Cuvée 2014 has come and gone, a gala evening highlighted by Ontario’s top wineries showcasing what they feel is their winemakers’ most prized single wine (or at least what they wanted to present as a fine representation of what they do best).
It was the second year that Cuvée has changed to the format to showcase one wine from each winery, eliminating the divisive judging component of the event that many felt was not inclusive enough for all wineries.
The Cuvée Awards were chosen by a panel of winemaker peers during an arduous day-long blind tasting (I was a member of the professional tasting panel that settled any disputes, a panel of second sober thought, if you will). The winning wines were presented at Cuvée in what was then billed as the “Oscars” of the Ontario wine industry.
Two years ago the competition was abandoned to the present format where a general call goes out to all Ontario wineries asking if they would like to present a single wine at the sparkling, glitzy evening that includes a smorgasbord of food created by talented chefs and an all-out dance and craft beer festival at the end of the evening. It is the fairest way to do things but dramatically changed Cuvée forever and left another wine competition in Canada on the cutting room floor (probably a good thing with the number of competitions already out there).
The change has been for the best; no more in-fighting, no more noses out of joint, and no more eyebrow-raising winning wines chosen by those who made the wines.
The Cuvée format is now a fun evening that includes a lot of interesting wines that consumers usually don’t see at the LCBO or Vintages. The participants who showcase their most interesting wines, the ones who embrace the format, provide an exciting night of surprises. And I love that winemakers are present at the event to discuss the wines and offer their opinions as to why this is that wine is their fave.
With 50 wineries represented, the vast majority from Niagara, there is just not enough time to get around to all them. Especially when the night’s format is conducive to chatting and running into people who help you eat away the hours far too quickly.
My strategy for Cuvée is to make a beeline as quick as I can to any new wineries I have not been to and then look for wines I have not tasted. It starts out with purpose but dissolves into chaos as soon as I get sidetracked by this person or that.
So, with my limited time at the booths I visited, here are some highlights from the night.
On the Red Side
Best New Find: Domaine Queylus.
This new winery on 16 Road in West Lincoln presented a beautiful Pinot Noir Reserve 2011 made by Thomas Bachelder. I was a little surprised that I had not heard of or tasted this wine before. Anything with Bachelder’s name attached to it is a must to try in Niagara. And this certainly is. Finessed and refined with gorgeous fruit and minerality.
Best Wine Revisited: Five Rows Craft Wine
Winemaker Wes Lowrey was showing his 2010 Pinot Noir, an astonishingly good Pinot Noir that is coming along gorgeously. Five Rows is such a treat to have in Niagara, making small lots by a family that knows what it wants to do and is sticking with the plan. Lowrey’s wines take time to develop and this Pinot is just starting reveal its true beauty.
Did Someone Say Syrah: Lailey Vineyard Syrah 2012
Derek Barnett is crazy for Syrah and just happens to make some of the best in Niagara. The 2012 was drinking beautifully on Friday night.
The Hottest Reds: From quick drive-by tastings, these are the red wines that stopped me in my tracks: Thirty Bench Small Lot Benchmark Red 2010, Stratus Vineyards Red 2010, Rennie Estate Assemblage “G” 2011 and Inniskillin Reserve Series Merlot 2012.
Red Wine I Will Be Buying for My Cellar: That Thirty Bench Small Lot Benchmark Red 2010 is so fine. I need some.
On the White Side
Best New Find(s): Trius Showcase Sauvignon Blanc Wild Ferment 2012.
Did you taste this? Wow. Winemaker Craig McDonald is committed to this style of wild fermented, barrel fermented SB that turns this varietal upside-down. So rich, textured and personable. Crazy but delicious. P.S. I also met the owners of Westcott Vineyards on the Twenty Mile. Arthur Harder is making some fine Chardonnays from new vines that show great promise.
On the Wild Side: 13th Street Essence Arome 2011
I’ll let winemaker Jean Pierre Colas explain this one: “I was on a quest for the elusive, ethereal, ideal aromatic blended white. Something full but not that fat. Rich but still fresh. Complex and elegant. All of this is Arome. The complexity of blending and what I can achieve with these varietals is exciting for me. Welcome to my crazy world!” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
The Hottest Whites: From quick drive-by tastings, these are the white wines that stopped me in my tracks: Bachelder Saunders Vineyard Chardonnay 2011, Cave Spring Cellars CSV Riesling 2010.
