Rosewood Estates Winery and Meadery, perfectly situated along that magnificent Mountainview Road stretch of wineries on the Beamsville Bench, is a small-batch, artisanal, family-run operation that has roared onto the Niagara wine scene with a fine and eclectic portfolio of wines and meads.
It only opened in 2006 with a very small production yet earned two gold medals at the Ontario Wine Awards for its Pinot Gris and Merlot in its debut vintage.
The wines are made by Natalie Spykowsky who has given the portfolio a style all her own. Some of the most exciting wines are crafted using natural (native yeasts) fermentation, a practice that’s being employed more frequently as Spykowsky learns to master this risky style of winemaking.
The winery and meadery, owned by Eugene (a second generation apiarist) and Renata Roman, sits on 40 acres of prime Beamsville Bench terroir. Just over 15 acres are planted to grapes while two acres are dedicated to the apiary and the rest left as a forested area on the beautiful Niagara Escarpment. The family also owns vineyards in Jordan along the 20 Mile Bench.
The wine portfolio at Rosewood consists primarily of vinifera varietals (or blends) with a strong Riesling program and even a rarely made (at least in Niagara) 100% Semillon. The reds have come on strong in the last couple of vintages, with wild fermentation playing a larger role in the production of the wines. The winery released its first wild ferment Chardonnay just recently.
Meads at Rosewood are made into several differnet styles, some are straight celtic style meads, others are sweeter, and some have sat in seasoned french oak barrels for 12 to 24 months. Pyments are a new addition to the Rosewood Mead line-up; combining Pinot Noir or Gewürztraminer juice with honey, to sweeten the fermentation. These ‘pyments’ produce unique, highly aromatic and smooth wines of interesting complexity — sharing traits from both the grape juice and honey.
I taste Rosewood wines quite often and am truly impressed with each passing vintage. The enthusiasm shown by the Roman family, especially from the Romans’ daughter, marketing guru Krystina (seen in the photo above), and son, William, beekeeper and operations manager, is evident on Twitter, Facebook and anywhere you find social media.
They are tireless promoters of not only their own wines and meads, but also of all Niagara and Ontario wines.
So, I found myself recently in the cool cellars at Rosewood with Krys to taste through some new, including the debut “bistro white” called Long Rows, and other soon-to-be released wines. Here is what I liked:
Rosewood Long Rows White 2010 ($14, 89 points) — A seriously delicious white made from Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurztraminer from a vineyard the family bought five years on Jordan’s Twenty Mile Bench. This wine will start showing up on restaurant lists or you can buy it at the winery. It’s also the first screwcap wine made at Rosewood. It’s loaded with peach, pineapple, apple and citrus fruit that’s clean and refreshing on the palate. One of the nicer all-purpose white blends I’ve tasted.
Rosewood Estates Natalie’s Sussreserve Riesling 2009 ($16, 88 points) — Sussreserve is a style that uses unfermented Riesling grape juice that’s added back just before bottling which increases complexity, structure and natural acidity. The end result is a lighter style of wine (less alcohol) with citrus-lime, grapefruit and lanolin aromas on the nose. It has a zesty entry on the palate with bright apple-citrus fruits and juicy peach flavours. Very nice.
Rosewood Estates Semillon 2010 ($18, 91 points) — This is the third vintage for this variety and it’s the best yet. Roman says the winery is “pushing the envelope” with Semillon and has gained a following for the fresh style produced at Rosewood. A nose of citrus, apple, honeysuckle, pear and floral notes. The mouth reveals fresh melon and apple fruits with a touch of honey, without being sweet. Lovely change of pace but you’ll have to wait until September to get your hands on it.
Rosewood “Wild Ferment” Reserve Chardonnay 2009 ($28, 93 points) — Spykowsky has taken a guarded approach to naturally fermented wines. This is her first Chardonnay using natural yeasts, which took 22 days to ferment, by the way. It is a stunning wine. The nose shows butterscotch, nutmeg, wild honey, vanilla, toast, apple, tropical fruits and lovely spice from 12 months in new and older French oak. It is delivers pure elegance and gorgeous texture in the mouth with ripe fruit, spice and oak already showing integration. All that and wonderful cleansing acidity.
Rosewood Pinot Noir 2009 ($20, 89 points) — You can get this now at Rosewood or wait for it to arrive at Vintages in September. The nose shows perfumed cherry-raspberry, blueberry and spice. It’s delicate on the palate, feminine in style, and shows restraint on the palate, with cherry fruit, spice and silky tannins. Made from estate and Niagara Escarpment fruit.
Rosewood Merlot 2009 ($20, 87 points) — A nose of pretty red and dark fruits, bramble, earth and spice. In the mouth there’s surprising heft (crops were thinned to 1.5-2 tonnes per acre) with decent cherry, spice, Espresso and pepper notes to go with bright acidity. Heading to Vintages in January with a few cases now at the winery.
Rosewood Cabernet Franc 2009 ($22, 92 points) — Up there with some of the best Cab Francs made in Niagara from a vintage that has proven to be kind to this variety. The nose explodes with cherry, cassis, red currants and rich layers of spice and tobacco leaf. It’s beautifully balanced on the palate and shows off ripe fruit flavours without the usual herbs and bell peppers you get in cooler vintages. A gem that’s on sale now at the winery.
Rosewood Meritage 2009 ($20, 88 points) — The first Meritage made at Rosewood since 2006. It’s a blend of 70% Merlot and the rest Cab Franc. Shows dark cherry, currants and subtle spice notes on the nose. It’s juicy and vibrant on the palate and delivers a fruity core of cassis and cherry with a balanced array of spice and oak tones. Available now at the winery.
Enjoy!
Comment here