Somewhereness seems an odd title for a wine event, but it does actually have a foundation: it is a direct reference to Wine Spectator columnist Matt Kramer’s attempt to define, in layman’s terms, the French concept of “Terroir” – which refers to the indescribable character wine takes on from the soil the grapes were grown. The five wineries that participated in Somewhereness decided they needed to be ‘somewhere-else’ instead of the usual wine festivals and events where many of their potential customers did not attend. As one winery employee bluntly remarked to me, “our wines weren’t mean to be consumed at a drunken piss-up.” The reason for that is that these five wineries (Flat Rock, Tawse, Norman Hardie, Malivoire, Stratus) represent the upper-echelons of Ontario wineries, and by that I don’t necessarily mean they are making better wine than anyone else in Ontario, they’re just selling it at higher prices; therefore their clientele is not your usual under $20 bottle seekers and your average wine-routers. That all said I did try each one of the 22 wines poured at this event and have to say that these wineries make it very difficult to spit, each one seemed better than the last. As anyone who has attended a wine show will tell you, there are certain wines you can’t wait to get out of your mouth – be it by spit or swallow; but each of the wines served during Somewhereness was swallow-worthy, it was the price of some of these bottles that would make you gag. Though, truth is, if price were no object many of these wines would be in my cellar right now. Below is a list of the best bottle from each winery – and trust me when I tell you, this was a tough list to cull down.
Flat Rock Cellars …
I have on occasion mentioned Flat Rock Cellars and how much I enjoyed both their Rusty Shed Chardonnay and Gravity Pinot Noir. They have also seen success with their 2005 Riesling which took best white wine honours at the last Canadian Wine Awards back in the fall. This year I feel they have a shot at the same award with their vineyard specific 2006 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling ($19.95) – which has a delicious nose and taste, while managing to be dry and crisp at the same time. An apple, citrus and mineral quality in the nose, which best showcases the Terroir in which the grapes are grown. The palate is citrus and tart, mainly lemony at this time (some time in bottle should cut this down); the minerality also shows through in the mouth, the high acid cuts through like a butter-knife and makes this wine very food friendly – that said I like my Rieslings on the drier side, which is why sipping this one on its own will be a highlight to my summer … make it one of yours too.
Malivoire …
The unfortunate logo of this winery has not deterred them one bit from being one of Ontario’s quality wine producers. When Malivoire started operations back in 1997, who knew their ladybug logo would foreshadow one of the biggest blunders in the Ontario wine industry when Asian ladybugs single-handedly tainted most of the 2001 vintage in Niagara. Malivoire soldiered on and has kept the logo of the ladybug on its bottles (despite the implication), going as far as naming one of their wines after the little critter: The Ladybug Rose, tempting fate or an ironic twist, you decide.
Malivoire brought along four wines to showcase and my favourite turned out to be the most affordable wine in the room. The 2005 Gamay ($16) spent 8 months in neutral oak barrels and was bottled in August of 2006. While this wine hasn’t been officially released by the winery (it’s release has seen little fanfare to date) it is drinking quite well right now and probably will for the next couple of years. The nose is red fruit and strawberries with some earthy quality to it. It’s a light tasting wine with mainly red fruit flavours – a definite chiller of a red that’ll make a fine patio sipper on its own or indulge with light summertime fare.
Norman Hardie …
One of the best up-and-coming wineries in Ontario is located in Prince Edward County. Norman Hardie Winery is making small lot, small batch wines from specially selected fruit, be it from Niagara or the County. Norman is very particular about the fruit he selects and even the grapes grown in Niagara get his special attention and watchful eye. He spends much of his summer traveling between PEC (where he makes his home, owns a winery and tends his own vineyard) and Niagara, checking in on his chosen fruit. His 2005 Chardonnay ($29.00) was my pick of his crop on this afternoon. Made entirely from Niagara grapes that come from 7 to 25 year old vines, this wine is still a little green but has such great potential for the future. The nose shows some soft apple and citrus tones, but it’s the taste that’s the most interesting, with kiwi, apple, quince and the softness of pears. Drink now or give it some time in the cellar to come around.
