02
Jul
2019
- Details
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
(May 3, 2019) ... I remember this wine from when I first tasted it, I remember it being a lovely Pinot and one of the first single vineyard Pinots that struck a nerve with me and made me stand up and take notice of the Montague vineyard ... 
now here we are 9 years from vintage wondering if an Ontario Pinot can stand the test of time.
Kicking things off is the leather, black cherry, black raspberry and spiced plum, which I don't readily associate with Pinot Noir, but then I remember that 2010 is a hot vintage and there were many un-Pinot-esque flavours and aromas that year. There's plenty of dark fruit on the palate, most notably plum along with the trappings of white pepper with a coffee bean finish. As the wine opens with time in the glass mocha and spiced plum dominate while there is also some really playful acidity ... But it never manages to fall into the realm of Pinot character for me.
Bottom line: it is a tasty wine, but don't expect to recognize it as Pinot if it is poured for you blind.
(see original review here)
02
Jul
2019
- Details
-
Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again
(April 20, 2019) ... Not sure what sparked me to pull out 4 old Ontario Gamays today, but I did and here's what I discovered:
Peller 2010 Private Reserve Gamay ... More prune than plum, there is some fruit here but it's more dried and forest floor than anything else; there's also a dull flavour and an unappealing finish to the wine. It's not a closure issue, because this was under screwcap, I think I just waited too long on this one.
(read original review here)
Featherstone 2009 Gamay Noir ... This one is sweet-raspberry-cherry and incredibly port-like with very un-Gamay like character. Again way too old, what was I thinking.
(read original review here)
Stratus 2012 Gamay ... There's alcohol heat here that seems to get in the way of the fruit, but what does make this wine more interesting than the two above is the abundance of spice it has, there just happens to be a hell of a lot of spice; but there also seems to be a spirits-like burn on the finish so it is very hard to drink. Age has not been kind here and has brought this one out of balance.
(read original review here)
Malivoire 2012 Alive Gamay ... I have been saying that Malivoire took over the reigns of quality Gamay in Ontario and just has not stopped being at that pinnacle; on this day they again proved to be the champs with this juicy 7 year old model: some raspberry and other red berries, along with hints of white pepper, it was the best of the day and still had a certain freshness to it. Wow.
(read original review here)
