Wine tasting
Dec. 3rd, 2005 04:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chickenfeetToday was 13th Street's release event so we toddled off to St. Catherine's this morning. Generally I find 13th Street to be one of the most consistent and reliable of our local producers but today I was disappointed. We tasted two sparklers, two whites and four reds and there was really only one wine that I liked much and even that wasn't quite up to previous years. I was beginning to wonder whether I was suffering from a cold and my palate was off. Still, the 2003 Sandstone Vineyard Gamay Noir is a very pleasant medium to full Gamay and showed far better than its Pinot Noir stablemate. Fortunately the food was as good as ever with really good gravlax and other yummy tidbits.
Having lots of time to spare we dropped in at Marynissen and discovered that it was their open day event too, though we were a little early for it. We tasted what was already open on the tasting bar which served to reassure me that there was nothing wrong with my palate. The 2004 Vidal and Sauvignon Blanc are acceptable quaffers. The Vidal might just be a bit better than that. As usual the reds were the class act. There was a very drinkable 2001 Gamay, an excellent 2001 Cabernet/Merlot that I already have a case of in the cellar so it was good to see that it was developing nicely and a newly bottled 2002 Cabernet Franc. This last was clearly suffering from bottle shock and hadn't really come together but it had all the hallmarks of classic Niagara Franc. It should be really good in three or four years time.
We stuck around for the party; excellent appetisers, a funky band called Accordion Crimes and another two wines to taste. The first was the 2004 Chardonnay whuich was only just bottled and not even labelled yet. It's a 50/50 blend of American and French oak and was showing very well indeed. I see some in my future. The other wine was a 2001 Merlot that has only just been released and has, inexplicably, been refused VQA designation. I don't get it at all as this may be the best Marynissen merlot that I have tasted. Usually I prefer their Cabernets and blends but this had some really intriguing liquorice, mint and lavender notes coming through a solid red fruit core. One might have mistaken it for a Napa or Coonawarra wine. Silly VQA people. Sandra was a bit perturbed by what had happened but seemed happy that at least some of her regular customers liked it.
Having lots of time to spare we dropped in at Marynissen and discovered that it was their open day event too, though we were a little early for it. We tasted what was already open on the tasting bar which served to reassure me that there was nothing wrong with my palate. The 2004 Vidal and Sauvignon Blanc are acceptable quaffers. The Vidal might just be a bit better than that. As usual the reds were the class act. There was a very drinkable 2001 Gamay, an excellent 2001 Cabernet/Merlot that I already have a case of in the cellar so it was good to see that it was developing nicely and a newly bottled 2002 Cabernet Franc. This last was clearly suffering from bottle shock and hadn't really come together but it had all the hallmarks of classic Niagara Franc. It should be really good in three or four years time.
We stuck around for the party; excellent appetisers, a funky band called Accordion Crimes and another two wines to taste. The first was the 2004 Chardonnay whuich was only just bottled and not even labelled yet. It's a 50/50 blend of American and French oak and was showing very well indeed. I see some in my future. The other wine was a 2001 Merlot that has only just been released and has, inexplicably, been refused VQA designation. I don't get it at all as this may be the best Marynissen merlot that I have tasted. Usually I prefer their Cabernets and blends but this had some really intriguing liquorice, mint and lavender notes coming through a solid red fruit core. One might have mistaken it for a Napa or Coonawarra wine. Silly VQA people. Sandra was a bit perturbed by what had happened but seemed happy that at least some of her regular customers liked it.
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-04 01:36 am (UTC)It sounds like you had a lovely day:) I take it wine is a big passion for you?
no subject
Date: 2005-12-04 12:16 pm (UTC)I'm not sure I would call it a passion. I enjoy wine and I think I'm fairly knowledgeable but it doesn't real take up a whole lot of my attention.