has the cracked black pepper I always associate with Baco, and it follows on the tongue, but is subsumed in both places to the juicy, vibrant redcurrant and boysenberry fruit. I continue to be amazed at the fruit level of the early 2012s—and I’m getting excited about the barrel aged stuff now."
I enjoyed the Sandbanks version too, and took home a bottle of 2011 reserve.
My wife and I are really good friends with a number of folks in the St. Catherines area, with one couple in particular. Whenever he wants to push his wife’s buttons, he talks about buying or opening the Henry of Pelham BacoNoir. She really dislikes it.
Having had this wine, I think it’s pretty decent. It reminds me to some extent of the Nero D’Avola wines out of Italy/Sicily. My only issue with the wine is that I think it’s priced way too high. I think it’s a $10-$12 wine, not $20. I might buy if it were priced right.
The only Bacos that I’ve had were Michigan wines from 30+ years ago. Vowed to never open one again. Not sure this discussion has changed my mind, but it certainly has piqued my curiousity if I run across one. Thanks, all