When I dragged my family to our new life in Niagara about six years ago, one of my first priorities was to find a local golf club where our son, 10 years old at the time, but already playing on a regular basis, could continue to hone his game.
Situated against the Niagara Escarpment, Rockway Glen Golf Club seemed to be the perfect spot. Not only was the course advertising for junior members, its layout meandered through sprawling vineyards, which, of course, got my full attention.
Rockway wasn’t just a golf club; it was also a winery. How cool is that? Two of my favourite things — golf and wine — all in one location! I immediately signed up our son and we couldn’t wait to play our first round.
While the course was perfect for a junior member, with its manageable holes, not a lot of water and a membership that seemed willing to accept younger golfers, the wine didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
It was as if the wine part of the golf course was an after thought and there wasn’t a whole lot to like other than a decent rose and average Riesling.
My son moved on to another golf course the next season and I really hadn’t given the wines a second thought.
Recently, however, the new winemaker at Rockway, David Stasiuk (left), reached out to see if I wanted to try his wines. He said he’d been busy working the vineyards and developing a program that took the wines from just OK to quite good in a range of styles. I was impressed with many of the wines now in the portfolio.
The winery has been rebranded and is now called Rockway Vineyards with a fresh look and, more importantly, a focus on quality wines made from the Twenty Mile Bench.
The golf course and vineyards are located between Jordan and St. Catharines, on the eastern border of the Twenty Mile Bench sub-appellation.
Stasiuk says Rockway’s vineyards (where I have deposited more golf balls than I care to remember) are situated in a unique micro-climate that shelters the vines from severe weather systems. It is also in a windy alley of the escarpment, which encourages airflow and healthier vines. The soils around the winery are rich in limestone, giving the wines a substantial mineral lift, he says.
The biggest change at Rockway is in the vineyards. Stasiuk has brought in extensive canopy management, reduced the crop yields and now picks the grapes on flavour instead of entirely on Brix (sugar content).
In the winery itself, Rockway has developed a new oak barrel program and is using a variety of premium cooperages.
The wines that are now being made at Rockway are a far cry from what I last tried over six years ago. The portfolio is substantial, perhaps a little unwieldy, as Stasiuk figures out what works best and how to harness all that new oak he has purchased.
I was impressed with his every day red and white, low alcohol and spritzy “Patio” wines and also the personable and mineral-driven Rieslings. On the red side, Stasiuk is on his way to a solid portfolio of Cabernet Franc, Syrah and red blends.
Here’s what I liked from the wines I tried recently:
Rockway Vineyards Patio 9 White 2011 ($13, 88 points) — This is a spritz style tasty treat made from mostly Vidal. I simply loved this from the moment I unscrewed the cap. It’s bright, lively and bursting with tiny bubbles and grapefruit, peach and lemon-lime. It’s light, with only 9% alcohol, but packs a lot of citrus flavour on the palate against a racy frame of fresh acidity. When I go back to play Rockway, I am going to tuck into a bottle of this or the equally delicious Patio 9 Pink. Who knew Vidal could be so delicious!
Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Riesling 2011 ($17, 89 points) — This is another star in the portfolio and I can safely say that the Riesling that used to be made at Rockway never tasted this good. This is seriously drinkable with a nose of lime, peach, mango and fresh minerals. It has a fair amount of residual sugar but it’s nicely balanced with high acidity and low alcohol (9%). It’s a lime bath on the palate with subtle peach and wet-stone minerality. Would love to retry this after a couple of years of bottle age.
Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Chardonnay 2011 ($19, 87 points) — Stasiuk admits to loving “creamy, rich” Chardonnays and this is exactly what he’s done with this wine that sees barrel aging in 100% French oak (25% new) and then nearly 100% of the juice undergoing malo-lactic fermentation with the lees stirred every two to four weeks for eight months. Yes, a big, creamy, buttery nose of pear, apple, butterscotch and wood vanilla spice. It’s quite spicy on the palate with poached pear, butter-cream and spiced apple notes to go with vibrant acidity. A big Chard that utilizes all the bells and whistles.
Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Syrah 2010 ($22, 90 points) — Syrah is a tough grape to handle in Niagara. You have to know what you are doing in the vineyard to coax the best out of this Rhone staple. Stasiuk has crafted a tasty and personable Syrah with currants, blueberry, black pepper, cigar leaf and dried figs on the nose. It’s a tightly wound red on the palate with blueberry pie, cocoa, Espresso bean and some cherry-raspberry fruit through the finish. Try tucking some in the cellar for a few years to see how it develops.
Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Cabernet Franc 2010 ($24, 88 points) — The Small Lot wines are chosen from the top few oak barrels, so the best of the best fruit. The 2010 vintage was a good one in Niagara, with a hot, dry summer that let the traditional Bordeaux red grapes reach perfect phenolic ripeness. The nose on this Cab Franc displays meaty-earthy raspberry, leather, cherry, roasted herbs, oak and spice. It’s classic Niagara Cab Franc on the palate with juicy red fruits, cocoa, subtle herbs and spices and good vibrancy and integration through a long finish. A cellar-worthy red.
Rockway Vineyards Small Lot Reserve Red Assemblage 2010 ($17, 88 points) — The blend is almost equal parts Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with the fruit spending 18 months in a blend of French and American new and older oak barrels. The aromas range from cherry-vanilla, spice and currants to earth, cedar and mocha. It’s a nice blend of red fruit flavours on the palate with earth, roasted Espresso bean and spices to go with firm tannins and length through the finish. Could stand some time in the cellar.
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