Stratus …
Of all the wineries in attendance, Stratus took full advantage of this limited showcase of wineries to show off their production. They brought along the most of any winery, 8: four from their main label (Stratus) and four from their second label “Wildass” (restaurant and on-line only). The Wildass wines are affordable and quaffable, ranging in price from $17 to $19, but their limited availability makes them hard to recommend – though if you find yourself in a restaurant with ‘Wildass’ on the wine list, do yourself a favour and order one, all are quite delicious. On the other hand, ‘Stratus’ wines are all available at the winery located on Highway 55 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and all will set you back a pretty-penny ($35-$38); but the one most worth that price tag is the assemblage (blend) 2004 Stratus Red ($38). Seven grapes find their way into the ’04 … in years to come winemaker J.L. Groux will have upward of 12 varieties to play with … but for now its Cab Sauv, Franc, Gamay, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec that go into the blend. It’s a veritable fruit salad for the nose and taste: red and black berries on the nose with hints of cinnamon and vanilla thrown in for good measure. The taste screams of chocolate drizzled fruit, most notably strawberry and pomegranate.
Tawse …
In the past I criticized Tawse for being out of touch with the mainstream wine buyer with regards to their pricing, so much so that I received an email from owner Moray Tawse himself explaining the reasoning for his prices (hand harvested, low yield, choice fruit, etc.). But still a $42 bottle of Chardonnay seems a little high to most people no matter how you try and justify it. And maybe, just maybe, Moray finally sees the light, as they have now launched a more affordable line of wines called Echos (because they directly echo their top tier wines). These wines come from the same grapes and go through the same process as the final product of their top tier wines, but Echos is made from the declassified barrels. To further explain: they receive the same ageing, come from the same vineyards, and get the same treatment as the upper wines, but when it comes time to make the final blend these barrels didn’t make the cut (classification of the barrels happens after aging but before blending). So you are getting good quality wine at half the price. The 2004 Echos White is 19 month aged Chardonnay for $22, while the 2005 Echos Red ($25) spent 14 months in barrel and is a blend of 70% Cab Franc and 30% Merlot (these blends will change from year-to-year)… but it was the red I am most impressed with, just beating out the white by a nose. Starting with the nose, the red is lush with red fruit, vanilla and an earthiness quality that should dissipate with some time in the bottle. This wine will easily last five-plus years in your cellar. Currently the taste shows great potential for the future, it’s fresh and lovely (if I can use that term to describe a wine of this caliber), lots of red fruit and berries with noticeable raspberries and red licorice on the palate. These wine will be available only through Vintages come November. Kudos go out to Tawse for heeding the call and bringing out wine of this quality at more down to earth prices; bringing them down to the range of Somewhereness we could all afford.
Flat Rock Cellars …
I have on occasion mentioned Flat Rock Cellars and how much I enjoyed both their Rusty Shed Chardonnay and Gravity Pinot Noir. They have also seen success with their 2005 Riesling which took best white wine honours at the last Canadian Wine Awards back in the fall. This year I feel they have a shot at the same award with their vineyard specific 2006 Nadja’s Vineyard Riesling ($19.95) – which has a delicious nose and taste, while managing to be dry and crisp at the same time. An apple, citrus and mineral quality in the nose, which best showcases the Terroir in which the grapes are grown. The palate is citrus and tart, mainly lemony at this time (some time in bottle should cut this down); the minerality also shows through in the mouth, the high acid cuts through like a butter-knife and makes this wine very food friendly – that said I like my Rieslings on the drier side, which is why sipping this one on its own will be a highlight to my summer … make it one of yours too.
Malivoire …
The unfortunate logo of this winery has not deterred them one bit from being one of Ontario’s quality wine producers. When Malivoire started operations back in 1997, who knew their ladybug logo would foreshadow one of the biggest blunders in the Ontario wine industry when Asian ladybugs single-handedly tainted most of the 2001 vintage in Niagara. Malivoire soldiered on and has kept the logo of the ladybug on its bottles (despite the implication), going as far as naming one of their wines after the little critter: The Ladybug Rose, tempting fate or an ironic twist, you decide.
