In search of the Gewürztraminer grail
Dec. 20th, 2003 04:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chickenfeetToday seemed like a good day to go wine tasting. The hordes were packing the malls so the wineries were quiet. The trip had two main objectives; to find some really good Gewürztraminer, of which the cellar is currently bare, and to check out the 2000 reds at Marynissen.
The morning started at Marynissen and as usual they made us most welcome. They have not yet released any 2002s but we tasted most of the available whites from 2001 and reds from 2000.
Sauvignon Blanc 2001: Typical, if a little full. I prefer my SB a little grassier but this was a decent wine at a modest price.
Pinot Gris 2001: Light, appley, refreshing. Very much in the Italian style.
Gewürztraminer 2001: Up front, off dry, fruit salad type Gewürztraminer. Quite good of its type.
Gewürztraminer 2000: This wasn't listed on the available list so I don't know how much is left. Drier, racier, spicier and more refined than the 2001. My kind of Gewürztraminer. If not quite the Gewürztraminer grail, still very good value at C$10.95. I bought a case.
Gamay 2000: First of the reds tasted. Quite full for a Gamay. It had seen some oak I think. Not bad.
Cabernet Franc 2000: Franc is a bit of a Marynissen specialty and their Franc always seem to have even more of the earthiness that marks all their reds. Mid way in weight between the 1998 and 1999. A very good wine at a better than fair price (C$11.95) but only for Franc lovers.
Merlot 2000: Tannic, some fruit. Not typical Merlot. I don't know if the fruit will ever make it through the tannin.
Cabernet/Merlot 2000: Excellent stuff. Like a cru bourgeois level Graves, with the characteristic brick dust note that I like. At C$12.95 a total steal. I bought a case. If this had not been available I would have bought the Franc.
Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 66 2000: Marynissen's flagship wine. Still very, very young. Masses going on here. Should turn out as good as the '98. More expensive ay C$24.95 but cheap for the quality level. One of the things I like about Marynissen is that they haven't hiked their prices based on a few show successes. Most Ontario wineries would have priced this one at around C$40.
I asked about 2002/3. The 2002 reds are still in barrel but apparently are stellar across the board. Mention of 2003 brought the predictable grimace. Spring frosts cut production to 3000 cases compared to an average of 10,000 and the quality is likely not there either.
Next stop was Hernder where we have found good Gewürztraminer in the past, They had two 2002 Reserve wines on offer, neither of which impressed. The regular reserve was rich and glyceriny but all fruit salad up front with little refinement. The Prorietor's Reserve was just plain odd. No varietal character at all. It tasted oddly like an oaked chardonnay. We also tried their Baco Noir. I was unimpressed. It was thin and overly acid.
Just up the road is Henry of Pelham which is our stock source for Baco Noir and sometimes for whites too. We tasted their Baco-Cabernet blend which is an OK if unexciting house wine. Then it was onto the Baco proper. They were offering the 2001 but, having recognised us as regular customers, they let us taste the 2002 which will be released in a few weeks time. The 2001 is very decent, typical Baco; all black fruit, oak and smoke. It tends to appeal to the sort of people who like big, old fashioned, Aussie reds. The 2002 was just that bit better. The fruit was brighter and the wine just had an extra zing to it. I bought a case of the 2002 at the 2001 price (C$12.25).
The final stop was at Stoney Ridge. In the past they have been a useful source of inexpensive whites including both Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. On this occasion we tasted an acceptable but overpriced Sauvignon Blanc and another, even less impressive, fruit cocktail style Gewürztraminer.
The trip confirmed once more that there are excellent wines to be had in Ontario and at modest prices compared to imports of equal quality but one does have to seek them out. My guess is that of the wines I bought today, only the Baco will ever be available at the LCBO. I am also beginning to think of shrinking my already short list of wineries worth a visit even further. Marynissen, always of course, Henry of Pelham for the Baco and 13th Street when they have anything in stock stay on the list. Others, I think I would need a recommendation to bother with.
The morning started at Marynissen and as usual they made us most welcome. They have not yet released any 2002s but we tasted most of the available whites from 2001 and reds from 2000.
Sauvignon Blanc 2001: Typical, if a little full. I prefer my SB a little grassier but this was a decent wine at a modest price.
Pinot Gris 2001: Light, appley, refreshing. Very much in the Italian style.
Gewürztraminer 2001: Up front, off dry, fruit salad type Gewürztraminer. Quite good of its type.
