Rosehall Run wines

My office, according to my wife, is a mess. There are papers everywhere and I confess that one pile concealed notes I have written on wines kindly sent to me by Rosehall Run in Prince Edward County – wines I tasted several weeks ago but my notes went AWOL. Mea culpa.

But here they are… finally.

Rosehall Run Sauvignon Blanc Hungry Point 2020 ($28)
Bright, straw colour; grassy, grapefruit and green plum bouquet; medium-bodied, crisply dry, lemony, green pear and grapefruit flavours. Rounded mouth-feel from barrel-fermenting in “older, large barriques… one new Acacia barrel to the 6-months of barrel fermented elevage.” (89)

Rosehall Run Hungry Point Pinot Gris 2020 ($26)
Bright, straw colour; white peach bouquet with a mineral note and a touch of oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, white peach flavour; beautifully balanced, ending on a saline note. (90)

Rosehall Run JCR Chardonnay 2019 ($36)
Straw colour; spicy, toasty, apple nose; medium-bodied, dry, clove, lemon and apple flavours, beautifully balanced and well-structured. (91)

Rosehall Run Gewürztraminer Nedelko Vineyard 2020 ($28)
Bright, straw colour; aromatic nose of ginger and lychee; medium-bodied, dry, lychee and grapefruit flavours with a honeysuckle note. Lovely mouth-feel. (90)

Rosehall Run Small Lots “UV” Nedelko Vineyard 2019 (Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara, $39)
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot. Deep purple ruby in colour; cedary, plum and blackcurrant nose with new oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, juicy plum and blackcurrant flavours with ripe and pliant tannins. 20% aged in new French oak. (90)

I’ve also tasted some other wines recently:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Speck Brothers Family Tree “The Goat Lady” Chardonnay 2021 (Niagara Peninsula, $16.95)
Bright, pale gold in colour with a greenish tint; spicy, toasty nose of peach and green pineapple; medium-bodied, dry, creamy, clove, vanilla and pineapple flavours with well-integrated oak. Good value. (89)

Lakeview Cellars Baco Noir Reserve 2017 (Ontario, $24.95)
Dense purple colour; cedary, toasty, blackberry nose with a smoky note; full-bodied, dry, blackberry and black plum flavours carried on lively acidity; lovely mouth-feel, great length. (90)

Viña Olabarri Reserva 2016 (Rioja, $22.95)
90% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano. Opaque purple in colour; spicy, tobacco and coconut notes on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, toasty, strawberry flavour; beautifully balanced, elegant and well-structured, finishing on soft tannins. (90)

Viña Olabarri Bikandi Vendimia Seleccionada 2009 (Rioja, $28.45)
Deep purple-ruby in colour; cedary, mocha, plum and cherry bouquet with oak spice; medium to full-bodied, dry, black plum flavour with grainy, cocoa powder tannins; lovely mouth-feel. (91)

Viña Olabarri Gran Reserva 2014 (Rioja, $33)
80% Tempranillo, 16% Graciano, 4% Mazuelo. Deep purple in colour; cedary, spicy, black cherry bouquet with notes of vanilla and coconut; medium-bodied, dry, richly extracted, firmly structured, cherry, black plum and blueberry flavours with powdery tannins. A beautifully balanced wine. (92)

Malivoire Pinot Gris 2020 (Beamsville Bench, Niagara, $21.95)
Pale straw in colour; peach pit and apple bouquet; medium-bodied, dry, apple and green pineapple flavours with a citrus finish. (89)

Malivoire Rosé 2021 ($24.95, Beamsville Bench)
Palest pink in colour; raspberry, citrus nose with a thread of minerality; medium-bodied, dry, fresh and lively on the palate, red berry flavours carried on vibrant acidity. A tribute to southern France rosés. (90)

Pencarrow Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (Marlborough, $18.95, Vintages #148429, to be released April 30^th)
Very pale straw in colour; grapefruit, cut grass and elderberry on the nose; medium-bodied, crisply dry, gooseberry and citrus flavours with a long, fresh finish. (91)

Bodega Garzón Cabernet Franc Tannat 2018 (Uruguay, $19.95, Vintages #12651)
Opaque purple colour; cedary, earthy, plum nose with a vanilla top note; full-bodied, dry, richly extracted, savoury, plum and blackcurrant flavours; well-balanced ripe fruit, (89)

Jackson-Triggs Reserve Vidal Icewine 2019 (Niagara Peninsula, $34.95 until April 24^th, then $39.95, Vintages #389411)
Shining, old gold in colour; intense honeyed peach and pineapple bouquet; full-bodied, sweet, orange, caramel and barley sugar flavours carried on mouth-freshening acidity. Lovely unctuous mouth-feel, beautifully balanced and unconscionably long on the palate. (94)

Speck Brothers Family Tree “The Merry Widow” Rosé 2021 (Niagara Peninsula; $16.95, LCBO #24972)
Pale pink in colour with a bluish tint; raspberry bouquet; medium-bodied, dry, watermelon and raspberry flavours; light and fresh om the palate. (88)

Lapis Luna Red Wine Blend 2019 (Mendocino, $19.95; Vintages #24100, to be released April 30^th)
45% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot. Deep ruby colour; spicy, plummy, toasty nose with a floral top note; dry, plum and blackberry flavours with a warm alcoholic finish (14.3% alc). (89)