Friday, December 8, 2023

Non-vintage "Brunch" Red Field Blend (Ontario VQA)

In these days of rising wine prices, it was interesting to find this blend. Apparently a non-vintage wine, it retails for only $9.95. The LCBO entry for this product identifies it as a blend of Baco Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Gamay...but the rear label of the bottle I have simply states Baco Noir and Cabernet Franc. Maybe it differs from batch to batch.

13% alc./vol. The colour is a nice, deep, dark-scarlet colour with that typical Baco colouration and magenta meniscus. The nose is all Baco—tart raspberries and a savoury hickory note, with a hint of wood chips wafting out of the glass.

Tart on the entry, again displaying the Baco front and centre. Cleansing and dry with an acid-driven structure and a zippy acidity on the mid-palate. Not much tannin here at all, so I'm guessing that the proportion of Cab Franc isn't that much.

The price is right and the quality is fine—though I'm wondering why the producer chose to release this as a non-vintage blend.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

2020 Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

One of my long-time favourite Ontario reds, crafted in this reserve version by the Kings of Baco at Henry of Pelham.

13.5% alc./vol. Particle-cork closure (surprised that wineries are still using this format...why?).

The wine pours with a beautiful, saturated black/scarlet colour and a neon-magenta meniscus—done as only a hybrid red can do. Lovely to look at. When swirled, that same intense beet-like saturation comes through.

Big American oak on the nose—lots of fresh lumber and vanillin/coconut oak blasts its way out of the glass, along with classic Baco hints of tart blue plums.

Tart, bracing entry; cleansing. Good balance, with acidity leading the way. Oaky on the mid-palate, with diminutive tannins. The finish is warm and expansive. 

Normally, this sells for just a few cents under twenty bucks, but it was on sale for two dollars less recently. 

Saturday, July 4, 2020

2019 Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

Henry of Pelham has been called the "King of Baco", and rightly so: they planted their first Baco vines in 1984 and have been putting out quality iterations of this varietal wine for decades. Henry of Pelham isn't just another producer of Baco Noir in Ontario: they're really dedicated to this grape variety.

I enjoy the regular bottling, finding it to be well made, well balanced, and stylistically elegant. The Old Vines version is sold in a tall, heavier bottle, and is closed with a natural (albeit particle) cork enclosure. The regular bottling, by contrast, has been closed with a screw cap for the past few years—a sensible, functional choice.

The 2019 Old Vines Baco is 13.5% alc./vol. and sells for about $20 at the LCBO. It pours with a gorgeous, saturated, deep-beet-red/purple colour that turns into a neon magenta at the meniscus—a common feature of the V. riparia hybrid reds. The nose is very oaky right off the bat, showing plummy/blackcurrant fruit and juicy acidity that is eager to carry that same fruit along the palate. On the palate, it is invigoratingly tart, zingy, and refreshing—with good mid-palate heft coming from both the tart berries and the oak overlay. Excellent quality. Following this fruit-and-oak crescendo, the aft-palate character of the wine accentuates the oak, which leaves a pleasant spicy finish.

Thursday, May 7, 2020

2016 Magnotta Dry Vidal, Equus Series (Ontario VQA)

Magnotta's Dry Vidal is a consistently good example of what the Vidal grape can do when vinified in a dry table-wine style. I've been following this wine for the past 20 years!

12.5% alc./vol. Medium-straw yellow in the glass. Some fine carbonation along the bottom of the glass. Expansive aromas of citrus (lemon skin, mainly), pine/fir buds, a whiff of petroleum (similar to Riesling), and a hint of floral tropical fruit...most often, I get guava on the nose of these Vidal table wines. The empty glass releases a mild but persistent, sweet piney aroma reminiscent of freshly cut pine.

Electrifyingly crisp acidity; clean, lean and cleansing. Excellent zip. Warming and cleansing on the mid-palate, simultaneously.

A great wine for seafood, but certainly good in any situation that calls for a crisp and dry white wine.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Magnotta Trionfo, Equus Series (Baco - Foch - Pinot Noir; Ontario VQA)

13.2% alc./vol. Intense, saturated dar-garnet colour; not inky, but deep and dense. Lovely bright, lifted black-cherry fruit on the nose; mostly fruit-driven.

Dry, well balanced, and with excellent structure on the mid-palate. A very good blend!

Good mid-palate heft, with Pinot Noir's tannins firming up the whole shebang, and the two hybrids' colour saturation providing lovely dark pigmentation.

$9.95 at the Magnotta retail outlet.

Friday, September 27, 2019

2018 Sandbanks Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

This wine can be picked up for $15.95 in the Ontario VQA section of the LCBO.

Sandbanks is a winery in Prince Edward County, along the northeastern shore of Lake Ontario. I seldom buy the varietal Baco from Sandbanks—the last time I did, it tasted far too sweet for my taste. That said, I made an exception earlier today and it was a good decision.

Medium-dark, clear garnet in the glass. The wine initially pours with some very fine effervescence along the meniscus; this dissipates with time in the open bottle. Strong aromas of brackish wild black cherry; a typical hint of leafiness and plums, so very characteristic of Ontario Baco. Zippy, clean and lean acidity on the entry, balanced by appropriate residual sugar. Warm and fruity on the mid-palate. A clean and cleansing finish, as one is wont to expect from this varietal wine. Just a hint of smoky, toasted buckwheat and oak on the finish. Thumbs up.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

2016 Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir (Ontario VQA)

After trying this version of Henry of Pelham's Baco last year, I resolved to repeat the experience and to purchase it once again for a detailed tasting.

Henry of Pelham could be called Ontario's "Baco King". Maybe they already have been?

The tall bottle is closed with a high-quality natural cork. The wine pours with a dark, saturated black-cherry/magenta colour. Raspberry and plummy fruit, along with signature riparia notes waft about on the nose. The entry is tart, lively and brisk, as befits Baco—and balanced, firm warmth is noted as the wine travels across the mid-palate. A good structure is also evident here.

This is available as a general-list item at the LCBO, for about $20.

I preferred this Old Vines version to the family reserve.