TNs--Quarterly or so Niagara visit

With friends MK and Jon in tow, we hit a few places.

PILITTERRI ESTATES

It’s been some time, I guess, since I was last here, because they’ve completely remodeled, very clearly to accommodate the oceans of bus tours that come in. The good news is that the serving staff here is still eminently cheerful and very, very knowledgeable about the products

2012 Pilitterri Exclamation Merlot

24 months in mostly new oak. Lots of cherry, but sweeter than the norm in Ontario. Robust and brisk and strong–tangy berry and light peppery spice. Very measured stuff and for the cellar

2011 Semillon Icewine

Sugar overload on the nose–melon and pear. Full and rich and just enough acidity, pure pear an apple. Very lithe for what it is, the spiced apple component taking ascendancy as it sits in the mouth.

2012 Kerner Icewine

First one I’ve had from the Kerner grape. Scents of apple, but also bitters. Hugely sweet to taste, pour this stuff on ice cream. Crystally feel to the real mulled spiced apple with some citrus at the end.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Icewine

Rhubarb without question, cherry added. Le gout is strawberry and apple peel, very sweet as well, but they just rein it in. 20 RS. Cinnamon heart and red licorice also show up. Good

2008 Shiraz Icewine

I plaintively asked if they had any library stuff open and he graciously took this and the next out. Here, one gets a bouquet of caramel and dips of red fruit. Palate finds dates or figs with berry edges and also sweet nuts, a sign it has begun to pick up the tertiary icewine character. Interesting now, though probably at its best 2 years ago.

2007 Sticky Beak Icewine

This was really somethin’ A blend of 42% Cab Sauv, 24% Cab Franc, 20% Shiraz and the rest Sangiovese, I thought I’d be ready for anything. I got anything but. Both on the nose and on the tongue, there are virtually no red wine hallmarks at all. Instead, the silkiest buttertart, toffee and nougat all play around, and maple syrup comes in at the end. But this is extraordinarily graceful too—not snappy acidity, not by any means. But what a fascinating bottle of wine. 1 bottle bought.

With the (regretted) withdrawal of Royal Demaria from the scene, these guys are, for me, at the top of the food chain for icewine production.

PEARL MORISSETTE

I have visited—and posted–often in the past. I’m not ashamed of saying that I am a big fan, though the wines can be polarizing. Today, we were truly treated to a great tasting by Brent, who has just been promoted to winemaker alongside Francois. We got into heavy discussion about winemaking ethos, technique and evolution at this winery. And we tasted a bunch of stuff. Huge thanks for indulging us.

2015 Pearl Morissette Cuvee Blackball Riesling

This is a tank sample, and neither Jon or MK had ever tried anything from tank. Shows as one might expect from a tank sample, more tropical and citrus aromas. They’re happy so far, and they should be. Bold and fully flavourful, with steel and a super grapefruit-and-lime cordial combination.

2014 Pearl Morissette Redfoot Riesling

Purchased fruit from the Redfoot vineyard. Some smokiness, but a sweet smokiness—lemon custard. Slight roundness of fruit, but stern lemon and chalky flavours.

2013 Pearl Morissette Metisse Chard

Blend of purchased and estate fruit. Sweet pea, sweet corn and pear background. Buttered bread swirls up the glass too. Still unformed, has some tensile feel, but only one level of lemon, apple, pear and nut. Should be a “quaffer”. Brent explained their process–that by allowing oxygen to gently mix in from the very beginning, you end up kind of “killing” the culprits that can lead to premature oxidation later. It’s a very interesting theory, and fits very much in with letting the wine be treated naturally.

2013 Pearl Morissette Dix-Neuvieme Chard

Definitely shows more—butter, pear and apple…and more behind it. This has some staying power dans la bouche with pleasant nut-and-nougat side to the fruit and floral replays.

2014 Pearl Morissette Dix-Neuvieme Chard from Tank

Some citrus here, spices to a degree too. Zappy and very full–the best part is that there is a clear ripeness of fruit but also attack at the front and back. This has tremendous promise. Jon and MK? “yum!”

2015 Pearl Morissette Dix-Neuvieme Chard from barrel

It’s a neutral barrel, about 5th use, I think. Yeasty, of course, apple and some hazelnut. The parts are here to make a kind of blend between the 2014 and 2013 and Brent thinks so too. Would want to check on it again in a year.

2012 Pearl Morissette Cuvee J.P. Chard

A very limited case production, this is in honour of Mel Pearl’s brother, Jack, who passed away. More of a lanolin and perfume set of scents here, with lemon and bits of melon and pear. I’m tasting the oak a bit more, smoke and peas and corn and this checked in at 13.5%. Lots of layers and finishes long and mix of saline and sweet. Really good on the whole and is sure to get better with some cellar time

2014 Pearl Morissette Cuvee Metis

From here on out, this will be an all-CF cuvee. Mix of purchased and grown fruit and 100% whole cluster. Subtle, with crunchy blueberry and blackberry. It is a juicy version of Cab Franc for sure–black raspberry, lots of freshness and liquid violets.

2015 Pearl Morissette Cuvee Madeline from barrel

Primal and primary, as you’d expect. More dark fruit, bits of prune and cedar box. Already very juicy, woodsy and chalky with tingly fruit.

2012 Pearl Morissette Cuvee Madeline

60% whole cluster used here. Aromas are of cherry, berry, charcoal and violets—all the hallmarks of a great pomerol. And dans la bouche, this is simply and utterly astounding. Tremendous length and energy, gorgeous mix of fruit, chocolate, flowers and a marvelous suave grip. Chambertin as a Cab Franc? I don’t know. I just know that the promise I thought I sensed in barrel lo these many years ago has been already partially realized. 93 at least.

