2015 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir

Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery is Niagara's Baco Noir specialist. Not only are they a consistent producer of quality varietal Baco in the region—they actually produce three distinct releases of the varietal wine, all with slightly different oak aging regimens and fruit sourced from vines of different ages.

In reserve for today's New Year tasting is the Speck Family Reserve. It's the only one that I hadn't tasted up to now. It retails for $25 at Vintages and is available at select stores only.

This wine hails from the winery's original planting of Baco, dating back to 1984. That's interesting, because it means that the vines predate the whole VQA system under which the wine bears a "VQA Ontario" designation. Even though the wine technically hails from the Short Hills Bench appellation, VQA does not deem hybrids worthy of appellation-specific nomenclature—an absurdity, as wine writer David Lawrason rightly pointed out in his write-up on the wine.

The bottle is closed with an elegant, solid, top quality natural cork. The cork showed deep purple-black staining once pulled out, though only where it had been in contact with the wine, indicating a good seal.

The wine poured with a gorgeous, saturated black, cherry-mahogany hue which, in the glass, morphs into a weathered-sumac hue at the meniscus. At 13.5% alc./vol., good tear development can be seen along the inside of the glass (and is even visible in the picture at right).

The nose is deeply oaky, with big, bold, black-cherry fruit and prominent wood vanillins from the American oak. There is lengthy integration of bold oak and fruit. On the palate, lithe, bright acidity leads the way; the texture is dry and cleansing along the mid-palate and energetically lively into the finish. The flavours finish out with beets, red currants, a hint of dried tomatoes and just a tap of oak at the end.

Very well done, but bold and oaky in style. If you prefer less oak, try the winery's Old Vines release.

Happy New Year!

Vieni Estates 2012 Foch Vintage Reserve (Ontario VQA)

Vieni 2012 Foch Vintage Reserve (Ontario VQA)

I was impressed to find this fine Ontario Foch at Vintages recently. Truth be told, it sort of flew over my radar, having been released this past summer.

The wine pours with a beautiful, and typical, saturated deep-garnet colour that fades to a "weathered sumac" black-mahogany hue at the meniscus. It opens up in the glass with wonderful, big, quality aromatic oak aromas. Mingling with that, there are tart black currant and blue plum aromas. Aromatically, this reminds me of the many reserve Fochs that graced the Ontario wine scene right up to Y2K.

On the palate, there is tart, lithe acidity and a clean, dry, palate-cleansing texture that carries the fruit and oak aromas right across it — with power, lightness, and elegance, all at the same time. This is classic Ontario Foch.

The finish is dry and elegant, with replays of the same aromatic compounds.

It is a shame that so many excellent examples of varietal Maréchal Foch have disappeared from the Ontario wine scene over the past decade. For this reason, it is a joy to find a winery producing a treat like this, from a grape that deserves much more respect in this part of the world for climatic suitability and innate quality characteristics.

The wine retails for less than $20 and is 14% alc./vol.

2013 St. Julian Reserve Traminette (Lake Michigan Shore)

A wonderful white wine from Michigan. It pours with a clear, pale straw colour. 12% alc./vol. The nose has the typical spicy/rosewater nose of Gewürztraminer, with a hint of the aromas typical of Riesling and Vidal—though this is varietal Traminette.

A bright, lemony acidity sweeps the palate, fanning out to reveal lemony, floral fruit and a balancing residual sweetness. There's lots of floral flavour in this wonderful Michigan wine. Crisp and off-dry, it works both as a standalone sipper and with food.

It went well with herbed, grilled chicken breast. A good buy, and a good representation of the Traminette grape.

2010 Sandbanks Estate Baco Noir Reserve (Ontario VQA)

I had been wanting to try Sandbanks' Baco for quite some time. Having seen the Reserve recently, I bought it for Victoria Day weekend ($19.95 on general list at the LCBO; Product ID: 225920).

This Baco Reserve pours to reveal a dark garnet colour with a ruby tint that appears nearer the meniscus. Strong barrel aromas emerge over Baco's sour hickory and brackish bouquet. Brisk, strong acidity signals the entry. Plenty of oak character mingles with the tart, lithe and laser-like focus of the acid-driven structure. There's an invigorating, Barbera-like tartness, with plum and hickory replays; a bit of warmth (13% alc./vol.), and a mouth-cleansing finale, with more oak replays drawing the proverbial curtains.

While the wine initially seemed a bit tart for a 2010 reserve, it did settle down and integrate with some decanting (2+ hrs).