Gewürztraminer 2000: This wasn't listed on the available list so I don't know how much is left. Drier, racier, spicier and more refined than the 2001. My kind of Gewürztraminer. If not quite the Gewürztraminer grail, still very good value at C$10.95. I bought a case.
Gamay 2000: First of the reds tasted. Quite full for a Gamay. It had seen some oak I think. Not bad.
Cabernet Franc 2000: Franc is a bit of a Marynissen specialty and their Franc always seem to have even more of the earthiness that marks all their reds. Mid way in weight between the 1998 and 1999. A very good wine at a better than fair price (C$11.95) but only for Franc lovers.
Merlot 2000: Tannic, some fruit. Not typical Merlot. I don't know if the fruit will ever make it through the tannin.
Cabernet/Merlot 2000: Excellent stuff. Like a cru bourgeois level Graves, with the characteristic brick dust note that I like. At C$12.95 a total steal. I bought a case. If this had not been available I would have bought the Franc.
Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 66 2000: Marynissen's flagship wine. Still very, very young. Masses going on here. Should turn out as good as the '98. More expensive ay C$24.95 but cheap for the quality level. One of the things I like about Marynissen is that they haven't hiked their prices based on a few show successes. Most Ontario wineries would have priced this one at around C$40.
I asked about 2002/3. The 2002 reds are still in barrel but apparently are stellar across the board. Mention of 2003 brought the predictable grimace. Spring frosts cut production to 3000 cases compared to an average of 10,000 and the quality is likely not there either.
Next stop was Hernder where we have found good Gewürztraminer in the past, They had two 2002 Reserve wines on offer, neither of which impressed. The regular reserve was rich and glyceriny but all fruit salad up front with little refinement. The Prorietor's Reserve was just plain odd. No varietal character at all. It tasted oddly like an oaked chardonnay. We also tried their Baco Noir. I was unimpressed. It was thin and overly acid.
Just up the road is Henry of Pelham which is our stock source for Baco Noir and sometimes for whites too. We tasted their Baco-Cabernet blend which is an OK if unexciting house wine. Then it was onto the Baco proper. They were offering the 2001 but, having recognised us as regular customers, they let us taste the 2002 which will be released in a few weeks time. The 2001 is very decent, typical Baco; all black fruit, oak and smoke. It tends to appeal to the sort of people who like big, old fashioned, Aussie reds. The 2002 was just that bit better. The fruit was brighter and the wine just had an extra zing to it. I bought a case of the 2002 at the 2001 price (C$12.25).
The final stop was at Stoney Ridge. In the past they have been a useful source of inexpensive whites including both Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer. On this occasion we tasted an acceptable but overpriced Sauvignon Blanc and another, even less impressive, fruit cocktail style Gewürztraminer.
The trip confirmed once more that there are excellent wines to be had in Ontario and at modest prices compared to imports of equal quality but one does have to seek them out. My guess is that of the wines I bought today, only the Baco will ever be available at the LCBO. I am also beginning to think of shrinking my already short list of wineries worth a visit even further. Marynissen, always of course, Henry of Pelham for the Baco and 13th Street when they have anything in stock stay on the list. Others, I think I would need a recommendation to bother with.
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no subject
Date: 2003-12-20 03:07 pm (UTC)What's your impression of the Niagara region at the moment? While it's nice to see Canada developing a wine industry, on my last visit I felt that the whole winery visiting thing was getting uncomfortably commercial. Is that just me?
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Date: 2003-12-20 03:22 pm (UTC)I think you have a point. Its hardly Napa yet but some wineries are full of it. As a serious buyer, I dislike paying for tastings and I don't much like it that only an arbitrary selection are available for tasting. Thats the beauty of a place like Marynissen. If they think you are serious they will be very accommodating. Twenty years ago, Inniskillin and Chateau des Charmes were the same way. Now they are geared up for the tourist trade.
no subject
Date: 2003-12-20 06:59 pm (UTC)When we lived in Virginia, one of our favorite weekend activities was wine tasting. The state has something like 150 wineries, I think, and while we only made it to a small handful (mainly because we lived near DC, quite far from most of them) we did find quite a few wines that we enjoyed very much and bought relatively large amounts of, given our limited budget. :-) Connecticut has a wine trail, but we've only been to one of the state wineries, one near my uncle's weekend home in the western part of the state.
On our list of things to do next summer is visit Sakonnet Vineyards in Rhode Island -- we've heard very nice things about them (and their wine) and have even seen them written up in some magazines we read.
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Date: 2003-12-21 07:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-23 10:46 pm (UTC)