TN: JACKSON - TRIGGS ESTATES WINE

WINE TALK
1

Hi Berserkers,

Notes on the visit to the Jackson - Triggs winery. There were no celebrity wines to try out here, but the ones I did try were superstars in their own right.

THE WINERY

Jackson - Triggs is a VERY large estate. Hundreds of acres of vineyards visible miles away from the highway and composed of two different vineyards more or less separated by a sprawling two story building that was engineered to resemble what a modern barn would be if built today and to let in a lot of natural light.

The winery was initially owned by Canadian brewery giant Labatt but, in the greatest lack of foresight in the Canadian wine industry ever, they decided they didn’t want to invest in the idea of planting European vinefera such as Riesling here (because that Order of Canada winning Paul Bosc guy at Chateau des Charmes clearly didn’t know what he was doing back then). So they sold off to a pair of guys with the last names of Jackson and Triggs. Bet they’re kicking themselves now…

An interesting innovation is that the part of the building that houses their giant metal fermentation tanks actually goes underground to the same level as their barrel aging cellar. This helps keep temperature control and also gives you an idea of the size of the place because those tanks go all the way up to nearly the second floor roof.

Their aging cellar was beautiful and I got some great pictures of the barrels. Their overall use of natural light was very impressive. Except for the tasting room and boutique, there was literally not one light turned on that I saw and they didn’t need it at all. Our tour guides and servers Paul and Mark were exceptional. We also had a look at their famous outdoor auditorium where they have hosted many concerts.

THE WINES

JACKSON - TRIGGS 2008 FUME $23.95 – Citrus nose, particularly grapefruit. Light body. Tastes of pineapple, green apple and of course a bit of smoky oak at the end. I liked this quite a bit better than the Mike Weir Fumé I tasted earlier in the day. Recommend.

JACKSON – TRIGGS 2007 DELAINE VINEYARD SYRAH $29.95 – Strong cherry and oak nose. Light body. Smooth fruit flavour of black cherry with pepper and cocoa rounded out by tannin and smoke at the end. Another red wine crying out for a grilled steak to go with it. Recommend.

JACKSON – TRIGGS 2007 DELAINE VINEYARD RIESLING ICEWINE $60.00 – I repeat the note I gave on this last time in a previous thread. This is the single best Riesling icewine I have ever tasted. Bright lemon and tropical fruit nose, rich full body, tropical fruit taste with biting acidity on the end rounding out the sweetness. Again, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [winner.gif]

JACKSON – TRIGGS 2007 GEWURZTRAMINER ICEWINE $34.95 – Another winner. Pineapple nose, full body, flavors of lychee and pineapple and kick-butt acidity balancing the sweetness. It’s a more exotic taste than the more common Riesling, so it’s a matter of preference which of the two you’d enjoy more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED [winner.gif]

OVERALL: Jackson – Triggs gets a bit of flak as a “corporate” vintner now that they are part of the Constellation group (and previously part of Vincor along with Inniskilin) and also because of their higher prices on average for their wine, but I have to say that they have definitely justified it with their end product. In fairness, I do find that their wines are more affordable that their sibling Inniskillin’s are. So expect quality but expect to pay more on average for it.

I have no problem recommending their wines and I’ve purchased 4 of their Gewurztraminer icewine and 2 of their Vidal icewine bottles in the last year myself in total. Glad to see their table wine is just as good. And no, I am not getting kickbacks from them. [wink.gif]

2

I’ve always liked their sweet wines at the pricepoint, but I am a sucker for almost all sweet wines. They are like pizza, even the so-so ones are consumable. Thanks for the notes!