Rockway Vineyards Brut Cuvée (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's sparkling wine review is the latest from a recent string of lovely wines I've enjoyed from Niagara's Rockway Vineyards.

Sparkling wine is a category gaining in popularity as more and more people drink various types of bubbly from around the globe. The biggest reason for this is that people aren't just uncorking a bottle of sparkling wine for special occasions, but also for everyday drinking. There is no celebratory occasion happening at my place tonight, other than opening this delightful Niagara bubbly.

This sparkler is the very first Traditional Method Sparkling Wine crafted by Rockway Vineyards and is indeed a very fine bubbly. David Stasiuk is the talented winemaker at Rockway. He used fruit (67% Chardonnay, 33% Pinot Noir) that was hand-picked in early September during the 2015 vintage. The cuvée was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks without malolactic fermentation. Secondary fermentation in bottle occurred using tirage in March 2016, and lasted 6-8 weeks. It was bottle aged for 32 months on lees before being disgorged. Dosage was with wild barrel fermented estate Chardonnay.

This delicious bubbly is available through their retails store in Niagara, as well as their online web store.

Tasting Note:

ROCKWAY VINEYARDS BRUT CUVÉE - Méthode Traditionnelle, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (XD) - $32
A blend of 67% Chardonnay and 33% Pinot Noir aged on the lees for 32 months. Fragrant lemon citrus, ripe green apple and brioche aromas emanate from the glass. It is medium-bodied with crisp, bright acids, fine bubbles and a slightly creamy texture. A touch honeyed on the palate with more lemon citrus, green apple and brioche notes. Nicely balanced with more green apple and lemon flavours on the long finish. Score: 90 pts

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Mazzei Ser Lapo Riserva Chianti Classico 2015 (Tuscany) - Wine Review

I have tasted and enjoyed previous vintages of this yummy red wine, and tonight's wine review is the lovely 2015 vintage that will be coming to LCBO VINTAGES on March 2.

It is produced by the historic Mazzei family in Tuscany, where they have been making wines since the 11th century and now 24 generations. Ser Lapo Mazzei, whom this wine is named in honour of, was the author of the first known documented use of the "Chianti" denomination on December 16, 1398. The main estate is Castello di Fonterutoli, which became part of the family's estate in 1435 when his granddaughter, Madonna Smeralda Mazzei, married Piero di Agnolo da Fonterutoli.

In Fonterutoli, the centuries-old ownership of Marchesi Mazzei has preserved the handful of houses, the church of San Miniato, and the villa erected at the end of the 1500's, maintaining the charm of the Middle Ages. The legend of the Chianti Black Rooster was also born in the hamlet of Fonterutoli.

Today, the modern Fonterutoli Winery in Chianti Classico, Tuscany, is one of three estates owned by Mazzei. The winery dominates the estate and farm slopes, and has a view of Siena in the distance. The gravity-flow winery was designed by a family member with the goal of achieving low environmental impact. The cellar is located 15 metres below ground and temperatures and humidity levels are regulated by five natural water streams flowing through naked rock walls - something I hope to see one day!

The first vintage of this wine was 1983. This blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot comes from vines located 250 to 330 metres above sea level on medium textured with loam and limestone soils, and age ranging from 10 to 30 years. It was aged for 12 months in small french oak barrels, 50% new.

Tasting Note:

MAZZEI SER LAPO RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#288530) (XD) - $23.95
The medium+ intensity nose has complex herbal, earthy, savoury, cherry, and strawberry aromas. It is medium bodied on the savoury palate with more earthy flavours surrounding the cherry/strawberry core. Tannins are grippy and drying while acids are juicy. Nicely balanced flavours come through long finish, with hints of dried cherry and red floral. Enjoy over the next 5+ years. Score: 90 pts

The actual label for this bottle is covered with a removable wrap. When removed, it reveals an illustration by Paolo Fiumi that depicts the 1435 marriage of Madonna Smeralda Mazzei.

