Important Update From the Founder

LCBO "Taste Ontario"

AGO, Toronto

Tasted September 22, 2010 by Jhcwine with 863 views

Introduction

Tasting of 2007 to 2009 Ontario merlot, cabernet franc, meritage, pinot and chardonney wines. Did not taste reislings.

Flight 1 (33 notes)

White

2008 Colio Estate Vineyards Chardonnay Musqué Canada, Ontario, Lake Erie North Shore VQA

70 points

Tasted at LCBO Taste Ontario. This is plonk.

Comment

Red

2007 Colio Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir CEV Canada, Ontario, Ontario VQA

80 points

Tasted at LCBO - Taste Ontario event. Nose - passable - 85. Palette - 80 at best.

Comment

Red

2007 Creekside Estate Winery Laura's Red Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

80 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Nose - passable - 85. Palette - 80.

Comment

White

2007 Henry of Pelham Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Escarpment VQA

75 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario" event. Nose and Palette - plebian wine.

Comment

White

2009 Flat Rock Cellars Chardonnay Unplugged Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Twenty Mile Bench VQA

75 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Nose - below 80. Palette - below 80. Plebian wine.

Comment

Red

2007 Henry of Pelham Pinot Noir Speck Family Reserve Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Short Hills Bench VQA

85 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario" event. Better than some other Ontario pinots, but that is not saying much. Nose - abit rustic - 85. Palette - also rustic - 85.

Comment

White

2008 Le Clos Jordanne Chardonnay Talon Ridge Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Vinemount Ridge VQA

80 points

Catchy name, but this was Jordon Wines. Nose - abit plebian, but getting there - 85. Palette - doesn't live up to nose - 80.

Comment

Red

2008 Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Twenty Mile Bench VQA

87 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario" event. Nose - nice - 90. Palette - does not live up to nose - better than other Ontario pinots but the quality is just not there. Palette - 85. Also poor QPR at $40. I'll get better value with a Beaune Village or Cote de Nuit Village wine.

Comment

Red

2008 Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir Le Grand Clos Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Twenty Mile Bench VQA

87 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario" event. Nose - nice - 90. Palette - does not live up to nose. Harsh. Off tastes. Aging will help somewhat, but will not deal with the off tastes. And I can buy an very good Beaune or Cote de Nuits Premiere Cru for the $70 Cdn that Jordanne is asking. Adding Clos to your name doesn't create the terroir or clonal diversity necessary for fine pinot. Sorry, Jordan(anne). The wine tastes contrived, forced, as if the winemarker is trying force depth and complexity that is just not there. This being said, Clos Jordanne is headed in the right direction. I tasted a 2007 pinot (the bottle that won an Ontario wine award). It was getting there, but was quite thin.

Comment

Red

2007 John Howard Cellars of Distinction Pinot Noir Megalomaniac Sonofabitch Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

70 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario" event. "Niagara" was right. This is plonk.

Comment

Red

2007 Tawse Meritage Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

89 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario'' event. The only decent red wine there. Nose - fairly soft. Merlot is clearly evident; also abit of glue, definite cherry, redcurrent. Palette - similar to nose. Score 89 on both nose and palette. Keep on working at this, Tawse. Your getting close.

Comment

White

2008 Tawse Chardonnay Sketches of Niagara Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

88 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario" event. Nose - closer to a chablis, given mineral notes. 89. Palette - better than the other Ontario wines tasted there, but still abit plebian. Say 87.

Comment

White

2007 Thirty Bench Chardonnay Small Lot Thirty Bench Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Beamsville Bench VQA

80 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Nose - Not bad - 87. Palette - 79.

Comment

Red

2008 Thirty Bench Red Thirty Bench Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Beamsville Bench VQA

81 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Nose - not bad - 87. Palette - a let down - 80

Comment

White

2007 Cattail Creek Family Estate Winery Chardonnay Musqué Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

70 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Plonk.

Comment

Red

2007 Cattail Creek Family Estate Winery Cabernet Franc Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

70 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Not sure whether this was / is the estate bottled or generic. I'm guessing that it is estate bottled. Nose - nothing there. Palette - plonk. Don't see how anyone would give this a 90, relative to the quality of other new or old world wines. Plonk is plonk, even it is produced in our home province.

