Featherstone Cabernet Franc 2010 (Niagara) - Wine Review

My love for Ontario Cabernet Franc began with the 2008 vintage version from this winery and continues to this day. The 2011 was great when I tasted it at the winery back in the September 2012, but was not as impressive when I opened the bottle at home, 13 months later.

Tonight, on National Drink Wine Day, I am delighted to open this wonderful Ontario Cab Franc. This red wine was purchased from a Vintages release in September 2012. Good luck finding the 2010 now, but if you have this in your cellar, open it now and enjoy!

FEATHERSTONE CABERNET FRANC 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#64618) (XD) - $16.95

Tasting Note:
Screw cap. Medium+ intensity aromas that feature complex notes of wet earth, bramble, ripe plum, red currant, herbal and hints of eucalyptus. On the palate, it's medium bodied very nice aroma replays surrounded by a lovely earthy, sweet core. Bright, balanced acids and very smooth, refined tannins. Gorgeous! Drink now if you have it! Will be enjoying this with Chicken Fajitas. Score: 90 pts

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NCT Dean's List Savant Icewine 2009 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tasted and purchased this Icewine at the winery back in the Fall of 2012, during the Niagara Wine Festival. and opened it last night to continue our wedding anniversary celebrations. This wine is drinking well, but not nearly as well as it did back in 2012.

NIAGARA COLLEGE TEACHING WINERY DEAN'S LIST SAVANT ICEWINE 2009 - Jack Forrer Vineyard, VQA St. David's Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (S) (200 mL) - $37.95

Tasting Note:
Field blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Pinot Noir. Sweet prune, plum and grapey aromas from the cork. Apple cider, honey and hint of melon aromas of medium intensity from the glass. Fairly lightweight with sweet apple cider, caramel, peach, nutty, orange zest, and honey notes. Good acids and a long finish that's showing hints of bitterness. Drink now. Score: 89+ pts

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Joseph Cattin Gewürztraminer 2011 (Alsace) - Wine Review

To celebrate our 6th Wedding Anniversary, I decided to open this lovely white wine from Alsace. The Gewürztraminer grape is not everyone's cup of tea and can take some time getting used to, but I know that my wife and I enjoy it, when made well, such as this one.

This wine was purchased from the December 7 Vintages release and could have been cellared a couple of years, but is definitely enjoyable now. I've enjoyed many wines from Joseph Cattin over the years, and enjoyed this one as well. If you're feeling adventurous and want to try this grape, it is available at the LCBO.

JOSEPH CATTIN GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2011 - AC Alsace, France (#224626) (M) - $17.95

Tasting Note:
Yummy lychee, meyer lemon and rose petal aromas from the cork. Classic, elegant Gewürztraminer aromas led by lychee fruit from the glass. Full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel, and round with more lychee, orange, lavender, rose and hints of ginger on the palate. Bracing acids and not as sweet as one might expect. Long, smooth, and almost bitter finish. Recommended buy. Paired really well with red pepper flake shrimps as the wine really tamed the fiery shrimp, while the pairing was less than ideal with lamb chops. Score: 90 pts

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Feb. 15 LCBO Wine Picks: France + Ontario

The next LCBO Vintages wine release will be in stores on Saturday, February 15th and the major of theme of this release is on benchmark wines from the top regions in France. The secondary theme of the release is a small one, featuring only 5 award winning wines from Ontario.

Overall, I was disappointed with most of the 20 French wines featured as they did not represent good buys. This is likely due to the fact that the 2011 and 2012 vintages were only average throughout most of France; while the two 2010 Bordeauxs featured were not top-notch, as one might expect from that great vintage. On to the positives, three French wines did make my list of wine picks.

On the premium wine side, there is a Champagne from Sourdet-Diot that is off-dry and made with 80% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay, while the Vincent Girardin is an oaked Chardonnay from 50 year-old vines.

From Midi (aka Languedoc), where great values can often be found, there is a 60/40 Syrah/Grenache blend from Domaine Lambrusques. There's also a classic Muscat wine from Terres Blanches for only $13.95 that wasn't part of the France feature but has wonderful aromas and is made in a dry style (i.e. not sweet).

Not surprisingly, three of the five Ontario award-winning wines featured in this release made my cut. First is the Huff Estates sparkling wine that is 100% Prince Edward County Chardonnay. From Niagara is the lightly-oaked Malivoire Gamay. And last, but definitely not least, is the exceptional Konzelmann Vidal Icewine that I tasted recently at the Niagara Icewine Festival.

From the rest of the release, the Spanish Monasterio is a blend of 60% Garnacha (Grenache), 30% Tempranillo and 10% Cariñena (Carignan). Zinfandel lovers may want to check out the Primitivo - the Italian take on the same grape; careful though, as it's not sweet as the versions you may have tried from California. And finally, the Hess Collection is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 9% Syrah, 7% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot - all of which come from 19 blocks from their highest altitude estate vineyard on Mount Vedeer.

Enjoy my wine recommendations for this week! Let me know if you try any of these. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• MONASTERIO DE LAS VIÑAS GRAN RESERVA 2005 - DO Cariñena, Spain (#082024) (XD) - $16.95
• MALIVOIRE GAMAY 2012 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#591313) (D) - $17.95
• DOMAINE LAMBRUSQUES ESPRIT SAUVAGE 2011 - AP Pic Saint-Loup, Midi, France (#354142) (XD) - $17.95
• PODERI ANGELINI PRIMITIVO DI MANDURIA 2008 - DOC, Puglia, Italy (#268136) (XD) - $18.95
• ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC 2011 - Mendoza, Argentina (#723478) (XD) - $19.95
• KILIKANOON KILLERMAN’S RUN SHIRAZ/GRENACHE 2011 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#009225) (XD) - $19.95  reviewed here
• CASTORANI AMORINO MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO 2007 - DOC, Abruzzo, Italy (#366732) (XD) - $27.95
• FONTODI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2010 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#933317) (XD) - $32.95
• HESS COLLECTION 19 BLOCK CUVÉE 2009 - Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, California, USA (#018879) (D) - $47.95  reviewed here

White Wine:

• TERRES BLANCHES MUSCAT SEC 2012 - Pays d’Oc IGP, Midi, France (#653188) (XD) - $13.95
• BOUTARI SANTORINI 2012 - PDO, Greece (#047985) (XD) - $17.95
• TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA RIESLING 2012 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#089029) (M) - $17.95
• KILIKANOON KILLERMAN’S RUN RIESLING 2012 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#365635) (XD) - $17.95  reviewed here
• VILLA MARIA CELLAR SELECTION SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#974527) (XD) - $21.95
• VINCENT GIRARDIN VIEILLES VIGNES CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 2011 - AC, Burgundy, France (#364141) (XD) - $55.95

Sparkling Wine:

• HUFF ESTATES CUVÉE PETER F. HUFF 2007 - Traditional Method, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#198754) (D) - $39.95
• SOURDET-DIOT CUVÉE DE RÉSERVE BRUT CHAMPAGNE - AC, Champagne, France (#364752) (D) - $49.95

Dessert Wine:

• AGRI-RONCÃO DR LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2000 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#351395) (S) - $24.95
• KONZELMANN VIDAL ICEWINE 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#167866) (S) (200 mL) - $25.10  reviewed here

The rest of the wines from this Vintages release can be found here.

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