If the 2010 Chardonnay is, in fact, legendary winemaker Jim Warren’s final vintage for the wine that bears his name at Stoney Ridge Estate Winery, then he leaves us with an awfully nice going away present.
His farewell Stoney Ridge Warren Classic Chardonnay just might be his best wine made under the Classic label at the winery. It is quintessential Warren, taking advantage of the ripe vintage and applying generous, but not overpowering, oak-inspired spiciness.
It is a superbly balanced Chardy and one that many would pick out of lineup as Warren’s work (and I say that not knowing if he indeed finished the wine before his retirement, or if winemaker Gord Robert had a hand in it).
NOTE: I did find out, after posting this initially, that Warren did not make the wine. I was told he hasn’t made wines at Stoney Ridge for a couple of years. It was, indeed, made by Robert.
Sadly, another chapter in Warren’s illustrious career has come to an end. He has parted ways with the new management team at Stoney Ridge, a winery that was founded by Warren in 1985 (the 18th winery to be licenced in Ontario).
His story is as follows:
While teaching Latin and French at a Hamilton High School, Warren received a home winemaking kit for Christmas in 1970 from his wife Charlotte — his first chance at making wine. After winning his first entry at an amateur winemaking contest Warren drove to Niagara to source new hybrid and vinifera grapes and his fate was sealed. Over the next several years Warren was named Ontario Amateur Winemaking Champion and Canadian Amateur Champion three times.
In 1985 Warren and fellow wine club members Bryce Weylie, who owned a farm in Vinemount, decided to start a winery and the Stoney Ridge adventure began. From the very beginning the wine impressed wine critics and writers and in short order Stoney Ridge became Canada’s most awarded winery.
In 1989 Stoney Ridge moved to a larger facility at Puddicombe Farms in Winona and grew rapidly, winning more awards in local and international competitions. In 1997 Warren was selected Ontario Winemaker of the Year. Shortly after, the winery moved to Vineland and took on new partners allowing Warren to retire.
Over the last few years Warren has consulted at a number of Ontario wineries, revisiting his teaching roots at Niagara College Winery where he helped initiate the winemaking program and operated the winery for five years.
He founded and is Executive Director of Fruit Wines of Ontario and was president of the Ontario Viniculture Association.
He returned to Stoney Ridge to work with new winemaker Gord Robert in a collaborative effort to continue the tradition of excellence at Stoney Ridge.
But just a couple of months ago, management at the winery announced that Warren had retired — again.
In 2009, with expanding competition in the Niagara region, Stoney Ridge decided it wanted to strengthen and revitalize its brand.
That’s where new winemaker Robert came in.
Robert was hired to bring a fresh approach to the winemaking that comes from his experiences of making wine all over the world.
Stoney Ridge today offers a wide array of VQA red and white wines, including the final vintage of the Warren Classic series and the new Excellence series, which debuted last year to reflect the “best of the best” wines made by Robert.
Under new management, Stoney Ridge is transforming itself into what appears to be a destination winery. It has posted a number of jobs on the Canada Wine Jobs website, including a job for a Mandarin-speaking host, which would imply it is going after the lucrative Chinese tourist market that has pretty much been dominated by the big Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries.
I tasted some Stoney Ridge wines recently, including the last (never say never?) Warren Classic, as well as some other Niagara wines recently. Here’s what I liked:
Stoney Ridge Warren Classic Chardonnay 2010 ($19, winery, 91 points) — Gorgeous nose, made in an elegant and ripe style with creamy pear, apple, pineapple and butterscotch-vanilla notes on the nose. It’s quite creamy and generously oaked on the palate, but still has a nice vein of acidity and citrus to balance it out. A good wine at a sensible price.
Stoney Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2010 ($18, winery, LCBO, 88 points) — A lean, herbaceous style of Sauvignon Blanc with lime, grapefruit and fresh-cut grass aromas. It’s zingy and racy in the mouth with bright citrus fruits in a crisp, dry and refreshing style. I’m not sure how Robert achieved this style of wine in the hot 2010 vintage, but I’m glad he did.
Stoney Ridge Excellence Merlot 2010 ($35, winery end of August, 91 points) — This top series at Stoney Ridge is winemaker Gord Robert’s playground and he has done a good job with the tier. The 2010 Merlot shows ripe blackberry, cocoa, black cherry, licorice and anise in a refined style. It’s multidimensional on the palate with cherry and small wild berry fruit lifted by notes of Espresso, chocolate and spice. It’s smooth through the finish and made in a style that doesn’t bombard your senses with over extraction and oakiness.
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Kacaba Pinot Noir Wismer Vineyard 2008 ($23, Vintages has the last 112 cases to be released this winter, 89 points) — Kacaba is just moving into the 2009 vintage of this Pinot, but Vintages has acquired 112 cases of the 2008 for release this winter. The 2008 vintage produced lighter wines, which serves this wine well. It’s a delicious Pinot, Village Bourgogne-style, with a nose of red plums, cherries, soft vanilla, red currants and spice. It’s light and silky on the palate but has wonderful flavours that are not dominated by oak.
Kacaba Cabernet Merlot 2009 ($17, LCBO only, 87 points) — This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the winery’s older planting of vines. It shows blackberry fruit with plums and cherries chiming in to go with licorice, smoke, spice and herbs. It’s made in a lean, food-friendly style with firm tannins. Perfect for BBQ’d meats.
Enjoy!
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