Providing a Unique & Affordable Selection of High Quality Red Wines and White Wines for Your Enjoyment. Also featured: Rosé, Port, Icewine, Champagne and Sparkling Wine for Special Occasions. Cheers!
To celebrate , white wine review is a lovely Niagara Riesling that I purchased at the winery while visiting Niagara during the Icewine Festival back in . Of course, this vintage has long sold out, while newer vintages are currently available for purchase from the winery.
Tasting Note:
KACABA RESERVE RIESLING 2017 - VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (D) - $17.95 Screw cap. Lovely, fragrant, medium-high intensity nose of petrol, lemon oil citrus, waxy, white peach, and orchard fruit complexity. It's miedium+ bodied, off-dry and with delicious petrol, lemon/lime citrus, white peach, and green apple flavours with a kiss of sweetness surrounding a core of savoury, stony mineral. It has very good, lively and juicy acidity, along with a nicely chalky textured mid-palate. Leesy, limestone mineral notes linger on the long, dry-ish, crisp, and well-structured finish. Should continue to drink well over the next 3-4 years, and probably longer. Score: 90+ pts
red wine review is a lovely Cabernet Franc and Syrah blend that was locally and sustainably grown and crafted in Niagara and arrived at the LCBO as part of the recent LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection.
Like the 2019 Kacaba Cabernet Franc that I enjoyed last year, this red wine is also produced by Kacaba Vineyards & Winery, a premium, small-batch winery located on prime, winegrowing land on the Niagara Escarpment in Vineland, Ontario. The history of the winery begins in 1997 after the land was purchased by Michael Kacaba, a Bay St. lawyer in Toronto of Ukrainian descent and a Saskatchewan background. Although the land was slated for a subdivision, Mr. Kacaba had other visions and began the work to establish a vineyard and winery. Only two years later, in 1999, Kacaba had their first vintage and consistent success followed thereafter.
The choice of establishing the vineyard and winery on the Niagara Escarpment - the slope leading to the lake bed of the prehistoric lake that covered southern Ontario - has greatly contributed to Kacaba's success. This unique geographical area sets up a circulating air flow whereby cold air naturally moves down the Escarpment and over Lake Ontario, where it warms, rises, and returns to heat the Escarpment. This process helps extend the frost-free season through spring and fall, thereby extending the growing season, which allows grapes such as Syrah and Bordeaux varieties, such as Cabernet Franc, to develop phenolic maturity.
Today, while no longer owned by Michael Kacaba, the wines of Kacaba Vineyards & Winery are produced using only the finest grapes on the estate or from partner growers in surrounding vineyards. The philosophy at Kacaba is dependent on producing small quantities of wines by limiting the quantities they can handle such that they are able to manage all aspects of the winemaking process mainly by hand. By focusing on small-batch winemaking, Kacaba is able to produce wines of merit that are deep in colour, rich in aromas and character. Kacaba also strives to encourage sustainable agriculture on their land, as well as their partner growers.
This red wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Syrah, and due to the stellar growing season in the Niagara region, the Cabernet Franc was harvested in early November, while the Syrah was harvested in mid-October. Each varietal was picked separately at slightly different times and kept separate throughout the vinification process. The grapes were gently destemmed and fermented in stainless steel containers. After pressing, the wines were aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 17 months. In the spring of 2022, Winemaker Vadim Chelekhov tasted the various barrels of wine and selected the unique tasting casks that showed elegant tannins and overall balance. The chosen barrels were then blended, filtered, and bottled on May 17, 2022.
The 2020 growing season started off warmer than average and was mostly dry with only a few snow storms in January and February. The warm trend continued into March, but then slowed in April, which included a cold snap in the latter part of the month, and kept the vines dormant. The great growing season took off once spring arrived in May, followed by a dry and warm summer, which was followed by a cool, dry, and long fall season. With extensive crop thinning, leaf pulling, and constant vineyard monitoring, the Cabernet Franc grapes hung on to the vines into October and early November. From a vintage that has been deemed the vintage of the century in Niagara, let's see how this 2020 Cabernet Franc - Syrah blend from Niagara is tasting tonight...