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Wine Picks LCBO VINTAGES Release Mar. 2, 2019: Napa + Award-Winning Ontario

The upcoming LCBO VINTAGES Release on March 2, 2019 features wines from Napa Valley in its main theme, while the mini-theme looks at award-winning wines from Ontario. Both of these themes are on the small side. All of these wines, plus many others, will be on LCBO VINTAGES shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We'll begin with the main theme that focuses on wines from the 2015 vintage in Napa Valley. The year was marked by very dry growing conditions and low yields. However, it produced many quality wines, albeit in lower quantities. Of the ten wines featured in this theme, only one is included among my wine picks - a Chardonnay from Robert Mondavi.

Of six wines featured in the mini-theme on Award-Winning wines from Ontario, there are two beauties among my wine recommendations. The first is an excellent 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sparkling wine from Niagara's 13th Street Winery. The second wine is a Marsanne, one of the few (perhaps only?) plantings of the grape in Ontario.

From my red wine picks, the Kékfrankos, as they call the grape varietal in Hungary, is also known as Blaufränkisch or Lemberger in other parts of the world. It is rare to see 100% Colorino, as we find in the Piazzano Colorino from Tuscany. Also from Italy, the Rubesco is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino, while the Riserva Chianti Classico is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. The Chianti Classico from Isole e Olena is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, and 5% Syrah. Lastly, the lovely Amarone is a blend of 50% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, and 5% Oseleta.

Among my white wine picks from the rest of the Release, the above $20 category features only Chardonnay - two from Burgundy, one from Ontario, and one from Russian River Valley. Under $20, there is a nicely dry Alsatian white that consists of 41% Sylvaner/Pinot Blanc, 19% Pinot Gris, 18% Gewurztraminer, 17% Riesling, and 5% Muscat, while Rioja white is a blend of 70% Viura, 10% Malvasía, 10% Tempranillo Blanco, and 10% Garnacha Blanca that spent 3 months in new French oak barrels. If you like some sweetness in your wine, there is a Gewurztraminer; for more sweetness look to the Niagara Riesling.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this Release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CAMPOS DE ENANZO BASIANO TEMPRANILLO 2017 - DO Navarra, Spain (#644484) (XD) - $11.95
• NEDERBURG MANOR HOUSE SHIRAZ 2015 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#068775) (XD) - $16.95
• TÚZKO KÉKFRANKOS 2015 - Hungary (#588806) (XD) - $18.95
• LUNGAROTTI RUBESCO SANGIOVESE/COLORINO 2015 - DOC Rosso di Torgiano, Umbria, Italy (#368548) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• VIÑA LEYDA SINGLE VINEYARD LAS BRISAS PINOT NOIR 2016 - DO Leyda Valley, Chile (#632919) (XD) - $19.95
• SIDEWOOD SHIRAZ 2015 - Adelaide Hills, South Australia (#446146) (XD) - $19.95

• MAZZEI SER LAPO RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#288530) (XD) - $23.95  90 pts  wine review
• SOUTHBROOK LAUNDRY VINEYARD GAMAY NOIR 2017 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#646323) (XD) - $24.95  90 pts  wine review
• UNDURRAGA TERROIR HUNTER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 - Cauquenes, Maule Valley, Chile (#630350) (XD) - $24.95
• ISOLE E OLENA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#704346) (XD) - $34.95
• PIAZZANO COLORINO 2015 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#455675) (XD) - $35.95  91 pts  wine review
• SARTORI CORTE BRÀ AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2011 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#225540) (D) - $53.95

White Wine:

