THE FRUGAL OENOPHILE
Wine Appreciation through Education
email newsletter: october 2009

Wining with the Stars: Cuveé 2009 Tasting

Every spring Niagara hosts a monster party called Cuveé to showcase the local wines. The party runs for a week and a half and all wineries get involved. The festivities culminate with a gala bash and the presentation of wine awards. The contest part, however, is a little different from other wine awards in that the wines are judge by the winemakers themselves.

We wine writers are usually given a chance to taste the candidates before the show. For 2009, we were invited to sample the "top-scoring" wine from each winery. There was some grumbling that this was not representative of the highest quality: one winery's Pinot, for example, could have been its top scorer whereas another winery’s Pinot might have done better in the overall competition. Little matter -- the wines were mostly terrific, with some exceptions. Here is what I took away from this tasting.

Quality
Across the board, Niagara wines are made to a very high technical standard. That's fairly common these days, and it certainly is how it should be. But good technique doesn't necessarily make for good wine. The grapes have to be of the right type and quality, and the winemaking style must be appropriate. Thankfully, most winemakers get it right. Some don't and a few even permit obvious mistakes to get through. (Interestingly, all these wines were VQA, which means they also passed through the LCBO analysis lab and a VQA tasting panel; the winemakers are not alone in being unable to catch some duds.)

Typicity
Mostly we're seeing winegrapes that fit the environment being made into wine styles that suit the grapes. What impresses me is to see Syrah and Viognier doing well in Ontario, as these are Southern Rhone grapes. In general, the only wines that failed to show their colours were the big warm climate grapes. Global warming will solve this problem for us, in time (but by then, getting consistently ripe Cabernet won't seem so important).

Availability
Of the 58 table wines made available at the tasting -- technically among the best we have to offer -- only 3 were available at the LCBO. And don't expect this to change. There's no way the LCBO is going to give up plonk-friendly shelf space to an award-winning Ontario wine. You'll just have to visist the wineries. (Oddly, the LCBO has in the past discontinued award-winning Ontario wines.)

Weirdness and Wrong-headedness
Niagara has the perfect terroir for Gamay, and yet only one Gamay appeared at this tasting. Every Gamay I've had from Niagara has easily bettered its counterparts from Beaujolais, and at a much better price. Attention grape growers: Please plant more Gamay.

Despite the hype and rumours, Niagara is still a bit of a way from consistently producing world-class Pinot Noir. There are occasional stellar wines, but too often I find Ontario Pinot underpowered, almost skeletal, and disappointingly tasteless.

Cabernet is still hit-and-miss. Our climate may be too cold, and the growing season is definitely too short to always ripen this demanding grape. It can be done, but ripe Cab in Niagara is the exception, not the rule.

An interesting marker for Niagara Chardonnay is "skunk". Like cat's pee in Sauv Blanc, coal oil in Riesling and barnyard in Pinot, a bit of skunk in a high quality Chard is quite appealing.  

Speaking of Chard, Niagara is a great Chardonnay region. Not good; not very good; GREAT. Our winemakers routinely turn out Chardonnay that rivals the best in the world, and they do it year after year.

Pricing
I could make no sense of the pricing strategies in this group of wines. It made as much sense as prices from California or Bordeaux. Prices ranged from a low of $12.75 to $42.95 for table wines, and $29.95 to $189.95 for icewine. If you're looking for dollar value, you'll have to shop carefully. Price is no indicator of quality here, but that’s the case for most wine regions these days.

Winemaking Techniques
It's possible to create a clean, quality Gewurztraminer with absolutely no nose. How this is done I can't imagine, especially given that Gewurz is another grape that loves Niagara soil.

Viognier and oak do not go together. Period. Please stop wasting good Viognier. The grape does too well in Niagara to hobble it this way.

Never lose sight of the importance of blending. The Marynissen "Cabernet Merlot" should serve as a model of this winemaker's art: 51% Cab Sauv + 34% Merlot + 7% Syrah + 4% Cab Franc + 4% Gamay = wonderful and, remarkably, under 15 bucks!