White Wine I Will Be Buying for My Cellar: Bachelder Wismer Vineyard Chardonnay 2011. And I’m in luck! This wine was just released at Saturday at Vintages stores. Get it while it’s hot.
The Cuvée Grand Tasting Gala at the Fallsview Casino & Resort in Niagara Falls was the last time the event is being run by the Niagara Community Foundation, which has organized the event for the past 11 years. Prior to that, the event was a fundraiser for Gray Gables School.
It was announced at the gala that Brock University is taking over the organizational role of Cuvée with the university’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) taking the lead.
Brian Hutchings, Brock’s Vice-President of Finance and Administration, said CCOVI’s new role with Cuvée is a great fit, given the University’s strong relationship with Ontario’s grape and wine industry.
Proceeds from the 2015 Cuvée wine weekend will support student bursaries and research that will benefit the Ontario grape and wine industry.
“This is a terrific development,” said Hutchings. “It will ultimately support some of the very students and researchers who are crucial to sustaining and growing the industry in the future.”
CCOVI has been a long-time supporter of Cuvée, and is excited to take on this organizational role, said director Debbie Inglis.
“CCOVI is always looking for ways to help grow the market share of Ontario VQA wine,” said Inglis. “The event will now not only showcase the best of Ontario’s wine, but will also raise funds to help the industry continue to grow.”
The format will stay the same with the Cuvée Grand Tasting Gala food and wine event along with the Cuvée Enroute passport program.
NOTE: The CCOVI Experts Tasting also took place on the weekend. That story will be posted soon, as will a story by Mike Lowe on the food component of Cuvée. A list of this year’s “Promoter Awards” will accompany the Experts Tasting report.
Here’s a list of all the wines poured (some with reviews previously posted)
REDS
Big Head Wines
WINEMAKER: Andrzej Lipinski
Pinot Noir 2012
Big Head Wines Pinot Noir 2012 (from a barrel sample) — Made from 100% dried Pinot grapes that will see 10 months in oak. Now showing sweet cherry fruit, cedar, tobacco in a lush, soft style. The tannins are silky smooth and a racy tone to the acidity has been maintained. It’s a Pinot that’s made with 15% ABV.
Burning Kiln Winery
WINEMAKER: Andrzej Lipinski
Burning Kiln Cab Frank 2012
Château des Charmes
WINEMAKER: Amélie Boury
Merlot, St. David’s Bench Vineyard 2012
Colaneri Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Andrej Lipinski
“Coraggioso” Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Rori McCaw
CHV Merlot VQA LENS 2012
Cornerstone Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Andrzej Lipinski
CABERNET- MERLOT 2010
Cornerstone Cab-Merlot 2010 ($19, winery, 88 points) — The nose displays cassis-blackberry fruit with pronounced pepper, spice, cocoa and earth notes. It’s rich and ripe on the palate with an array of dark fruits, campfire smoke, toasted vanilla, tar and licorice. It’s drinking well right now but can cellar for a couple more years.
Coyote’s Run Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Jeff Aubry, David Sheppard
Rare Vintage Meritage 2010
Coyote’s Run Rare Vintage Meritage 2010 ($40, winery, 91 points) — This winery only makes the Rare Vintage wines in the finest vintages. This is a very fine wine with a bold nose of plump, juicy blackberries, currants, black cherry-kirsch, plums and fine oak spices swirling about. Beautiful fruit concentration on the palate with ripeness but not overly aggressive tannins. The mélange of fruit is joined by Espresso bean, earth, sweet spices and a touch of minty herbs. Good energy and verve through the long finish. Drink or cellar this for a few years.
