13th Street Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noir 2013 (Niagara) - Wine Review

For tonight's wine review, I venture into the VINTAGES Classics Collection - a selection of fine wine (and spirits) that are some of the best, most iconic, and most collectible wines from top producers around the world. The VINTAGES Classics program releases new wines on a monthly basis, specifically on the first Thursday of every month.

13th Street Winery produces this lovely sparkling wine on Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines. The winery was founded by amateur winemakers in 1998, and purchased in 2008 by the current owners - John & June Mann and Doug & Karen Whitty. Both families have deep roots in the region and aim to create exceptional wines that reflect the unique terroir of Niagara. John Mann has been involved in farming for over 30 years, while Doug Whitty is the third generation to be operating the family farm in St. Catharines, which was originally established in 1908.

In all, 13th Street Winery owns seven vineyards in Niagara and produces 85% of their wines using fruit from their own vineyards. The Whitty family has been farming fruit for more than 100 years, and with each new generation they employ a sustainable and minimal interventionist approach to viticulture, respecting the life of the land and ensuring it stays healthy and happy for future generations.

I have enjoyed many table wines from 13th Street over the years, but it was only in the last few years that I discovered their fantastic sparkling wines. The Grand Cuvée is their top traditional method sparkling wine. It is produced only in the best vintages and is made with 100% Pinot Noir from their own Whitty Vineyard (which surrounds the winery itself on Fourth Avenue) in the Creek Shores appellation in Niagara. After careful manual harvest, whole bunches of Pinot Noir were put into the press where the free run juice was separated out and blended with the first gentle press to extract juice, but not colour or phenolics. It was aged on the lees for 60 months and after disgorging, winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas deemed the wine to be perfectly balanced and decided to not add any sugar to the dosage, resulting in a classically dry sparkling wine in the zero dosage style.

This top Niagara sparkling wine will be available for purchase by the bottle at VINTAGES Shop Online as part of the December VINTAGES Classics Collection on December 5th at 8:30 a.m. Orders are fulfilled on a first-come, first-served basis, so it's highly advised to shop early to secure your bottles. Unfortunately, this will not be coming to VINTAGES Classics after all. However, it is available at the winery and through their online web store.

Tasting Note:

13TH STREET GRANDE CUVÉE BLANC DE NOIR 2013 - VQA Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#361394) (XD) - $59.95
100% Pinot Noir from the Whitty Vineyard and made only in top vintages, this traditional method sparkling wine was aged for 60 months on the lees. Fine, persistent aromas of brioche, biscuit, lemon curd, and white berries rise out of the glass. On the medium+ bodied palate, it has fresh acidity and fine, delicate mousse that provide a very nice mouthfeel with plenty of finesse. It is classically dry, with slightly oxidative and complex flavours of baked apple, lemon curd, citrus, leesy, brioche, and yeasty with touches of stony mineral that linger through to the long lemony-mineral finish. Really fine bubbly! Score: 93 pts