Feb. 17, 2026, Premium Niagara Tasting
WINE TASTING
Flight 1
Wine 1: 2020 On Seven Devotion Chardonnay
Pale lemon hue. Restrained aromas of apple, brown butter, lemon zest and lees. Extremely intense and concentrated on the palate with crisp acidity, rich weight and loads of depth.
Complex flavours of salted caramel corn, lemon, ripe orchard fruits, fresh butter, vanilla. Some fruit notes verging into the tropical realm. Great length with lees-derived texture. Plenty of oak but extremely well handled. Powerful and rich but with excellent freshness and vitality.
Wine 2: 2021 Kirby Estate Reserve Chardonnay
White gold in the glass. Shy on the nose but intense tension on the palate with flavours of caramel, lemon pith, anise, dried herbs such as saffron, finishing with wet stone and popcorn leesy sweet perception. Great balance and intensity. Very long saline finish. Great purity and concentration in every sip.
Flight 2
Wine 3: 2014 Tawse Quarry Rd. Chardonnay
Pale straw in colour. Highly aromatic nose offering up vanilla, sweet pipe smoke, tropical fruit, grilled lemon, caramel, marmalade, citrus zest and biscuit notes. Intense palate with fresh acidity, some nice mid-palate weight with subtle tropical fruit explosion and a racy streak of acidity running from front to back. A flinty/stony mineral note carries through on the long finish. Complex and well-developed.
Wine 4: 2021 Leaning Post Senchuk Vineyard Pinot Noir
Medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose with a lifted hint of ethyl acetate on first pour, but this blows off quickly. Very complex and quite savoury nose of damp potting soil, beetroot, forest floor, sandalwood, balsamic, gaminess, raspberry and baking spices. Some pretty floral notes as well. Nicely balanced palate with medium acidity, significant weight, supple tannins and intense flavours. Beautiful Pinot Noir.
Flight 3
Wine 5: 2020 Big Head Raw Suma
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Syrah, 100% concrete. Deep ruby with pronounced aromas of raspberry coulis, framboise, candied fruit, blackberry, plum, graphite and tobacco. Fresh, mid-weight. Dusty, cocoa tannins on the palate. On the leaner side, but nicely balanced and with good length.
Wine 6: 2021 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
A ringer wine in this tasting. Opaque purple-ruby. Rich nose of ripe stewed fruit, cassis, vanilla, cocoa. Very intense on the palate with a liqueur-like texture. Heavy duty weight, with hefty but refined tannins, high alcohol and a suggestion of some residual sugar. Flavours of charred wood, smoked meat, dried fruit, fig, prune, coffee and cocoa. Quite a long finish. Polished and classy.
Flight 4
Wine 7: 2017 Magnotta Enotrium
Deep garnet in the glass. Aromatic nose offering up floral notes, dried fruit and earthy/savoury character. Rich on the palate with well-balanced acidity and silky and developed tannins.
Flavours of raisins, figs, Chinese dates, baking spice, cedar and tobacco, with an interesting hint of red Icewine. Complex and intense. Great length.
Wine 8: 2017 Foreign Affair Apologetic Red
Deep ruby with garnet rim. Expressive nose of sweet baking spices, pipe tobacco, cherry fruit and vanilla. Rich but with a nice fresh acidity, well-managed tannins that deliver a velvety texture and supportive structure. Flavours follow the nose with the addition of very attractive cedar and dried tomato leaf notes. Very sophisticated and quite elegant yet good length.
Flight 5
Wine 9: 2016 Queenston Mile Meritage
Deep ruby in colour. Restrained nose, but smells like a serious wine. Gravel, vanilla, tobacco dominate the aromas. Fresh with great tension. Nice interplay between flesh and bones.
Grippy tannins. Flavours of earth, blackberry, blueberry, cassis and black cherry, coco and dried wildberry, graphite with a hint of barnyard. Great length. Really impressive Bordeaux style blend.
Wine 10: 2016 Two Sisters Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep ruby-garnet. Stewed fruit on the nose along with dried black fruit, tobacco, and licorice root. Rich and densely structured on the palate with good balance and well-managed tannins. Flavours of cigar ash, cooked black fruits, fig, dried prune and cedar. Classy and impressive.
Flight 6
Wine 11: 2019 Two Sisters Cask Series Cabernet Sauvignon
Deep ruby in the glass. Subtle nose offering up notes of peppery spice, capsicum, cedar, tar and sour cherry. Very fresh and quaffable. Light tannin structure with quite racy acidity and vibrant red fruit character.A nice refreshing herbal element lends a bit of interest. Very enjoyable wine in a more straightforward, early drinking style.
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