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Creekside Estate Winery’s ‘rebirth of a brand’

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Creekside winemaker Rob Power seems totally at peace with a portfolio that has been on a rollercoaster ride these past few years.

With its trimmed down and much more easily-managed production, a focused marketing plan (with distinctive new labels) and well thought out retails streams through the LCBO, Vintages, winery and wine club, Creekside is in a very good place right now with. All that, and Power still gets to play and experiment in his winery with whatever strikes his fancy.

“We’re focusing everything on what we do,” says Power on a gorgeous Niagara day sitting on The Deck, the comfortable back porch bistro at the winery. “It’s just been really cool, like a rebirth of the brand. We have our own identity now.”

pinkPower is essentially part of a two-person dynamo that makes Creekside tick. He handles the wine portfolio while Matt Loney (both seen in the top photo, and Matt below holding the bottle), the marketing whiz, gets the wine to market. It’s a perfect marriage of making and selling wines by committee, albeit, an unorthodox committee.

The winery’s new labels, now into their second vintage, are firmly established. It’s a simple and sleek design that just feels and looks right for this winery.

Power has built the winery’s foundation on a couple of key varieties — Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah — but also crafts some top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Viognier and Pinot Noir and a few other treats.

And this year, Power brought back a wonderful, small-batch rose made from Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the 2011 vintage. The last rose made at Creekside was 2007.

The rose was nearly gone when I visited Creekside last week, but, what a wonderful wine with blackberry, cherry and delicious meaty fruits. It’s kind of the antithesis to the bright pink label. It sells for $15 but you’ll have to ask at the winery if there’s any left.

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Here’s what’s new and what’s coming at Creekside:

Creekside Sauvignon Blanc 2011 ($14, winery now, Vintages soon, 88 points) — Power sources his fruit from three different vineyards for this “core” wine in the portfolio. It’s always consistently good and one of the top SB’s in Niagara at this price point. The nose shows grapefruit and gooseberry with a touch of kiwi and grass notes. It’s vibrant and fresh on the palate with citrus, herbs and vibrancy through the finish.

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Creekside Laura’s White 2010 ($19, winery, 90 points) — This is Creekside’s white assemblage and includes Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musque, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Power says he’s trying to mimic the style of white Bordeaux and wants to move to the more traditional Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend. The nose is gorgeous with tropical fruits, pear, floral notes and spice. The flavours are broad on the palate with grapefruit, tropical fruits, and a touch of vanilla and spice.

Creekside Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Creekside Estate Vineyard 2010 ($27, winery in the fall, 91 points) — This shows the opulence of the vintage with a lovely spicy nose to go with grapefruit, pear, gooseberry and citrus. It’s broad on the palate with juicy goodness and oak-inspired spices to match up with the poached pear, herbs, vanilla and tropical fruit flavours. Delicious.

Creekside Reserve Viognier Queenston Road Vineyard 2010 ($30, winery, 89 points) — Fantastic honey-floral nose with peach, apple and apricot aromas that jump from the glass. It’s creamy and ripe on the palate with pronounced tropical flavours that are nicely lifted by exotic spices. Only 69 cases made.

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Creekside Reserve Pinot Noir Qeenston Road Vineyard 2008 ($25, not released until 2013, 89 points) — I would prefer to taste this wine when it’s released next year, to give it time to all come together. It’s a big Pinot right now with meaty red fruits and an array of spices on the nose. The palate reveals cherry, raspberry, beetroot, earth and a firm bed of tannins. Should come more into balance with added bottle age.

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Creekside Estate Broken Press Syrah 2008 ($40, August release at the winery, 92 points) — Creekside’s top wine (when they feel it’s good enough to make) has always the Broken Press Syrah (previously called “Shiraz”). Power makes this wine by co-fermenting (see above photo provided by Creekside) about 5% Viognier (mostly skins) with the Syrah. The nose is gorgeous, very Rhone in style, with violets, roasted meats, currants, blackberries, plums and a hint of apricot and spice. The earthy, dark fruits are persistent in the mouth and lifted by a vein of acidity and spicy pepper notes. It’s a pure and racy Syrah, driven by fruit and not smothered in oak. Very well balanced and enjoyable. Power has slowly weaned this wine off new oak aging. Very little was used for this bottling and, for the 2010 vintage (there is no 2009 Broken Press) no new oak was used. This is one of the finest reds from the 2008 vintage I have tasted, by the way.

Creekside Undercurrent Shiraz-Malbec 2008 ($27, for club members in September, at the winery in October, 89 points) — A very different wine for Niagara with the Malbec and Shiraz co-fermented in demi-muid (600 litre) oak barrels. The nose is expressive with blackberry, blueberry, licorice and smoke built in an Old World style. Very earthy and firm on the palate with currants, anise, cracked black peppercorns with good acid and firm tannins. Would hold for a few years.

Creekside Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Queenston Road Vineyard 2007 ($35, winery, 91 points) — I am very curious to see how this wines evolves. It has the stuffing to improve in bottle for 10 years or more. Individual barrel assessment resulted in the selection of a blend featuring 100% French oak, 60% new with the remainder consisting of one-year-old and neutral barrels. The wine spent 31 months in barrel, giving it depth and maturity. The nose shows currants, plums and blackberry with traces of raspberry tart, blueberry and anise all bolstered by an array of toasted spices. It is gorgeous on the palate with the flavours just beginning to integrate with the oak. It’s firm, big, and powerful with the potential to evolve for many years to come.

Creekside Reserve Merlot Queenston Road Vineyard 2007 ($35, winery, 89 points) — This is NOT the kind of Merlot your momma drinks. Oh, no. The fruit for this “beast,” as Power calls it, was fermented in small batches with manual punchdowns of the cap followed by 31 months aging in predominantly American oak (50% new wood). Individual barrel selection yielded a nine-barrel blend with just 160 cases produced. It’s a big bruiser with aromas of plum, black cherry, barnyard-earth notes to go with toasted oak and swirling spices. This definitely needs time to all come into balance as the fruit is just starting to emerge from the oak, spice and tannins. Buy, hold and enjoy five or 10 years down the road.

Creekside Laura’s Red 2008 ($20, winery now, Vintages July 21, 88 points) — Another Creekside red that defies the 2008 vintage. The blend for this flagship premium red is from the Queenston Road Vineyard in St. Davids. It consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and just a touch of Syrah. The nose shows savoury red fruits, ripe plum, cassis, spice and smoky cedar notes. Raspberry dominates the palate with savoury spices, toasted oak and cedar notes. The wine features a core of vibrant acidity.

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Creekside Cabernet-Shiraz 2010 ($17, winery now, LCBO in August, 89 points) — This is the first vintage for this blend and a damn fine wine from the LCBO’s general list. It has a rich and spicy nose of black currants, blackberries, bramble bush, cherry and spice. The palate reveals ample tannins with the fruit to match. Look for lush black fruits, a hint of cherry-kirsch and plenty of pepper spice through the long finish. Can cellar for a few years.

Creekside Shiraz 2010 ($16, LCBO, 90 points) — A robust nose of black currants, plums, chunky blackberry jam, and black peppercorns. It’s built on a sturdy frame of tannins, plump black fruits, peppery spices and the acid to balance it all out. A great wine at a good price and another one that will do well in your cellar for a few years.