13.5% alc./vol. - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada - $38 at Winery

8.5 Grapes

Sometimes I wish my words could be as well-sculpted as the wine sampled.  Here, I may fail.  Great intensity and scope across the board: nose is entreated with a fine, purely mineral essence, supplemented by toasty bread. The palate’s ripely hewn fruit and sterling acid belie a fleshy, mouthfilling chomp, flossed out with some strangely appropriate wood-tannins.  I’ve become extra-selective in purchasing lately, yet I dropped the cash for this in a heartbeat.  Seduction, thy name is Chardonnay.

% alc./vol. not noted - VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario, Canada - $39.95 at Winery

9 Grapes

I see this wine like Pierre Thomas of the New Orleans Saints: a bruising, well-rounded running back (c)hard on nay-sayers. Dominant, between-the-tackles alcohol, but with commensurate aromatic vision and finishes [palate] runs very well.  Awesome sweet apple blossom, white peach and nectarine-pit fruit and some gritty, sponge toffee on the back-end.  A solid pick for your keeper league, a.k.a. cellar.  (JW)

13.5% alc./vol. - VQA Beamsville Bench, Ontario, Canada - $29.95 at Winery

8.5 Grapes

You know when you taste a wine and you can’t get a firm grip on it because it’s closed, ironically, like a tight fist?  Example C, right here.  And yet, despite the primary fruit restraint, the vanilla/char bouquet is powerfully telling.  Give it a few months to get humming, then drink over the next few years with coconut-curried chicken.  Limited to 60 lovely cases. (JW)

13.0% alc./vol. - VQA approved/sub-app not noted; Ontario, Canada - $19.95 in Ontario (573147)

8 Grapes

If you need a safety net purchase in the Vintages section, you found it.  Lots of bright, rosy vanilla off the nose (if, you can imagine vanilla to be rosy).  Apple blossom and pie crust throughout with an underscored subtle toast.  Very well built for the price.  Composed of barrel fermented and stainless steel portions; b-f the majority shareholder. (JW)

12.9% alc./vol. - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada - $38 at winery

8.5 Grapes

This wine has changed since sampling upon release, maybe faster than first expected. I admit I’m having trouble pinning down the fruit, swarmed by barrel-heavy aromas.  Smoked grain, caramel-toffee, muesli, butterscotch; a commendable, supple texture too.  Spotting a touch of tropical citrus and some still-bright acid suggests another aging 2-5 years, then release the caged bird and let it sing with warm, butter-drenched lobster.  (JW)

13.0% alc. - Niagara on the Lake VQA, Ontario, Canada - $14.95

7.5 Grapes

Winemaker Jamie Evans has packed a surprising amount of value into this affordable quaffer.  Bright, crisp acid leads the way with nutshells, pistachio, wet stones and pineapple rind fast behind.  The alcohol ends up giving some good push on the mid-palate, albeit more than I was expecting.  I’ve got a craving for dried, fried salted cod now… (JW)

12.5% alc - Niagara River VQA, Ontario, Canada - $25

8.5 Grapes

Big ups to winemaker Derek Barnett for concocting a canny, aromatic blend completely befitting its growing location.  Delicacy with substance.  A Gewürz-influenced nose of lychee and roses, ceding to lemon-lime citrus throughout the palate.  Very good acidic current c/o the Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc content.  Replays of apple and plush blossoms propping up the finish.  Enjoy within the year alongside cod with fresh vegetables in a light curry sauce. (JW)

13.1% alc - Niagara on the Lake VQA, Ontario, Canada - $21.95 in Ontario (117572)

8 Grapes

Nigh-on textbook modern oaky Chard from Niagara.  Confection of nut and citrus, already integrated with the sedated vanilla of French oak.  Palate gives sweet vanilla, cereal, and features a good round mouthfeel with pleasant acid.  Well-made for the short term with cream-based pastas, but I’d love to see how it does with barbecued/roasted eggplant. (JW)

14.5% alc - Maipo Valley, Chile - price not noted; not currently available through the LCBO

7.5 Grapes

It’s often written that Chardonnay has an affinity for oak.  That’s not true — we have an affinity for oak, and Chardonnay is our slave to the staves.  Sniff here for warm butter, buttered popcorn and tropical fruit, with poached pear cozying up a medium-to-heavy weight palate.  Good length.  Great wine for a night-club with dim lighting and catty conversation. Failing that, cashew-nut-chicken?  (JW)

12.9% alc. — VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada — price not noted

[The 2000 may be unavailable at the winery, but the 1999 is still listed on their site at $35.95 and probably of similar quality.]

Shorthand notes from my birthday party/tasting: m-w, mod. int. n, po. app, hzln, butt, and ripe citr + gr int on p, acid to spare 1-3 yrs sf, 3-5↑, , dn, “Tastes like chicken”

8.5 Grapes

Translates into: medium weight, moderately intense nose of poached apple, hazelnut and butter.  Carries onto the palate with additional ripe citrus and grapefruit intensely on the palate.  There’s enough acid to safely carry it another 1-3 years; potentially 3-5 under ideal storage.  Absolutely loved it and recommend drinking it now while the acidity can still support the fruit.

It took me 15 minutes to decipher that sloppy scratchpad, and the “Tastes like chicken” was my friend’s remark, not mine.  While I’d love this with a roasted chicken, he thought it actually tasted… like… chicken.  (JW)