• PALATINE HILLS RIESLING 2016 - VQA Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#520395) (M) - $15.95  89 pts  wine review
• HUGEL GENTIL 2016 - AC Alsace, France (#367284) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• KEW MARSANNE 2016 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#485334) (D) - $19.95
• IZADI BLANCO 2017 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#586396) (XD) - $19.95
• BARON DE HOEN RÉSERVE GEWURZTRAMINER 2017 - AC Alsace, France (#377721) (D) - $19.95
• MÂCON-LUGNY LES CHARMES 2017 - AC, Burgundy, France (#983098) (XD) - $21.95
• ROBERT MONDAVI NAPA VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2015 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#310409) (XD) - $29.95
• DOMAINE DU CHALET POUILLY POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2016 - AP, Burgundy, France (#295717) (XD) - $33.95
• SOUTHBROOK ESTATE GROWN SMALL LOT WILD FERMENT CHARDONNAY 2017 - VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#644625) (XD) - $35.00  91 pts  wine review
• GIRARD RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2015 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#276675) (D) - $39.95

Sparkling Wine:

• 13TH STREET PREMIER CUVÉE 2012 - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#142679) (XD) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review

Fortified:

• DOW’S QUINTA DO BOMFIM VINTAGE PORT 2005 - Bottled in 2007, DOC, Portugal (#515544) (S) (375 mL) - $28.95  FE

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Lungarotti Rubesco Sangiovese/Colorino 2015 (Umbria) - Wine Review

Hot on the heels of a 100% Colorino that I enjoyed a few days ago, tonight's wine review is a more traditional blend that also contains Colorino. This red wine consists of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino and will arrive in LCBO VINTAGES on March 2nd.

Lungarotti was founded in central Italy the early 60’s by Giorgio Lungarotti, and the company soon became a driving force that opened up new opportunities not only for Torgiano (a commune in the Province of Perugia in Umbria), but also for whole region of Umbria - with wine as the centrepiece.

Rubesco is a Lungarotti trademark deriving from the Latin verb "rubescere", meaning "to blush", therefore a joyous significance. The image on the label depicts harvest from one of the panels found at Fontana Maggiore in Perugia, one of Italy's most beautiful Medieval fountains that was built in approximately 1277.

The grapes for this wine were harvested from clayey-sandy soils of medium depth, with good
structure and a limestone subsoil. It has also spent one year ageing in oak casks, and one year in bottle prior to release.

Tasting Note:

LUNGAROTTI RUBESCO SANGIOVESE/COLORINO 2015 - DOC Rosso di Torgiano, Umbria, Italy (#368548) (XD) - $19.95
Blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino. Delicate, medium+ intensity nose of stony mineral followed by dark cherry, black plum, violet, and herbs that gain intensity with air. It is medium+ bodied with chewy, dusty and refined tannins. I like the mineral-driven flavour profile with dark berry-cherry, earth, herbs, and a hint of pepper spice notes. Acids are fresh and juicy. Excellent finish length with more mineral and earthy flavours. Enjoy over the next 3-5 years. Score: 89 pts

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Piazzano Colorino 2015 (Tuscany) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a premium red from Tuscany that will be arriving in LCBO VINTAGES on March 2, 2019.

It is made by Fattoria di Piazzano, an estate winery located in the hills south of Empoli and traversed by the Rio di Camerata that has been in the hands of the Bettarini family since 1948. Otello Bettarini was a well-known manufacturer from Prato, with a great interest for astronomy, who fell in love with this place that he decided to move there permanently. In this village, he found the right astral conjunction to undertake what would become the main activity of the family - wine growing. Ricardo would work alongside his uncle Otello, eventually taking over the reins. In the late 1990s, Riccardo entrusted the estate to his children Rolando and Ilaria. Today, the farm continues to be completely family-run and has a strong respect for the environment and sustainability to keep the land as healthy as possible. The winery is certified vegan-friendly.

The grapes for this red wine come from soils that are loose and rich in rock fragments, cobbles, and gravel. It was fermented with wild yeasts in glazed concrete tanks, followed by malolactic fermentation and aging in french oak barriques for 12 to 15 months. Further refining occurred in bottle for at least another 6 months. Rare to find 100% Colorino.

