Coyote’s Run winemaker David Sheppard is, incredibly, about to embark on his 31st vintage in Niagara. It’s a milestone he marked with two suburb wines specially bottled in his honour.
Sheppard, a quiet and reserved man who makes a big statement with his wines, started his long career in 1980 in a small, family-run winery in the Mittlerhein region of Germany.
He moved from Germany and had his sights set on working with legendary winemaker Karl Kaiser at Inniskillin. “I went to Karl and told him what I wanted to do and six weeks later I got a call to work as his assistant winemaker,” says Sheppard.
That led to a 21-year stint at the venerable winery but, for Sheppard, “Inniskillin was getting a little too corporate” for him. When the winery wanted to make Sheppard the chief icewine maker, he didn’t hesitate to make a switch. Making icewine “was the last thing I wanted to do,” says Sheppard only half joking.
He quickly made the jump to help found Coyote’s Run, a smaller winery that allowed him to fully exercise his winemaking talents. As a big fan of Burgundian and Alsatian wines, Sheppard focuses on making wines that are complex yet elegant, full-flavored yet balanced. He prefers wines that are approachable and fruit-driven, with soft ripe tannins, yet showing true varietal character.
To mark his 30th vintage in Niagara, Sheppard made two wines under a special label called Vintage 30. They are two of his favourite varietals: Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Sauvignon, both from the 2012 vintage. The Gewurztraminer is now available at the winery while the Cab Sauv is just being bottled for release later this summer.
I sat down and tasted with Sheppard along with president of Coyote’s Run, Jeff Aubry, recently. Here’s what I liked from the tasting.
Coyote’s Run Sparkling Chardonnay 2011 ($25, winery, 88 points) — A traditionally made sparkler that shows fresh citrus, tropical fruit, toast and brioche on the nose. It has wonderful acidity and good pop on the palate with balanced fruit and a refreshing finish.
Coyote’s Run Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc 2013 ($16, winery, LCBO, 88 points) — Aubry says this is the only blend like this that he knows of in Canada. It’s rife with melon, mango, tropical fruit and touches of pear and citrus. It has nice mouthfeel and a friendly fruit profile that makes it a tasty summer wine.
Coyote’s Run Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Gris 2012 ($17, winery, 89 points) — Gris is one of those varietals both Aubry and Sheppard like to drink and make. There is a slight amber hue to the wine from some skin contact. The aromas are all about pear, peach and some melon notes. It has flesh on the palate with flavours of peach fuzz and pear with moderate acidity.
Coyote’s Run Unoaked Chardonnay 2013 ($15, winery, 88 points) — I have found myself drawn to the growing legion of unoaked Chardonnays in Niagara. I prefer the unadulterated versions emerging (meaning no malo) but with this one the malo does bring an interesting creaminess to the wine. The nose shows pure apple, grapefruit and pear notes with a dollop of cream. It’s ripe, pure and delicious on the palate with clean fruit and balancing acidity. A versatile food wine.
Coyote’s Run Red Paw Vineyard Chardonnay 2012 ($22, winery, 90 points) — This is a signature wine from Sheppard mostly for his use of 100% Hungarian oak in fermentation and barrel aging. The nose shows poached pear, some interesting smoky notes, grapefruit and toasty vanilla oak nuances. The fruit works well with the oak stylings on the palate and moderate acidity has been maintained. Delicious wine.
Coyote’s Run Five Mile White 2012 ($15, winery, LCBO, 87 points) — This blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer was inspired by a trip to Alsace Sheppard and Aubry took and has quickly become the winery’s most popular wine. The nose shows bright and cheery citrus, peach, lychee and apple fruit. It’s made a touch off-dry with sweet peach and apple flavours with a bit of spice.
Coyote’s Run David Sheppard Vintage 30 Gewurztraminer 2012 ($25, winery, 90 points) — A highly fragrant Gew with grapefruit, lychee, ginger, mango and lovely spices. The wine was cool fermented to 12.5% alcohol then the fermentation was arrested with cold temperatures in order to leave the desired amount of natural residual sweetness to balance the wine. It ends up being a nicely balanced wine, with juicy exotic fruits and interesting spice notes.
Coyote’s Run Pinot Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012 ($25, winery, 89 points) — The distinctive red Trafalgar clay loam of the Red Paw Vineyard is rather scarce in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. Formed by the weathering of the underlying Queenston shale bedrock, this soil is particularly old (450 million years). Stony, rich in iron (hence the red color), with little organic content, this soil is particularly infertile, and thus quite good for growing premium wine grapes. The nose shows black cherry, strawberry, and lovely spices. It’s quite rich on the palate with integrated red fruits, a silky feel and ripe tannic structure.
Coyote’s Run Black Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012 ($30, winery, 91 points) — The heavier, dark Toledo clay loam of the Black Paw Vineyard is more common in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is (relatively speaking) a newer soil (15,000 years old) that was formed from lake-bed deposits from glacial Lake Iroquois, the same lake that carved the Niagara Escarpment. The Toledo clay contains more organic matter than the Trafalgar clay, and as a result, this soil holds more water and has higher heat retention. It’s quite tricky to grow vines on this soil, but the resulting fruit develops distinct character. The nose shows concentrated black cherry, violets, cassis, strawberry with subtle spice and foraged morels. I love the balance on the palate to go with complexity and layers of interesting fruit and spice. More evident tannins here than the Red Paw. Funky Niagara Pinot with its own unique personality.
Coyote’s Run Rare Vintage Meritage 2010 ($40, winery, 91 points) — I first reviewed this wine over a year ago and can say after tasting it again, it is coming along nicely with a bit more integration of the fruit and spice. I would even cellar for 2-3 more years for maximum pleasure. 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. It has 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.
Coyote’s Run Rare Vintage Syrah 2010 ($33, winery, 92 points) — Classic cool-climate Syrah with a meaty nose of currants, cassis, mocha spice, pencil shavings and super-ripe cherry fruit. There is a lot going on the palate; roasted meats, earth, cherry-cassis fruit and spice that builds in momentum through the finish. A structured and delicious Syrah.
Coyote’s Run David Sheppard Vintage 30 Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (barrel sample, so no score, $30-$40, summer release) — This will be extremely limited when released later this summer. Sheppard says that the Cabernet Sauvignon that passed through the crusher in the fall of 2012 was the by far the best fruit he processed in that vintage. “It hit the mark,” he says. Indeed, from the barrel sample I tasted, this is going to be a wonderful Cab Sauv with ripe blackberry, graphite notes, currants, boysenberry and layers of oak spice made in a bold and structured style. This will turn some heads and change some minds about whether Niagara can produce interesting Cab Sauvs.
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