Monday, April 27^th: Tasted the following Strewn wines:

Strewn Sparkling Blush (Charmat process)
Equal parts Cabernet Franc and Riesling. Deep coppery-pink in colour;
lightly floral nose of strawberries. Petillant, medium-bodied, dry, strawberry and yellow cherry flavours; well-balanced and easy drinking with a touch of sweetness in mid-palate. (89)

Strewn Chardonnay 2025 (Niagara Peninsula)
Pale straw in colour; toasty, apple bouquet with vanilla oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, richly extracted apple and pear flavours with well-integrated oak and good length. (90)

Strewn Riesling 2022 (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
Light straw colour; minerally, grapefruit nose with a top note of petrol; light-bodied, dry, grapefruit and lime flavours. Good length. Open now or hold for a year for better oak integration. (89)

Strewn Cabernet Franc Rose 2023 (Niagara Peninsula)
Amber-pink in colour; lightly floral red berry bouquet; medium-bodied, just off-dry; fresh and lively strawberry and raspberry flavours, finishing on a candied raspberry note. (89)

Strewn Cabernet Franc 2020 (Niagara Peninsula)
Ruby colour with a tawny rim; cedary, vanilla, red plum nose with a floral top note; medium-bodied, dry, well-extracted cranberry and plum flavours with lively acidity, firm finish. (89)

Strewn Assemblage 2020
46% Merlot; 36% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep tawny-ruby colour; spicy, dried fruits on the nose with oak notes; medium-bodied, dry, spicy, plum and redcurrant flavours with lively acidity and well-integrated oak; firm finish of ripe tannins. (90)

For dinner: pasta with meat sauce and a bottle of The Fox and the Grapes Reserve Shiraz Cabernet.

Tuesday, April 28^th: Tasted the following Stonebridge wines from the Lailey vineyard:

Stonebridge Brut Premier 2021 (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
Pale straw in colour; active mousse of tiny bubbles; bready nose of apples; medium-bodied,dry, apple and lemony flavours with a touch of honey; long lemony, green apple finish. (90)

Stonebridge Blanc de Blancs Single Vineyard 2021
Light golden colour; active mousse of tiny bubbles; toasty, spicy, honeyed apple nose with a vanilla note; mature and elegant apple flavours; beautifully balanced; fresh and lively on the palate; great length. (92)

Stonebridge Chardonnay Single Vineyard 2023
White gold in colour; toasty apple bouquet with oak spice; full-bodied, dery; richly extracted apple and pear flavours; creamy mouth feel. Beautifully balanced, well-integrated oak and great length. A seamless wine. (93)

Stonebridge Cabernet Franc 2023
Ruby colour; cedary, spicy plum bouquet; dry, elegant, plum and blueberry flavours; well-balanced, well-integrated oak. Lovely mouth feel. Can be enjoyed now but will reward a year or two of cellaring. (91–92)

Stonebridge Small Batch Single Vineyard Merlot 2023
Ruby colour; intense nose of red fruits with oak spice and a floral top note; medium-bodied, dry, plum and black cherry flavours; beautifully balanced and firmly structured with ripe tannins. Good length. Another seamless wine! Drink now or hold 2–3 years. (90)

Stonebridge Syrah Single Vineyard 2024 (Four Mile Creek)
Deep purple in colour; spicy, blackberry nose with white pepper notes; medium-bodied, dry, firmly structured, savoury blackberry flavour carried on racy acidity. Ripe tannins; great length. Hold 1–2 years to allow the bouquet to develop. (91)

Wednesday, April 29^th: Received my Emergency British passport. My old passport has expired and British subjects have to have a valid British passport to enter the UK now. Had to jump through an enormous number of hoops and since we’re leaving on Sunday for Tuscany and London I had to apply for an emergency document while my passport is going through the tortuous application process.

Friday, May 1^st: Tasted with Thomas Bachelder in the Bat Cave – his 2024 Gamay Noir release of site-specific wines.We tasted from east to west.

Bachelder Kirby Gamay Noir 2024 (Four Mile Creek)
Ruby colour; lightly floral nose of red cherries with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, beautifully balanced, cherry flavour with lively acidity. (90)

Bachelder Lil Kirby Gamay Noir 2024 (Four Mile Creek: Lil Kirby is just a little on the Eastern side of the Kirby vineyard down on Line 1 east of Niagara Stone Rd)
Ruby colour; minerally, toasty, black cherry bouquet; medium-bodied, red cherry flavour; firmly structured; ripe tannins. Lovely mouth feel. (91)

Bachelder Willms Gamay Noir 2024 (Four Mile Creek – 55% whole cluster ferment)
Ruby colour; minerally, cherry nose; medium-bodied, dry, cherry and red plum flavours with lively acidity, firmly structured; lovely mouth-feel.(92)

Bachelder Bai Xu Gamay Noir 2024 (Four Mile Creek: 32% whole cluster)
Medium ruby in colour; vanilla and cherry on the nose; medium-bodied, dry, elegant and seamless; beautifully balanced; lively acidity, lovely mouth feel. (92)

Bachelder Haynes Street Gamay Noir 2024 (20 Mile Bench)
Ruby colour; vanilla, spicy, cherry bouquet; medium-bodied, dry, richly extracted cherry flavour; full of the palate; hedonistic cherry flavour with blackcurrant notes. Beautifully balanced, lovely mouth feel. (93)

Bachelder Wismer Wingfield Gamay Noir 2024 (20 Mile Bench)
Ruby colour; charry bouquet with vanilla and chalk notes; medium-bodied, dry, elegant, lightly floral, sour cherry flavours with racy acidity. (91)

Bachelder Foxcroft Gamay Noir 2024 (Twenty Mile Bench)
Ruby colour; measty, iron-y nose of sour cherry; medium-to-full-bodied, black cherry flavour; firmly structured; well-balanced; ripe tannins. (92)

Bachelder Mio Gamay Noir 2024 (Lincoln Lakeshore)
Ruby colour; floral, vanilla oak, cherry and white pepper nose; medium-bodied, great balance, red cherry flavour; lean and sinewy. firm finish. Lovely mouth feel. (91)

Bachelder Les Villages Gamay Noir 2024 (Niagara Peninsula)
Ruby colour; minerally, cherry pit nose; medium-bodied, dry, juicy and fresh. Easy drinking. (90)

Bachelder Les Pinot Noir Villages 2024 (Niagara Peninsula)
Deep ruby in colour; cedary, meary, black raspberry nose; medium-bodied, dry; richly extracted, savoury, raspberry flavour; firmly structured, lively acidity. (90)

Bachelder Chardonnay Villages 2024 (Niagara Peninsula)
Straw colour; toasty, spicy, apple nose; full-bodied, dry, beautifully balanced, apple and lemon flavours with oak spice; lovely mouthfeel and great length. (92)

Dinner at Jill Troyer’s house in Niagara-on-the-Lake with David Lawrason. Jill made lamb meatballs in tomato sauce and a Greek orange cake. The wines: Château des Charmes Blanc de Blancs 2023, Blue Mountain Alluvium Selection Chardonnay 2023, Liquidity Wines Cabernet Franc 2020, Sansanto Wines Vinsanto Santorini 2016, Kew Vineyards Select Late Harvest Riesling 2020.

Then we played Cards Against Humanity and my stomach muscles still ache from laughing.

Saturday, May 2^nd: Packed for our departure tomorrow to Florence for our annual wine tour. This is the 20^th year and the destination is Tuscany. Dinner tonight: pan-fried salmon, with Bachelder Kirby Pinot Blanc 2023.