Ridgepoint has been off the radar for the last few years – they’ve been making wine but they have not made any really exciting wine … but all that is about to change with Barclay Robinson taking the helm of winemaking and bringing with him a new energy and spirit to Ridgepoint, starting right here with this interesting and tasty blend of two standard grape varieties with an Italian twist. This wine is made from 20% Aglianico of which all of it was dried (in a greenhouse) a new trend here in Ontario – then each individual component was aged in a mix of French and American barrels. But it’s not the nose that’ll impress you, it’s the palate. It’s the hit of spice, the robust red fruit and the spice. Yes I said spice twice cause that’s the part that you’ll remember. There’s nice complexity here and it’ll age extremely well over the next 5+ years – you just have to have the patience to lie it down and not drink it up right away. Price: $30.00 – Rating: ****+