Ontario Reviews

Vineland Estates 2006 Cabernet Franc
What a difference a year makes. Last year’s version of this bargain Franc was loaded with dark fruit and cedar tones and had a shelf life of 5+ years. This new version comes back down to earth, literally – bringing with it vegetal notes, like bell pepper, along with some cranberry and sour cherry. The vegetal disappears in the mid-palate leaving a friendly red berry and byng cherry finish behind. But then let’s look at the growing seasons: 2005 – hot, dry, great growing year and sunny harvest. 2006 hot, dry, good growing season, rainy harvest … here it’s the harvest that made all the difference. Drink your ’06 now while waiting for the ‘05’s to come around and smooth out. This Vineland offering is still a great bargain for Franc.
2006
Red
Cabernet Franc
0
$12.95
Niagara Peninsula
at the winery and the LCBO
http://www.vineland.com
2011-06-11
(Re-Tasted January 2011) ... Reading my notes from my previous review I told you to "Drink your ’06 now while waiting for the ‘05’s to come around" - in other words "Drink Now`. I, on the other hand, because of this column, decided to hold on to the bottle and see where it goes. Truth is it is not a bad wine, and if you like that hint of Ontario green pepper, then this is starting to turn your way. The nose is dried raspberries with just a touch of the green pepper. The palate shows a little bit more depth with tobacco, touches of smoky, dried fruit and a herbaceous note coming through, (read: that green pepper again). The wine is smooth, dry and relatively pleasant to drink. If you have any left now is really the time to drink up, not sure if you have two or three years left but it`d make for a great BBQ this summer.

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