The Best of the Best of ...

13th Street Gamay Sandstone Old Vines 2008 - $25. Fabulous nose, great palate. Think Cru Beaujolais.

Calamus Estate Gewurztraminer 2007 - $15.20. Look for a rich nose showing lychee, beeswax and honey. Medium-dry with a racy acidity, oranges and roses on the palate, and a treacly back palate.

Cattail Creek Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2007 - $19. Quite crisp and clean with apple, butter and toasty flavours. Reach for this instead an import at twice the price.

Cave Spring Cellars Chardonnay Musqué 2007 - $15.75. The Musqué grape can have more in common with Muscat or even Riesling, as we find here. Slightly off-dry, it will be very welcome at the table.

Chateau des Charmes Chardonnay Musqué 2007 - $16.95. The nose here is a bit underpowered, but the off-dry palate shows rich apple flavour and a touch of smoke.

Colio Estate CEV Lily (Riesling-Chardonnay) 2007 - $16.25. The nose shows lemon, lime, apple and mineral aromas, with just a trace of tar. The palate is lightly fizzy, with a crisp acidity and mainly apple flavour. A bargain.

Dan Aykroyd Cabernet Shiraz 2007 - $16.95 (Winery & LCBO). Rich berry, cherry, wet cement and a touch of pepper on the nose. Nice red berry flavours; approachable, with a mild acidity. Very good value.

Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir 2007 - $19.95. The nose here shows subtle berries, root veg, liquorice and a touch of oak. The palate is both sweetish and tangy, with light tannins and ripe red berry flavours.

Grange of Prince Edward Cabernet Franc Northfield Block 2007 - $29.80. The nose shows a slight dilly note, but also offers up ripe berries, spice, caramel, and a hint of sassafras. The palate is tangy, with cherry and raspberry flavours, with very good body and length, and a sweetish mid-palate.

Harvest Estates Merlot 2006 - $14.95. Look for green pepper and hints of berries on the nose. Made in a modern style, is shows solid tannins, a fine acidity, and crushed berry flavour.

Kacaba Vineyards Reserve Meritage 2004 - $42.95. Rich, dark, with gobs of classic aromas: green pepper, black berry, black currant, and sweet oak, following up with blackberry, plum and a slight raisiny note on the palate, atop robust tannins. Impressive.

Lailey Vineyard Syrah Niagara River 2007 - $25. Wonderful: rich dark fruits and spicy pepper.

Legends Estates Riesling Reserve 2003 - $29. Overtones of lychee and stonefruits with a zesty acidity.

Marynissen Cabernet-Merlot 2006 - $14.80.  Rich and smooth with light tannins with gobs of aromatics.

Niagara College Teaching Winery Dean's List Pinot Noir 2007 - $32.95. Loads of Pinot 'funk' here,splendidly smooth with just a hint of tannin.

Pelee Island Cabernet-Merlot Reserve 2006 - $14.95.   A bit shy on the nose but rich and spicy on the palate.

Peninsula Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Wismer Vineyard 2007 - $18.95. Light and cheery with understated sauvignon character.

Rockway Glen Estate Winery Fergie Jenkins World Signature Series Riesling 2007 - $29.95. A rich tapestry on the nose with authentic paraffin, lime and mineral aromas.

Stoney Ridge Estate Winery Reserve Cabernet Franc 2006 - $29.95. Very complex on the nose with a solid assertive palate.

Strewn Three Terroir 2006 - $26. Reminds of syrah with its complexity; juicy yet elegant.

Tawse Winery Sketches of Niagara Riesling 2007 - $18. Textbook off-dry reisling; my notes say "awesome".

Thirty Bench Small Lot Cabernet Franc 2006 - $35. Plenty of rich ripe red fruits on nose and palate. Very nicely done.

Vineland Estates Elevation Chardonnay 2007 - $25.20. Unoaked chard that flaunts its pedigree. Might age magnificently.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Shiraz-Cabernet 2006 - $22.95. Somewhat oak driven, yet rife with juicy berry and spice; a bargain at the price.