Tasting Note:
KACABA CABERNET / SYRAH 2020 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#26424) (XD) - $24.95 A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Syrah, this has a rich, medium+ to medium-high intensity nose that offers pleasing, ripe red & black fruit, currant, raspberry, oak spice, chocolate, and savoury earth aromas, plus hints of plum, meaty, and mineral notes. It's medium-bodied on the dry palate with delicious, tangy red & black fruits, currant, raspberry, savoury earth flavours, plus subtle oak spice, black pepper, and meaty notes add further character. It has fresh, lemony acidity, while the smooth, supple, and refined tannins are well-managed. There's a touch of chalky grip on the back palate. Tangy with savoury earth and mineral notes linger on the long, fresh finish. Enjoy this highly recommended buy over the next 5+ years. Score: 90 pts
Some of the fine wines by Kacaba Vineyards are available at the LCBO, while the full range is available direct from winery in Niagara.
red wine review is a lovely local offering from Niagara that arrived at the LCBO in last weekend's LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection and is available for purchase online at LCBO.com and Flagship Exclusive stores.
It is produced by Kacaba Vineyards & Winery, a premium, small-batch winery located on prime, winegrowing land on the Niagara Escarpment in Vineland, Ontario. It's history began when the previous owner, Michael Kacaba, a Bay St. lawyer in Toronto of Ukrainian descent and from a Saskatchewan background, purchased the property in 1997. Although the land was slated for a subdivision, Michael had other ideas and began the work to establish a vineyard and winery. In 1999, Kacaba had his first vintage and consistent success followed thereafter.
Much of Kacaba's success can be attributed to its location on the Escarpment - the slope leading to the lake bed of the prehistoric lake that covered southern Ontario. This unique geographical area sets up a circulating air flow whereby cold air naturally moves down the Escarpment and over Lake Ontario where it warms, rises, and returns to heat the Escarpment. This process helps extend the frost-free season through spring and fall, thereby extending the growing season, which allows grapes such as Syrah and the Bordeaux varieties to develop phenolic maturity.
Kacaba wines are produced using only the finest grapes grown on their estate or partnered grape growers from surrounding vineyards, and their philosophy is based on small quantities. The production is limited based on their ability to handle and manage quantities that can be produced mainly by hand, with pumping kept to a minimum and using gravity for racking and bottling. By focusing on smaller batch sizes, Kacaba is able to produce wines of merit that are rich in aromas, and deep in colour and character with velvety finishes. While encouraging sustainable agriculture, their main goal is to produce ultra-premium wines. However, they also produce moderately priced wines that are necessary for the economic well-being of the company, while striving to produce more fruit-driven wines with more finesse and character.
This red wine is from Kacaba's "Escarpment" range of wines and crafted with 100% Cabernet Franc that was grown in their vineyards situated on the Escarpment Bench, where the soil helps produce quality wines even during an average growing season such as 2019. On the Escarpment Bench, the landscape's elevation and dense clay/loam soils naturally stress the vines which concentrate the flavours in the fruit, and when coupled with strategic crop thinning, this concentration produces balanced tannins with ripe fruit flavours.
The grapes to craft this red wine were carefully harvested and gently de-stemmed. It was fermented over 14 days using select yeast strains, with twice-daily manual pump-overs and punch-downs. Upon completion of primary fermentation, the wine was pressed from the skins and racked into a combination of 29 slightly older French and American oak barrels, where it finished malolactic fermentation. The wine remained in barrels for 12 months for further maturation, and was filtered and bottled. Let's see how this 2019 Cabernet Franc from Niagara is tasting tonight...
Tasting Note:
KACABA CABERNET FRANC 2019 - VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#272146) (XD) - $33.15 Lovely, medium-high intensity nose offers ripe red & black fruits, grilled herbs, black cherry, currant, and leather aromas with hints of tobacco. It's medium+ bodied, dry, and well-structured with delicious ripe currant, black cherry, grilled herbs, leather, and tobacco flavour replays, plus touches of pepper and spice. It's all supported by fresh acidity and supple, gently chalky textured, and well-structured tannins. Currant, black cherry, and savoury oak notes with a hint of dark plum lingers on the finish, with very good length. Enjoy this recommended buy over the next 4-5 years. Score: 89 pts
Other fine wines by Kacaba Vineyards are available at the LCBO, with a wider variety available direct from winery in Niagara.
Received this from a friend last week who was at Kacaba Vineyards hosting an event that I was, unfortunately, unable to attend due to short notice. But, she graciously brought back this red wine for me.
Tasting Note:
Aromas of plum and raisin when opening. Crushed red berries, earth, barnyard, oak aromas in the glass. Currant, smoky, and light, new oak on the palate. Chalky tannins. Medium-bodied. Ripe and ready-to-drink. Overall, this red makes a nice impression, but something seems to be lacking that would make it an "exceptional" wine.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
