Cyan de Matarromera Prestigio 2006 (Toro, Spain)
($24.95, Vintages #11133)
Deep purple in colour; cedary, spicy, black fruits, vanilla and tobacco nose with a smoky note; full-bodied, dry, rich and full on the palate with savoury plum, dark chocolate and licorice flavours, ending on grainy but ripe tannins. Beautifully balanced wine. (91)
Rosewood
Tasted wines from Rosewood Estates Winery and Meadery in Beamsville: Continue reading
Ego Bodegas El Goru 2018 (Jumilla, Spain – $13.95, Vintages #443945)
A true bargain! A blend of Monastrell, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Deep ruby in colour; spicy, toasty, lightly smoky nose of baked plums; medium to full-bodied, dry. Spicy and savoury black fruit flavours with lively acidity. (91)
Martin’s Lane is Anthony Von Mandl’s homage to his late father, a spectacular winery that specializes in Riesling and Pinot Noir. Winemaker Shane Munn produces some of Canada’s finest wines here. Continue reading
Vittorio De Stefano with his first On Seven Chardonnay
On Seven is Niagara’s newest winery, located on Line 3 in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The name speaks to the acreage that Vittorio De Stefano and his wife Sula purchased in 2009.
With consulting winemaker Peter Gamble, the couple replanted the vineyard (clay-loam soil with calcareous sediment) to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The goal was to produce “classic” (read Burgundian) wines. It took 8 years of hard work in the organically-farmed vineyard to achieve the first On Seven vintage – the 2017 Pursuit Chardonnay (107 cases of twelve bottles, priced at $45 a bottle, vinified at Southbrook Winery).
The plan, De Stefano explained, is to have three tiers of Chardonnay – “Dedication,” the entry level wine, “Pursuit” and the flagship wine, called “Devotion.”
The inaugural vintage of Chardonnay is most impressive. If I had tasted it blind I would have thought it was a Chassagne-Montrachet. Continue reading
