Niagara - Video

Short segment of our tasting at Thirty Bench Winemakers.

DF

Niagara - in Photos

A few more shots from our look at Stratus.

Mostly cabernet still hanging. Can you believe it's December? Look how green the grass is!

Cabernet franc, still waiting for ripeness.

Oak fermenting vats.

Cleaning the sorting table, crusher/destemmer. Notice the wheels - the entire setup can be pushed right next to the vats.

Another look at Charles Baker's 2009 riesling, just finished fermenting, and still cloudy. But very, very good.

DF

Niagara - Stone Road Grille

Dinner after a tour around Niagara is always exciting. The Old Winery Restaurant is always a great option, and is one of my favourite restaurants in the area. Charles recommended we eat at Stone Road Grille - apparently, this is where all the winemakers hang out. Cool. A bit hard to find...the trick is not to look for a Stone Road Grille sign, but to instead look for a red sign with the word REST on it. You'll find it.

ROKChoi and I were just famished by now - we had been tasting wines for a good 7 hours, on basically empty stomachs. We make sacrifices to find great wines...I can go all day if I have to. Took one look at the menu, and while the duck confit looked delicious, we both wanted steak. Started off with a soup, a potato/yam purée, with sweet potato crisp on top. Lovely consistency, piping hot, perfectly seasoned. Warmed me up, down to my toes. Steak frites, a grilled flat iron, medium rare, sauce bearnaise, garlicky beans, and the most delicious fries. The first bite of that steak was the most amazing thing. Tender, so flavoursome, with bite from the pepper - just heaven. I told ROKChoi - no talking for the first 10 minutes, just eating. And the fries - cooked perfectly, soft inside, crispy outside, not a drop of excess grease. Incredible.

We had a long drive back to Toronto ahead of us, so we decided not to order a bottle. After a day of tasting, beer seemed like a good idea. The name escapes me - it was an ale, from a local micro-brewery. Dark colour, nutty and balanced. Worked well with beef.

I think this warrants another visit, on our next visit. The charcuterie plate looks especially appetizing. The video captures the ambiance quite well - you get the idea.

DF

Niagara - Charles Baker Stratus

Here we go, the purpose of our trip to Niagara - to meet this man, Charles Baker. The Toronto Star featured him in a piece, so I direct you there first. I won't regale you all with Charles' story - the Star does an admirable job, and I didn't go in with the impression that I was conducting an interview.

This was a great experience for me. Charles has a great philosophy for wine, and is passionate about riesling. Talking to him, you get a real sense that he's a true believer in Niagara - that there are parts of the Escarpment that have a story to tell. And that's the point, no? If a wine has no story to tell, then what is there to taste? The ego of the winemaker?

Charles is working on a project, focusing on single-vineyard rieslings. He's working with growers that share his philosophy of intense, terroir-specific wines with true vintage character. Currently, one grower has signed on - Marc Picone, of Picone Vineyard. You cannot compromise - Charles pays the grower by tonnage, and in fact, he's compensating the grower to cut yields. For example, to maintain quality, you pay for 5 tonnes, to entice the grower to cut down to 1.5 tonnes per acre. A sacrifice that shows in the bottle.

Truth in the bottle. Starting with the wine on the right. 2008 Charles Baker Stratus Picone Vineyard Riesling, VQA Vinemount Ridge. Lithe nose, with an intensity and energy that is just stunning for the vintage. Lots of pure fruit, but with an overt oily minerality that I see in many of the Beamsville rieslings I like - the only difference is the absolute intensity of the wine. This is where the low yields make the difference. The mouth shows a fine creaminess, with excellent extract. There's a beautiful texture to the wine, especially on the finish. Bright, aggressive acidity. Very, very impressive effort, and clearly shows the pedigree of the vineyard, and the people who farm it.

We're judging this wine far too early. We'll see how this develops in 5-8. An incredible wine, layered and balanced, with so much character.

The wine on the left is the 2009 Charles Baker Riesling, just fermented. Cloudy, but this is already showing quite well. The fruit shows a bit riper, but minerality shows. Acidity shines. All the wine needs is some time to clear up.

I was expecting greatness, but the wine surpassed what I thought I'd see. There's a great expression - again, I urge caution, as I'm not too sure we're clearly seeing a Niagara character yet. But these are fantastic wines, and with some age, I think the expression will become clearer. Much appreciation to Charles for being so generous with his time and his wine. You're onto something, and I can't wait to see (and taste) the Escarpment reveal itself in these wines.

Photos, courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Niagara - Stratus Vineyards

Stratus Vineyards. I've drank a few bottles from this producer, but never visited. Great opportunity as well, since the purpose of this whole trip was to meet with Charles Baker, Director of Marketing and Sales at Stratus.

We were taken to the vineyards - can you believe that they grow tempranillo, mourvèdre, and sangiovese here? The cabernet was still hanging on the vines - we got up close to the cabernet franc, photos of which will soon be posted. The actual production facility is very impressive, particularly the elevator system which lifts the entire stainless steel tanks up and down from the top level. Very impressive. What's also fascinating is that the oak fermenting tanks they use is not scrubbed at all. They use water pumped with ozone to disinfect the tanks, which is both effective and environmentally-friendly, as it just breaks down into oxygen. Onto the wines.

The showroom, as seen above, is well-designed. Lovely colour, bright natural light from the immensely tall windows. And what impressed me the most was the stemware used - Ravenscroft Amplifiers, stems so thin I was scared of snapping the base right off.