Tasting Note:

PIAZZANO COLORINO 2015 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#455675) (XD) - $35.95
This deeply purple-hued 100% Colorino is normally used as a blending grape and rare to find on its own. It has medium+ intensity aromas of purple fruit, dark cherry-berry, and herbs with a licorice and medicinal character wafts from glass. It is medium bodied with firm, grippy, chalky and drying tannins, along with fresh and juicy acids that provide lift. Flavours of violet, black cherry, dark plum, and hints of oak. A bit thin on the mid-palate, while the finish is long with wet earth, dark berry, and violet nuances. Should develop more complexity with time as tannins integrate. Enjoyable now with big meats, or age for 3+ years and drink into the mid-20's. Score: 91 pts

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Rockway Vineyards Riesling Icewine 2013 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is this lovely Icewine that I picked up while visiting the winery in Niagara last month during the Icewine Festival. This wine continues the string of wines I've enjoyed recently from Rockway Vineyards.

This delicious Icewine is produced by Rockway Vineyards and is a wine I've tasted (and enjoyed) on a number of occasions, including back in January 2017. The grapes for this Icewine benefited from early and long freeze cycles that started in late November. Grapes were harvested in the early morning hours of December 14, 2013, when the average temperature -10°C.

With only 300 Litres produced (approximately 1,500 bottles of 200 mL) and now 6 years from vintage, I am a bit surprised that this lovely Riesling Icewine is still available for purchase at the winery and through their online web store. It is also currently $10 off, making it one of the better value Riesling Icewines out there.

Tasting Note:

ROCKWAY VINEYARDS RIESLING ICEWINE 2013 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (S) (200 mL) - $39.97 $29.97
Gorgeous, aromatic nose offers orange citrus, peach, kiwi, meringue, and honeycomb aromas. It is full-bodied and viscous on the sweet palate with juicy, racy acids balancing the sugar and keeps the wine from being cloying. Sweet, luscious and complex flavours of peach, orange citrus, honeycomb, lime, kiwi, and apple are nicely balanced. Excellent finish length with flavour profile lingering on the long aftertaste. Lots of life in this sweet elixir and will keep for many years. Score: 92 pts

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Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Block 150-183 Riesling 2015 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a medium sweet Riesling that arrived in LCBO VINTAGES last May. There are several bottles of this white wine still available at the LCBO, however, I would suggest you visit the winery in Niagara.

Rockway Vineyards is a unique destination in that it is Ontario's only winery with its own 18-hole golf course. You can enjoy a round of golf, weather-permitting of course, but also visit the on-site winery museum and restaurant, with terrific views of the Escarpment. However, at the center of the experience are the delightful wines produced under of the care of winemaker David Stasiuk.

Rockway grows, crafts, and bottles 99.9% of all the wines they produce. David has a hands-off approach to winemaking, with the goal of capturing the flavours from the vineyard and guiding them into your glass.

This single vineyard Riesling comes from a small block of vines within the VQA Twenty Mile Bench appellation in Niagara. In 2015, the fruit was nearly perfect after two very cold winters. The very dry months from July to September allowed the vines to get back to normal ripening schedule. This lovely white wine normally retails for $21.95, but is currently available for $19.95.

Tasting Note:

ROCKWAY VINEYARDS SMALL LOT BLOCK 150-183 RIESLING 2015 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#424176) - $19.95
Screw cap. Lovely, fragrant and perfumed nose of wet stone, lime zest, white peach and floral. On the medium-bodied palate it is a touch fleshy with crisp, lip-smacking acidity and pretty honeyed, tart lime citrus, and limestone mineral flavours in a medium sweet profile. Juicy acids along with a mineral texture on the mid-palate. Nicely balanced overall with lingering wet stone and lime flavours on the long finish. Enjoy over the next 6+ years. Score: 90 pts

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