Domaine Queylus
WINEMAKER: Thomas Bachelder
Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir Reserve 2011
Five Rows Craft Wine of Lowrey Vineyards
WINEMAKER: Wes Lowrey
2010 Five Rows Pinot Noir 2010
Five Rows Craft Wine Pinot Noir 2010 ($50, 92 points) — Lowrey takes two of the five rows of the old vines, planted in 1984, and blends in about two-thirds of Pinot from the rest of the vineyard to produce a paltry 143 cases of this wonderful wine. The nose shows loam, black cherry, field raspberry, violets, cassis and savoury spices. The beauty of this wine really emerges on the palate with darker fruits, smoke, mushrooms, dried savoury spices, licorice and layers of complexity that is all held together by a firm bed of tannins and oak. Lay it down for a few years for optimum pleasure.
Foreign Affair Winery
WINEMAKER: Barclay Robinson
2012 Conspiracy
The Foreign Affair The Conspiracy 2012 ($20, 90 points) — This is the fourth vintage for this popular Ripasso-style Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend. To add complexity the wine was ‘passed over’ Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc skins from appassimento (dried) grapes. The nose displays blueberry, cassis, plum, black currant and kirsch aromas with subtle vanilla and spice notes. It has firm structure on the palate with sweet blueberry fruit, currants, licorice, tar and spice notes. It’s a juicy wine with pretty good acidity and tannins that will evolve further in the cellar.
G Marquis Vineyards
WINEMAKER: Peter Rotar
Epic The Silver Line VQA 2010
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Sandrine Bourcier
Henry of Pelham Baco Noir Reserve 2011
Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery
WINEMAKER: Marlize Beyers
Estate Pinot Noir 2011
Inniskillin Niagara Estate
WINEMAKER: Bruce Nicholson
Inniskillin Reserve Series Merlot 2012
Kacaba Vineyards and Winery
WINEMAKER: John W Tummon
Terrace Vineyard Syrah 2011
Kacaba Vineyards Terrace Vineyard Syrah 2011 ($25, not yet released, 91 points) — A meaty and bold nose of game, earth, pepper, cassis, blackberry, plums, bay leaves and other savoury spices. The palate shows bold and juicy dark fruits, smoke, leather, pepper, lifting acidity and mellow tannins. Good old-fashioned cool-climate Syrah.
Lailey Vineyard Wines
WINEMAKER: Derek Barnett
Syrah 2012
Lakeview Cellars by Diamond Estates Winery
WINEMAKER: Jason Roller
Lakeview Cellars 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2010
Le Clos Jordanne
WINEMAKER: Sebastien Jacquey
Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2011
Le Clos Jordanne Village Pinot Noir 2011 ($30, 88 points) — A nose of sour cherry, cedar, tobacco, raspberry bush and bramble. There is some structure on the palate with fresh acidity to go with raspberry-cherry and cassis notes that are a bit shy at the moment. I would suggest that this was a touch closed when I tasted it.
Magnotta Winery
WINEMAKER: Peter Rotar
Cabernet Franc Limited Edition VQA 2010
Malivoire Wine Company
WINEMAKER: Shiraz Mottiar
Malivoire Courtney Gamay 2011
Megalomaniac – John Howard Cellars of Distinction
WINEMAKER: Sue-Ann Staff
Bravado Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Palatine Hills Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Jeff Innes
Newfeld Vineyard Meritage 2010
Pillitteri Estates Winery
WINEMAKER: Alex Kolundzic
Exclamation Winemakers Selection Winemakers Red 2010
Rennie Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Shiraz Mottiar
Rennie Estate Winery Assemblage G 2011
Rennie Estate “G” 2011 ($55, 92 points) — “This is a different style,” says Graham Rennie. “I wanted something closer to traditional Amarone. I think I’ve achieved that with this.” To make this complicated wine, Rennie picks his Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (both 25%) at 21 Brix. The three varieties spend 70 days in custom drying racks (up to 35% loss of juice) to achieve a sweetness level of 29 Brix. The blend spends 18 months in a combination of new and old oak and is finished at 16.5% alcohol. To be perfectly frank, it’s a big, huge wine, and you need to know that right off the bat. It’s dark, almost opaque in the glass and throws off big aromas of crushed black currants, thick blackberry compote, caramel, oak stylings, vanilla toast, forest floor and dried herbs. On the palate, it’s rich and unctuous with an array of highly extracted fruit flavours including currants, plums, cherries, sultana raisins and bolstered by vanilla-nutmeg-cinnamon spices, earth and medicinal herbs. The tannins are evident, but not overly aggressive. In all, it’s a big, powerful wine with the fruit to stand up to 16.5% alcohol and enough acidity to maintain a modicum of freshness. A wine to hold for a few years to come.