Pearl Morissette Cuvee Bleu

We tasted this in process too–this year’s release version is 25% pinot gris, 25% Ries and 50% chard. Left for 4 months on the skins. Sour candy fruit, this is fun and interesting, not quite very slight hint of pop rocks candy feel with citrus, gentle lemon, apple, spices and ginger. A tactile wine, though not quite to my taste

Pearl Morissette Solera style Chard

I haven’t checked on this in a while. The oldest vintage is 2008. They do intend to continue indefinitely. I do now get some sherry characteristics–dried fig, raisin, nuttiness, but also plenty of yellow fruit. On the palate, the two sides go at it in a very lively conversation. Will look forward to future tracking.

13TH STREET WINERY

I’ve liked what I’ve tried here in the past, less so this time, but this is a place worth visiting if only for the outdoor sculptures.

13th Street Cuvee Rose NV

Mostly PN this time with some chard and gamay. Strawberry, roses and some sugar waft up the glass. Snappy, traces of sweetness to raspberry and cherry, and fairly balanced, but also rather less interesting on the whole than previous versions of this. Unfortunately, there was none of the blanc de blancs to try.

2013 13th Street June’s Vineyard Riesling

Binned spiced apple for sure. Some fresh water. Sweet, but not oppressively so–Jackfruit? Has some interest

2011 13th Street Reserve Sandstone Chard

8 months in 2nd and 3rd used oak, 17% new. Some greens sneak through to the nuzzie along with apple, and light tastes follow with apple, pear and walnut skin at the back. Rather meek though.

2011 13th Street Cabernet Merlot

75% Merlot, 20% Cab, 5% CF. This was bottled under screwcap. Sour cherry and underlying spices make up the nose, some good baking spices here. This has a good mouthfeel and profile, with balance, flavour, interest and sweeter fruit than i might have expected from a 2011, almost a strawberry side. not bad at all.

FOREIGN AFFAIR WINERY

My first visit in probably 3 years, one of the servers nevertheless was spot-on to remember me as 'a blogger writing for WB". Didn’t know I had that memorable of a face! The results were very felicitious, as we had fantastic conversation and service with one of the reps, Daniel who she declaimed as their “walking encyclopedia” on all the wines. He was great. This is the first winery who took a crack at appassimento style which is sweeping through the Province now, and is, I think, still the only winery that does appassimento to some degree for every single wine.

2011 Foreign Affair Riesling

15% Appassimento, approximately 60-100 days. Quite floral here with apple blossom in the fore. Smoked and focused in its sweet apple fruit. A high-petrol German perhaps?

2012 Foreign Affair Temptress

54% CF, 28% CS, 11% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot. This came in at 15.6% and jumps at you with all the fruit. Spent 23-25 months in mostly French mostly new oak. That all got absorbed as, on the tongue, it’s tons of maraschino cherry, blueberry and blackberry and this is also filled with sweeter glycerin-filled plum. An avatar of its style

2009 Foreign Affair Merlot

Smoky chocolate, cherry and plum make up the bouquet here. 18 months in French, 90-110 days drying and about 15% again. Checked in at 15.1%. still needs time, it does have bite and cherry and raspberry. Slight green pepper edge–very “skins” tasting–cherry and apple.

2013 Foreign Affair Dream

We were very fortunate that the 2013s were open for tasting. These are the first wines that new winemaker Barclay Robinson had from vineyard to bottle. This has only been bottled for 2 weeks, and is 37% merlot, 37% CS, 23% CF and the rest Petit Verdot. 26 months in oak and 14.4%. Nice baking spices, plum pudding, cedar closet and chestnut. Very pleasant in the mouth, a fine example of juiciness that IS reminiscent of Amarone

2013 Foreign Affair Cabernet Sauvignon

Robinson’s approach on the appassimento is to take the grapes off “when they’re ready” rather than stick to a strict days’ formula, as predecessor Andrzej Lipinski did (for the most part). Same treatment as for the Dream, these are about 15 year vines and the wine checked in at 15.1%. This has dark chocolate and peppery notes, sort of a growly nose. Still sweet to taste, but more primary, all black fruit. Give time, 5 years at least.

2013 Foreign Affair Petit Verdot

Our server, the 2012 Petit is for sure his favourite wine. Others’ too, as there are but 6 bottles left for sale. This one has same treatment as the other 13s and is 14.3%. Cassis–pure. Smoke and violets. And this will be really, really something I think–the drying has infused the normal PV grouchiness with life. Very concentrated blue and black fruits and some chestnut swirled up in there, no way would I mind some of this in the cellar. Will be anxious to retaste with some further bottle time, remarkable that it is showing this much after being just bottled.

2013 Foreign Affair Temptress

This year’s version was 42% CF, 27% merlot, 27% CS and about 4% Petit. About 20% was done appassimento. smoky and some tomato leaf and red berry. This is very harmonious already, grapey and plummy.

2007 Foreign Affair Ti Amo Cab Franc

I think this is the first time I’ve checked back on this wine in almost 4 years. From my faint memory, it is more defined to me now, with molasses tinge to the red fruit bouquet. On the palate, very tobacco and fig-filled plum and cherry. Raisin. This truly emulates an Amarone (I believe this one was 100% appassimento) and is 16.3%. Quite good for what it is.

I don’t love the appassimento style of wine for the most part in reds (though I do love a good recioto), but they are really pushing things here in terms of quality and I left impressed.

We were at the Pearl Morisette inaugural Black Ball Event on Saturday. They poured a number of old and new vintages of Riesling, Chard and Pinot, most of which were available for purchase. I was surprised at how youthful even the inaugural vintages were.

Thanks for the notes brother. I have to get up to Niagara soon.

Thanks for the notes brother. I have to get up to Niagara soon.