Meldville Wines Tasting with Derek Barnett

At the end of last summer, with thanks to André Proulx, I had the opportunity to taste through some of the latest releases from a relatively new virtual winery called Meldville Wines. This is the project of renowned winemaker Derek Barnett, formerly of Lailey Winery and currently the winemaker at Karlo Estates (tasted his lovely Cabernet Franc here), and the focus is on small batch, limited edition, VQA wines.

The story begins with Derek's childhood home back in Swinford, England, named Meldville. He was always encouraged to be true to his nature growing up, and has adopted the same philosophy in winemaking. Each of his wines are crafted in a time honoured way with little intervention, a key to open the narrative and allow the vines to tell their own story.

Continuing the "story" theme on is the artwork of the label and the naming of the wines. The label features an old book cover, while the key also represents the keys to the back door of his home in Swinford. Some of Meldville's current wines use the term "Second Edition" to denote the fact that this is the second time that this wine was made - I assume this naming convention will continue with future vintages. I tasted a couple of Meldville "First Edition" wines in 2016 and, quite frankly, wasn't really impressed. However, the Second Edition wines are a marked improvement and just lovely!

After tasting through each of the seven wines presented on this day, I can tell you that all of the wines are delicious and come in at very reasonable price points. Full wine reviews of my top five are provided below. Meldville Wines can be ordered online or by visiting Legends Estate Winery in Beamsville, Ontario.

Tasting Notes:

MELDVILLE SAUVIGNON BLANC SECOND EDITION 2016 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (XD) - $20
Medium-high intensity aromas with pungent gooseberry, hay, and grassy notes, along with some tropical fruit and melon nuances, that meld together to form a very appealing profile. It's medium bodied with crisp, bright acids and ripe fruited aroma replays mildly oak influenced (due to 20% neutral French oak barrel fermentation). The finish length is very good. Score: 89 pts

MELDVILLE CHARDONNAY CANADIAN OAK 2016 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (XD) - $27
The nose is rich and buttery with stone fruit, golden apple, pear, vanilla and oak aromas of medium-high intensity. On the palate, it's medium-full bodied with pleasing nutty and coconut flavours joining the aroma replays. Acids are bright and fresh, while the finish is long, clean and nutty. Score: 90 pts

MELDVILLE CHARDONNAY BARREL SELECT 2015 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (XD) - $29
From two barrels specially selected for this Chardonnay. The medium-high intensity nose is ripe with butterscotch, tropical fruit, pineapple and banana aromas. It's medium bodied and fruit forward on the palate with citrus, strone fruit, and pear flavours with a slight impression of sweetness, but it's essentially dry. It's clean with crisp acids and a long finish. Score: 90+ pts

MELDVILLE CABERNET FRANC SECOND EDITION 2015 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (XD) - $27
This has a medium+ intensity nose that leads with an herbaceous note, followed by ripe fruited black currant, cassis, and some savoury-woodsy aromas. The palate is medium bodied with nice aroma replays and fresh acidity lifting the palate. Tannins are crunchy, yet refined, and add a nice textural character to the wine. The finish is long with dark currant flavours. It's lean and tight and should well up to 2024. Score: 89 pts

MELDVILLE SYRAH BARREL SELECT 2016 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (XD) - $27
Aged in one French and one Hungarian oak barrel. The medium-high intensity aromatics are sour edged with meaty, gamey, black pepper, dark cherry, savoury and smokey notes. It's medium-full bodied on the palate with nice aroma replays and supported by fresh, bright acids. Medium-firm tannins are chunky, while the finish length is excellent. Should age nicely for 6-10 years. Score: 90+ pts