Rockway Vineyards
WINEMAKER: David Stasiuk
Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Block 11-140 Cabernet Franc 2011
Stratus Vineyards
WINEMAKER: J-L Groux
Stratus Red – Magnum 2010
Stratus Red 2010 ($44, 93 points) — The top red from Stratus, the point at which all other reds at the Niagara-on-the-Lake estate begin, is a classic blend of all five Bordeaux grape varieties with the oak dialed back to15% new barrels. This is a collector’s dream vintage, one in which improvement will come with time in the cellar. Look for a nose of cassis, black currants, leafy tobacco, smoke, leather and integrated spices that open up as you swirl the wine in glass. It is lush and deep on the palate with an array of black fruits propped up by subtle notes of tar, cedar, licorice and a complex array of oak spices and tannins. I love the feel in the mouth and the complexity of all the moving parts.
Thirty Bench Wine Makers
WINEMAKER: Emma Garner
Thirty Bench Small Lot Benchmark Red 2010
Vieni Wine and Spirits
WINEMAKER: Mauro Salvador
Aglianico Al Passo 2011
WHITES
13th Street Winery
WINEMAKER: Jean Pierre Colas
Essence Arome 2011
Bachelder
WINEMAKER: Thomas Bachelder
Bachelder Chardonnay Wismer Vineyard 2011
Bachelder Wismer Vineyard Winfield Block Chardonnay 2011 Niagara ($45, 92 points) — The Wismer Chard from Bachelder was a blockbuster in 2010 and the 2011 isn’t far off that form. It’s quite tight at the moment but still reveals poached pear, spice, nougat, hazelnut, toast and flinty minerality with just a pinch of citrus zest in the background. It’s complex and juicy yet maintains a graceful feel in the mouth while exposing an array of fruit, spice and minerality. Just wait for this to open up a bit more. Gorgeous.
Calamus Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Arthur Harder
Pinot Gris 2013
Cave Spring Cellars
WINEMAKER: Angelo Pavan
Riesling CSV Estate Bottled 2010
EastDell Estates by Diamond Estates Winery
WINEMAKER: Scott McGregor
EastDell Estates Black Label Chardonnay Sur Lie 2012
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate
WINEMAKER: Marco Piccoli
Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Grand Reserve White Meritage 2012
Konzelmann Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Herbert Konzelmann/Fabian Reis
Gewurztraminer 2012
Mike Weir Winery
WINEMAKER: Jeff Hundertmark
Barrel fermented Chardonnay 2012
Niagara College Teaching Winery
WINEMAKER: Terence Van Rooyen
Niagara College Balance Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Nyarai Cellars
WINEMAKER: Steve Byfield
Viognier 2012
Pelee Island Winery
WINEMAKER: Martin Janz & Tim Charisse
Singing Moon Pinot Blanc 2012
Peller Estates Winery
WINEMAKER: Katie Dickieson
Private Rerserve Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Peninsula Ridge Estates Winery
WINEMAKER: Jamie Evans
Peninsula Ridge “Wismer Vineyard” Sauvignon Blanc 2013
PondView Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Fred Di Profio
Bella Terra Chardonnay 2011
Reif Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Roberto DiDomenico
Gewürztraminer Reserve 2012
Ridge Road Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Sean Douglas
Pinot Gris 2013
Riverview Cellars Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Angela Kasimos
Gewurztraminer 2012
Southbrook Vineyards
WINEMAKER: Ann Sperling
Whimsy Winemakers’ White blend 2011
Stoney Ridge Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Jeff Hundertmark
Excellence Pinot Gris 2011
Strewn Winery
WINEMAKER: Marc Bradshaw
Strewn Terroir French Oak Chardonnay 2011
Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
WINEMAKER: Sue-Ann Staff
Riesling Loved By Lu 2012
Trius Winery at Hillebrand
WINEMAKER: Craig McDonald
Showcase Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Westcott Vineyards
WINEMAKER: Arthur Harder
Reserve Chardonnay 2012
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