We tasted through the entire range of wines offered. Beginning with the just released 2008 Gewurztraminer, spice and honey on the nose - promises more on the bouquet than on the palate. The 2006 White was creamy, with big fruit. Next was another proprietary blend, 2006 Red - a bit more of the road-tar aroma I find common in many Niagara cabernets, with a leaner texture. The 2007 Gamay was nicely structured, showing very similar to a Morgon. Earthy, ripe, balanced. The 2007 Cabernet Franc showed good, lean varietal character. Moving on, to the 2006 Petit Verdot. A bit richer than the other red wines, with good texture. We finished with a 2007 Riesling Icewine and a 2007 Red Icewine. Both with good fruit, and that creamy texture people find attractive in icewine.

I was impressed with the setup of the winery. Certainly, the facilities are as modern as you'll find in Niagara. Above else, discussion should remain focused on the vineyards and the wines. The philosophy here is about the assemblage. Maybe a difference of philosophy, in terms of the wines I believe in, but they are certainly interesting. Makes you rethink what a blended wine is, whether you agree with it or not.

DF

Niagara - 3 others

We managed to squeeze in a few other tastings in between our two appointments at Thirty Bench and with Stratus.

Malivoire Wine Company

It's been more than a year since we've tasted here, and it's time for a visit. We talked to Eric - one of the nicest people you'll meet in Niagara (and there are lots here). I wanted a taste of their chardonnays. Unfortunately, the 2008's are will a few months away from being released, but the 2007's are certainly not a slouch. The 2007 Estate Chardonnay was balanced, with a round texture, clean. The 2007 Mottiar Chardonnay was oaky and rich, for people who enjoy that profile of chardonnay. The 2007 Moira Chardonnay had all the richness and concentration, but with a beautiful ripe citrus element. Shows a bit too much oak at this point, but it will benefit from some time to integrate.

Flat Rock Cellars

If you would recall my video and posts this past summer when I first tasted their 2008 Pinot Noir and lost my mind. A great wine. The 2008 Pinot Noir had great intensity, and quite a bit of earthiness as well. Balanced, with an austerity - this is a huge success for this producer. The 2008 Gravity Pinot Noir showed a bit more depth, more sweet fruit on the palate. Delicious, and I can't wait to see how these wines will age.

Marynissen Estates

This was another property I had not visited for quite some time. Tasted through a few wines - impressed, as always, that they're able to offer this quality at such value. 2006 Cabernet/Merlot, always a balanced, interesting interpretation of a cabernet wine. The 2007 Solstice, a one-off project, with a spiciness and purity of fruit that'll show nicely with a rich meat. 2007 Syrah, gamey, spicy, with good fruit. And 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit more heft and colour, at a price. Good value as always, although more than all others, these wines demand age.

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Great tasting through all these wines. I'm not going to tell you which ones are good/bad - there's really no point, is there? I'm just happy to have had an opportunity to see everything. Think of it as a regular checkup, to see how each vintage is coming along. All interesting, all unique, but what's crucial is that all had something to say.

Don't forget to click on the label below Niagara Wine Tour - Dec 2009, to see all the other posts from this trip.

DF

Niagara - Thirty Bench

Thirty Bench Winemakers. I've been following their single-vineyard rieslings since the 2005 vintage, and have consistently been impressed with the terroir-imprint of their wines. Just delicious rieslings, made by a very talented team.

We started with glasses of their 2008 Winemaker's Riesling. Estate level riesling, showing quite a developed minerality, with good fruit and balance. Always a good wine for them, I'm finding. 2008 Triangle Vineyard Riesling showed the best for me. Oily minerality, with a stunning acidity. 2008 Steel Post Riesling, less aromatic, more closed. Maybe it's at an awkward stage, maybe it's the bottle. Needs more time, but this is my favourite vineyard. 2008 Wood Post Riesling showed quite a bit of spiciness, with minerals and a creamy texture in the mouth. Good overall, but this vintage is clearly one that needs some age to fill out.

Moving onto the 2008 Rosé, this was quite impressive, with nice fruit, good structure. More of a red wine than a blush. Impressive. The 2007 Chardonnay was oaky, buttery, and rich - certainly a style that many would appreciate, but a bit too much for me. Good acidity, but the finish resonates with vanilla and creamy oak. Everything needs to integrate, before we get a clearer idea of what this wine is. The 2007 Red was greenish, with that road-tar aroma I often find in Niagara cabernet fruit.

Overall, the rieslings were solid, as always. We'll see in a few years how these will show, with some age. Buyers of the single-vineyard bottlings will be disappointed if they open them too soon, especially if they've had a taste of the 2007's. Be patient. I believe the 2008's will show a lot of regional and varietal typicity, if we allow them some bottle age.

As always, photo courtesy of ROKChoi.

DF

Niagara - December 4, 2009

Cabernet franc, still hanging on the vineyards of Stratus

The year is wrapping up, and many of the 2008 Niagara wines have been released, so it was time to go take a look. Along with ROKChoi, I drove down last Friday, on a beautiful, sunny day to visit properties in Beamsville and Niagara Peninsula, with a focus on 2008 rieslings.

It was a great trip. The 2008 rieslings, for the most part, lack the richness and concentration of 2007 (this was expected), but have an elegance and austerity that show off all the virtues of this varietal that I love. Again, we're judging them far too early, but I'm excited to see how this vintage will evolve in the bottle. Some of the 2008 pinot noir we tasted (most still unreleased) showed the perfume and intensity of a great wine.

Time was a bit tight, but we managed. The highlight was our meeting with Charles Baker, who's making an impressive, single-vineyard riesling. This, and our other visits, later.

I bought far more wine than I should have. But it's the holiday season.

DF