Visiting the 13thStreet Winery is a bit of contradiction.
First of all, it’s not on 13th Street (it’s located at 1776 Fourth Ave., St. Catharines). And when drive up the laneway to the winery, the first thing you see is a greenhouse, not a winery. Then there’s the bakery and marketplace offering up delicious homemade pies, tarts and seasonal produce. When you finally do make your way through the doors of the tasting room, you are immediately drawn to the art that hangs dramatically on every wall and changes regularly.
After all that, you finally get to the wine. And even that can be contradictory.
The fine up-country décor, the clean lines, the bright white and sleek look to the tasting room shouts white glove treatment and that horrible moment went you think: “Why am I dressed in my Bermuda shorts and Boston Red Sox cap? … that’s so crass.”
But once you belly up to the tasting room bar the friendly staff at 13th Street (Lindsay Marcaccio, I’m talking to you!) offer up a warm country charm that makes everyone feel welcome, even if you show up in your flip-flops and Cape Cod T-shirt.
If you’re lucky, you’ll run into Peter Bodnar Rod, director of sales, marketing and the resident sommelier, who enjoys pouring and sipping 13th Street wines as much as likes talking about them.
Thirteenth Street is pure farm-gate winery with a solid portfolio of wines that are made with the belief that “great wines come from the best grapes grown in the best vineyards and winemaking techniques are simply utilized to capture the essence of the grapes’ provenance and character.”
The winery uses a thoughtful approach to making wine and isn’t constrained solely by its own estate fruit.
Winemaker Jean Pierre Colas goes in search of the very best fruit grown in Niagara each and every vintage, often in the end using that which they grow themselves, however rarely exclusively.
Colas plays a key role in overseeing the choices and techniques employed in the 40 acres of estate vineyards and those utilized by the many “excellent” growers with whom 13th Street works with.
The portfolio at 13th Street is broad with quality at every level but excels with the Old Vines, Reserve and Essence wines that are made only in vintages where the winemaker feels it’s merited.
The key wines in the portfolio include a wonderful sparkling program, Reserve Chardonnay, Old Vine Riesling and some of the finest Gamay in Niagara.
The winery released its fall wines a couple of weekends ago and I had a chance to sip on the back porch with Bodnar Rod and get a preview of what’s now in the retail store or soon to be released. Here’s what I liked:
13th Street Premier Cuvee Brut 2008 ($35, winery, 90 points) — A blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay made in the traditional method. It possesses a lovely bready-yeasty nose with citrus, creamy pear and vanilla toast notes. It hits the palate in waves of racy acidity, bubbles, citrus, baked apple and biscotti. The finish is finessed and long lasting. Another argument why this winery is one of the finest in the region for making sparkling wines.
13th Street White Palette 2011 ($15, LCBO, 87 points) — This blend of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Musqué and Viognier amounts to a lovely summer sipper with fresh citrus, floral, tropical fruits and touch of herbs on the nose. It’s juicy on the palate with moderate acidity in an easy-going style that will appeal to a broad spectrum of wine lovers.
13th Street June’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2011 ($20, winery only, 88 points) — This Chard is made without oak and shows apple and citrus fruit on the nose with a nice mineral element. It has a bit of cream on the palate (from partial malo) to go with apples and a touch of pear fruit.
13th Street Viognier 2011 ($20, limited at the winery, 90 points) — Viognier is a tricky grape to grow in Niagara with a narrow window of opportunity between achieving aromatic and flavour ripeness without losing too much acidity. Colas nailed it here. An expressive nose of peach and voluptuous apricot-mango fruit with a subtle hint of Niagara minerality. It’s a touch viscous on the palate but those ripe juicy flavours find balance in the acid that was retained. A fine example of cool-climate Viognier.
13th Street Pinot Gris 2011 ($20, winery only, 87 points) — Not like any other Gris made in Niagara that I’ve tried. It’s vinified completely dry with a gentle press giving the wine a light copper colour in the glass and more heft on the palate. There is a hint of leesy-yeasty aromas on the nose with tropical fruit, pear, melon and even a whiff of small red berries. It’s concentrated and ripe on the palate with decent acid, but not searing. Very different style.
13th Street June’s Vineyard Riesling 2009 ($20, winery, 89 points) — I retried the 2009 version of this Riesling and really like the way it has aged, adding some lovely waxy-lanolin, ginger and mineral funk notes to the package. The 2011 version is highly aromatic with funky apple, tropical fruits, floral notes, melon and ripe citrus. It’s slightly off-dry with vibrant acidity that lifts the ripe tropical-grapefruit-apple fruits. Pretty good balance and a lingering finish. Nice Riesling.
13th Street Sandstone Reserve Chardonnay 2011 ($35, Christmas release, 92 points) — Now, this is something. It was just bottled when I tried it, and will be released in time for Christmas with a classy new label. A warm, inviting nose of swirling spicy-creamy goodness that combines baked apple, poached pear, stoney minerals and just a touch of citrus. Beautifully elegant and finessed on the palate and already showing fine balance between ripe fruit, cream, spice and acid. It’s lovely now but will be better on release in December and after a few years in the cellar.
13th Street Rose BGPP 2011 ($20, winery soon, 90 points) — It says a lot when a winery releases its top rose at the end of the summer instead of the beginning. This is not made for refreshing relief during a hot summer’s day, no, this is serious rose built for food and sipping year-round. The name is a bit of game for those who wish to play. The BGPP does not have a definition yet and consumers are invited to invent their own meaning for the initials. Here’s Bodnar Rod’s: Bloody Good Pink Pinot. Here’s Doug Whitty’s suggestion: Bozo’s Great Pinot Palpitations (it’s a long story, ask him about it). Bodnar Rod calls this interesting style of rose “warm and sultry” and reminds him of the Mediterranean. It is anything but simple with a nose of red fruits, minerals, cranberry and warm summer herbs. It is excitingly dry on the palate with cran-cherry fruit, orange peel and rousing acidity.
13th Street Gamay 2011 ($20, winery, 88 points) — No oak was used in this Gamay for the first time at the winery. It’s rich and bold on the nose with field raspberry, cherry, blueberry, tobacco leaf and pepper notes. The fruit is laid bare on the palate, all juicy and ripe, with lively tannins and verve through the finish.
13th Street Sandstone Vineyard Old Vines Gamay 2010 ($30, winery, 92 points) — This is the winery’s signature red, made from old block (1983) vines in the Sandstone Vineyard and aged in 100% French oak. It shows a bold nose of smoky-savoury red fruits, tree resin, cedar plank, oak-spice stylings, and a lovely earthiness knitted in. It is bold, savoury and lush on the palate with ripe tannins, very good acidity and exciting fruits that speak loud on the palate. It shows youthful exuberance that will round out with time in the cellar. Top drawer Gamay.
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