Malivoire brought along four wines to showcase and my favourite turned out to be the most affordable wine in the room. The 2005 Gamay ($16) spent 8 months in neutral oak barrels and was bottled in August of 2006. While this wine hasn’t been officially released by the winery (it’s release has seen little fanfare to date) it is drinking quite well right now and probably will for the next couple of years. The nose is red fruit and strawberries with some earthy quality to it. It’s a light tasting wine with mainly red fruit flavours – a definite chiller of a red that’ll make a fine patio sipper on its own or indulge with light summertime fare.
Norman Hardie …
One of the best up-and-coming wineries in Ontario is located in Prince Edward County. Norman Hardie Winery is making small lot, small batch wines from specially selected fruit, be it from Niagara or the County. Norman is very particular about the fruit he selects and even the grapes grown in Niagara get his special attention and watchful eye. He spends much of his summer traveling between PEC (where he makes his home, owns a winery and tends his own vineyard) and Niagara, checking in on his chosen fruit. His 2005 Chardonnay ($29.00) was my pick of his crop on this afternoon. Made entirely from Niagara grapes that come from 7 to 25 year old vines, this wine is still a little green but has such great potential for the future. The nose shows some soft apple and citrus tones, but it’s the taste that’s the most interesting, with kiwi, apple, quince and the softness of pears. Drink now or give it some time in the cellar to come around.
Stratus …
Of all the wineries in attendance, Stratus took full advantage of this limited showcase of wineries to show off their production. They brought along the most of any winery, 8: four from their main label (Stratus) and four from their second label “Wildass” (restaurant and on-line only). The Wildass wines are affordable and quaffable, ranging in price from $17 to $19, but their limited availability makes them hard to recommend – though if you find yourself in a restaurant with ‘Wildass’ on the wine list, do yourself a favour and order one, all are quite delicious. On the other hand, ‘Stratus’ wines are all available at the winery located on Highway 55 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and all will set you back a pretty-penny ($35-$38); but the one most worth that price tag is the assemblage (blend) 2004 Stratus Red ($38). Seven grapes find their way into the ’04 … in years to come winemaker J.L. Groux will have upward of 12 varieties to play with … but for now its Cab Sauv, Franc, Gamay, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec that go into the blend. It’s a veritable fruit salad for the nose and taste: red and black berries on the nose with hints of cinnamon and vanilla thrown in for good measure. The taste screams of chocolate drizzled fruit, most notably strawberry and pomegranate.
Tawse …
In the past I criticized Tawse for being out of touch with the mainstream wine buyer with regards to their pricing, so much so that I received an email from owner Moray Tawse himself explaining the reasoning for his prices (hand harvested, low yield, choice fruit, etc.). But still a $42 bottle of Chardonnay seems a little high to most people no matter how you try and justify it. And maybe, just maybe, Moray finally sees the light, as they have now launched a more affordable line of wines called Echos (because they directly echo their top tier wines). These wines come from the same grapes and go through the same process as the final product of their top tier wines, but Echos is made from the declassified barrels. To further explain: they receive the same ageing, come from the same vineyards, and get the same treatment as the upper wines, but when it comes time to make the final blend these barrels didn’t make the cut (classification of the barrels happens after aging but before blending). So you are getting good quality wine at half the price. The 2004 Echos White is 19 month aged Chardonnay for $22, while the 2005 Echos Red ($25) spent 14 months in barrel and is a blend of 70% Cab Franc and 30% Merlot (these blends will change from year-to-year)… but it was the red I am most impressed with, just beating out the white by a nose. Starting with the nose, the red is lush with red fruit, vanilla and an earthiness quality that should dissipate with some time in the bottle. This wine will easily last five-plus years in your cellar. Currently the taste shows great potential for the future, it’s fresh and lovely (if I can use that term to describe a wine of this caliber), lots of red fruit and berries with noticeable raspberries and red licorice on the palate. These wine will be available only through Vintages come November. Kudos go out to Tawse for heeding the call and bringing out wine of this quality at more down to earth prices; bringing them down to the range of Somewhereness we could all afford.
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