Comment

White

2008 Château des Charmes Chardonnay Musqué Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

85 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Nose - gerwitzraminer, which doesn't belong in a chardonnay. Plebian nose. Maybe 85, at best. Palette - closer to a reisling. But this is a chardonnay. So, 85. Still, ths was better than other chardonney musque at the event.

Comment

White

2008 Coyote's Run Estate Winery Chardonnay Black Paw Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Four Mile Creek VQA

80 points

Tasted at LCBO "Taste Ontario' event. Nose - 85. Palette - 79.

Comment

Red

2008 Coyote's Run Estate Winery Pinot Noir Black Paw Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Four Mile Creek VQA

85 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose - 87. Palette - 83. Abit harsh.

Comment

Red

2007 Coyote's Run Estate Winery Meritage Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Four Mile Creek VQA

79 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose and palette - 79. Harsh.

Comment

White

2008 Lailey Vineyard Chardonnay Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara River VQA

80 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose and palette - 80

Comment

Red

2008 Lailey Vineyard Pinot Noir Canadian Oak Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

86 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose - 87 - abit astringent. Palette - 85. Better than many other Ontario pinots, but still not comparable to Beune or Cote De Nuits Village wine or Oregon or New Zealand. Keep trying.

Comment

Red

2008 Lailey Vineyard Pinot Noir Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara River VQA

86 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose - 87 - not alot there. Palette - some off tastes, - 85. Better than many other Ontario pinots, but still not comparable to Beune or Cote De Nuits Village wine or Oregon or New Zealand. Keep trying.

Comment

Red

2008 Mike Weir Estate Winery Pinot Noir Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

70 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose - passable at best. Palette - plonk.

Comment

Red

2008 Mike Weir Estate Winery Cabernet-Merlot Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

70 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Pure plonk.

Comment

White

2007 Ravine Vineyard Chardonnay Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

70 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Pure plonk.

Comment

Red

2008 Ravine Vineyard Merlot Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

83 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. - Its difficult to ruin a Merlot, so this wine is passable (barely). But there is nothing to this wine.

Comment

Red

2008 Ravine Vineyard Merlot Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

86 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose - abit overpowering. 85. Palette - not bad - 87.

Comment

White - Sweet/Dessert

2008 Southbrook Winery Chardonnay Whimsy! Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula

70 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Whimsically aweful.

Comment

Red

2007 Southbrook Winery Cabernet Franc Whimsy Watson Vineyard Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

70 points

Not sure this is from the Watson vineyard. However, the price is similar. Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Whimsically aweful. There is no way that this wine is an 89 or 90, relative to other much better California Meritage or Bordeaux wines.

Comment

Red

2007 Southbrook Winery Cabernet-Merlot Poetica Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

79 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. There is just no way that this wine is a 91, relative to other much better California Meritage or Bordeaux wines. I just drank a Chateaux Pontet-Canet 2001 that CT members rated at 91, that is vastly superior to this. There is quality and there is plonk. This is pure plonk.

Comment

White

2008 Norman Hardie Chardonnay Unfiltered Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

79 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose and palette - plonk.

Comment

Red

2008 Norman Hardie Pinot Noir Unfiltered Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA

79 points

Tasted at the LCBO "Taste of Ontario" event. Nose and palette - plonk.

Comment

Closing

Disappointing wines, with the exception of Tawse Meritage (score 89) and Lailey Pinot Noir (score 86). Clos Jordanne is over rated and over priced. Everything else is plonk or low to mid 80s' (with few of those). Some GrapeStory members have succumbed to the hype and are over rating Ontario wines, relative to vastly superior old world and established new world wines (Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, etc.). Fine wine is fine wine and plonk is plonk. So ... Ontario has a ways to go yet, with afew exceptions. This being said, some wineries were not there, and many that were there, were not showing their best wines (such as reserve wines with limited availability, etc.). Also note that I did not taste reislings (not one of my preferred grapes), and I understand that Ontario is doing better with this grape. Cheers. JHColman

LCBO "Taste Ontario"

AGO, Toronto

Introduction

Flight 1 (33 notes)

Closing

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