Monday, June 30th: My British passport arrived – after weeks of agonising back-and-forth over documents with His Majesty’s Passport Office.
Other arrivals today: our friend Zoltan from Bucharest and his travelling companion Dr. Enno Lippold, whom I knew from his days as a winemaker with Deinhard. They arrived from the Finger Lakes, where they had been attending a Riesling conference. They took an Uber from the New York border direct to Dobbin Estate in Niagara, where Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble had set up a tasting.
Zoltan Szabo
Dr. Enno Lippold
Ann Sperling and Peter Gamble
First we sampled Dobbin Estate’s Blanc de Blancs and then a series of Dry Rieslings from three vintages, 2019, 2021, and 2023, both the White Cap and the Black Cap. (According to AI: “Dobbin Estate’s White Cap and Black Cap Rieslings represent two different expressions of the same grape produced by the Niagara-based winery. The White Cap is a single-vineyard, fully estate-grown dry Riesling showcasing mineral and floral notes, while the Black Cap is a richer, slightly sweeter style that blends estate fruit with grapes from other sites.”)
Invitation to the London Riesling tasting
Then they all came over to our house for dinner – pan-fried salmon. I opened Thirty Bench Wood Post Riesling 2023 and Flat Rock Cellars Nadja’s Vineyard 2023. We also tasted a selection of Dr. Lippold Rieslings that Enno had brought with him from his vineyards in Urzig in the Mosel Valley.
Dr. Lippold Rieslings
With the cheese course, I opened a bottle of Chateau Clerc Milon 2021.
Wednesday, July 1st: Canada Day. Toured some wineries where Enno wanted to pick up some Rieslings – from Tawse, Thirty Bench and Henry of Pelham – for a tasting he’s conducting in London.
A sudden, violent storm with winds up to 100 km an hour brought down a tree in our Crescent and a heavy limb that landed on my neighbour’s shed!
Not beavers but a 100 km/h wind storm
My tree, neighbour’s yard!
Thursday, July 2nd: Tasted eight wines from Moon Curser Vineyards (Osoyoos East Bench in BC).
Moon curser wines
Moon curser wines
Moon Curser Eclipse Traditional Method 2022
55% Roussanne, 45% Marsanne. Pale straw in colour; gentle mousse of tiny bubbles; a bouquet of apple and pear; light to medium-bodied, dry, leesy, apple flavour with an engaging touch of bitterness on the finish. (88)
Moon Curser Confiscated Riesling 2024 (BC and Washington State fruit)
Pale straw in colour with a line tint; grapefruit bouquet with a light floral note; light-bodied, just off-dry, grapefruit flavour with a honeyed note; well-balanced. (88)
Moon Curser Pinot Gris 2025
Pale straw colour with a tint of pink gold; lightly toasty nose of peach pit; medium to full-bodied, dry, peach and green melon flavours; firmly structured; good length. Drink now and through 2027. (89)
Food pairings: roast chicken; grilled white fish; mussels.
Moon Curser Roussanne Marsanne 2025
79% Roussanne, 21% Marsanne. straw colour; leesy peach, mango nose; medium to full-bodied, dry, richly extracted peach and pineapple flavours with an almond note on the finish. (90)
Moon Curser Viognier 2025
Bright straw in colour; aromatic, floral, melon and lychee bouquet; full-bodied, richly extracted melon and lychee flavours carried on fresh acidity; well-balanced and lingering on the palate. (90)
Moon Curser Confiscated Rose 2024 (Washington State fruit)
Deep salmon pink in colour; lifted nose of strawberry and redcurrant; medium-bodied, dry strawberry and pomegranate flavours with racy acidity. (89)
Moon Curser Dolcetto 2025
Deep purple in colour; spicy plum and white pepper bouquet; full-bodied, dry, blackberry and black cherry flavours carried on vibrant acidity. (90)
Moon Curser Pinot Noir 2024 (Washington fruit)
Bright ruby in colour; high-toned nose of cherries, cedar and oak spice; medium-bodied, dry; richly extracted cherry flavour with evident but ripe tannins. (89)
Moon Curser Border Vines 2022
35% Petit Verdot, 33% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc. Deep purple in colour; spicy, blackberry nose with new oak notes; medium to full-bodied, dry, savoury. juicy, blackberry and plum flavours, firmly structured with ripe tannins. (89–90)
Moon Curser Syrah 2022
Dense purple in colour; blackberry and white pepper on the nose with oak spice; medium to full-bodied, dry, savoury, jammy blackberry and plum flavours with oak notes; bright acidity. Cocoa powder tannins. (89–91)
Then I tasted an excellent Cognac!
Gautier Cognac VSOP (LCBO: $80.20)
Caramel colour; cedary, honey, spicy, toasty nose of dried rose petals; rich flavours of honey, oak spice and dried fig; beautifully balanced and harmonious; lovely mouth feel and great length. (96 points).
Dinner with our friends Steven and Dale who live across from the Jackson-Triggs winery. We had drinks in their beautiful new house – MW Cellars Brut – before moving on to the Old Winery Pizza restaurant. I ordered a bottle of The Foreign Affair Dream 2023 (Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc with some Petit Verdot – 15% appassimento).
