18
Feb
2021
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again

(September 17, 2020) ... Now this was a real "wow-wee" kind of wine when I originally tasted it, and now, some 5 years later, it's time to taste it again ... I have often said that Chardonnay from Ontario gets kinda wonky after 7 years so let's see how the 5 year mark works out with this one:
The nose if very toasty with caramel apple and apple cobbler notes - now that is appealing and a good sign ... the taste is creme brulée and bananas foster, with hints of sweet vanilla and very subtle lemon drop - all held together by a short finish ... it's a nice wine now, but as it sits and the air comes in that oak starts to power its way to the forefront and might end up being this wine's downfall with more time in bottle. My guess is that in another year those tertiary notes take over - so if you like your Chardonnay with some fruit notes it's time to drink up.
see the original review
14
Feb
2021
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Category: Lost & Found / Taste it Again

(September 11, 2020) ... Years ago I started using CellarTracker as my cellar inventory management of choice - for my cellar it is perfect - a few years later I started labeling my bottles with barcodes (generated by CellarTracker) for easy removal ... I also put the "purchase date" on the bottle - specifically for wines like these two: non-vintage sparkling ... Tonight I opened 2 such wines, both purchased in 2013 - one a blended sparkling the other a Chardonnay sparking - here's the results to the question, do Ontario sparkling wines age?

Trius Sparkling ... (2013 purchased) - this one is really toasty with notes of almond and marzipan (almond paste), it's more nutty than fruity, but the acidity has held up and it was quite drinkable. 
Cave Spring Blanc de Blanc ... (2013 purchase) - this was the better of the two wines; first there was a sweet vanilla note on the mid-palate with some almond and toast playing around in there too - winemaker Angelo Pavan once told me that there is potentially some Chardonnay Musqué in these Blanc de Blancs sparklings and that might be what is creating that "sweet" note, but it is quite appealing, plus there's a floral note that is subtle but adds a prettiness to the wine ... this was the wine of the night.