NewsNiagara Wine ReviewsTop Stories

Uncorking Niagara history: A rare tasting of 31 bottles of red wines dating back to 1980

alineup

They lived in dark, damp, cool cellars spread throughout Niagara and beyond most of their lives, passed over year after year, patiently waiting for their one moment in time to shine, to show us what they had become.

All they wanted was a chance to prove they were worthy.

SONY DSC

We gathered up these forgotten treasures from the past, a collection of 31 Niagara red wines from the 1980s and 1990s (and one or two from 2000 and 2002), and put them under a microscope of evaluation last month. I do not think anyone at this tasting was expecting too much from these fragile and old reds, but, my, oh, my, were we in for a surprise.

SONY DSC

Bill Redelmeier (above), proprietor of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Southbrook Vineyards, had this to say about the retrospective tasting:

“What an amazing tasting. I think everybody was amazed at the longevity and the quality of the wines poured. I don’t think anybody, when these wines were being made, expected to be able to enjoy them in 2016 … they were a testament to the foresight and the drive of the people that made them.”

SONY DSC

awide

We gathered, 17 of us, on March 18 at Thirty Bench Winery where winemaker Emma Garner hosted the event. The photos shown here were taken mostly (all the good ones!) by Wines In Niagara’s Michael Lowe, who was among the tasting group.

Old Niagara Red Wine Tasting from Rick VanSickle on Vimeo.

Each taster, ranging from winemakers to winery owners, industry enthusiasts and writers, brought old bottles from their own cellars to be opened and poured four at time over a few hours at Thirty Bench’s open and airy tasting room.

The wines were poured non-blind, from light-bodied to full-bodied and older to newer.

There were no rules. Taste, discuss and repeat.

alongline

aflight4

SONY DSC

Of the 31 wines opened, all corks pulled perfectly and only a couple of wines were corked with one or two otherwise flawed simply by the ravages of time.

The wines ranged from Pinot Noir to a surprising selection of Marechal Foch and Bordeaux single varieties and blends.

It was like tasting a two-decade-old history of Niagara red wines from the very beginning of the modern era in Canadian wines, to the dawn of vinifera as a viable option and a serious turn to quality winemaking.

SONY DSC

The oldest wine, kindly donated by Inniskillin founder and former winemaker Karl Kaiser, was the Inniskillin Marechal Foch 1980 (Kaiser also sent along an Inniskillin Pinot Noir 1986, Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 and Cabernet Reserve 1988 for us to taste). The newest wines were from 2002, an interesting look at Vineland Estate’s Reserve and regular bottlings of Cabernet Franc.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

And there were surprises: A full four-bottle set of single-vineyard Pinots from 1995 that highlighted the Funk Vineyard and was made by three different winemakers — the same grapes but the difference being the winemakers’ style, with one bottling a combination of the three.

We also got to taste Foch from three vintages: 1980, 1984 and 1987 that made us wonder why there is so little of this age-worthybeauty left in Niagara.

SONY DSC

SONY DSC

There was a horizontal of Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard reds from 1991, Trius Red in magnum, a Southbrook Farms Trillium 1995 (Trillium was the name Redelmeier had hoped would be Canada’s version of the California moniker for Bordeaux red blends, Meritage), and enough old reds from the top wineries, vineyards and winemakers of the day to offer a true retrospective of the foundation of winemaking style in the early days of a budding wine region.

apour

Said Derek Barnett (pouring wine, above), former winemaker at Lailey Vineyard and currently the winemaker at Prince Edward County’s Karlo Estates:

“It was an opportunity to be able to taste such amazing, mature wines from Ontario, a proud moment for all who were there to have been part of that history.

“The wines had all aged well and showed great elegance.” 

Some of Barnett’s highlights included:

Inniskillin Marechal Foch 1980 — So sweet and soft still with dried strawberry fruit;

Stoney Ridge Pinot Noir and Marynissen Pinot Noir 1995 — Both beautiful with some pretty red fruit and a little earthy funk;

Chateau des Charmes 1991s — They were really holding up well, especially the Cabernet Sauvignon with dark fruit, great structure and balance with some dry tannin. 

Barnett’s favourites were the Vineland Estate Meritage 1998 and Trius Red 1999. “But, having said that, all the 98s and 99s were showing so well and I would be happy to have them in my cellar for a few more years — if only!!!”

Some other comments from the tasters:

SONY DSC

J.L. Groux (above), winemaker at Stratus Vineyard and former winemaker at Trius:

“I think this built confidence in the winemakers present in our ability to create wines of international reputation that can age for decades. Hopefully, the world will find out as well.”

SONY DSC

David Sheppard (at right in this photo), winemaker at Coyote’s Run and who also worked closely with Karl Kaiser at Inniskillin in the early days:

“I was very impressed with how well a lot of those wines showed after such a long time in the bottle. I think that it was a good illustration of how reds need not be huge, over-ripe tannin monsters to be age worthy. I believe that the fact that we can fully ripen grapes in our climate and still maintain decent acidity in some respects actually gives us an advantage that is often overlooked.”

SONY DSC

Thomas Bachelder (above), winemaker of the Burgundy, Niagara and Oregon Bachelder wines, former winemaker at Le Clos Jordanne (RIP):

“So many worked before us … we’re blessed to taste these and understand better how they were made.”

SONY DSC

And, Brian Schmidt (above), winemaker at Vineland Estates:

“How fortunate were we! Tasting wines that form the foundation of the exciting industry we enjoy today. Understandably a few were past their prime, but the majority of the reds we tasted had gracefully withstood the test of time. Sharing comments about past vintage conditions and winemaking techniques while tasting the wines with other winemakers and enthusiasts will give me/us insight into managing future vintages. (It was) an invaluable opportunity.”

It should be noted, that the wines that were poured at this tasting, have been cellared longer than what was intended by the winemakers. I don’t think any winemaker would have wanted consumers to be holding 1980 Foch for 35 years or 1995 Pinots for longer than five to 10 years. If you have these wines in your cellar, it is time to get drinking them up!

SONY DSC

These are the wines we tasted (in the order they were poured, with notes on some of my favourites. Keep in mind, my notes got a little sketchy as we scooted through these wines and spent a lot of time discussing them):

aflight1

Stoney Ridge Funk Vineyard Pinot Noir Reserve 1995 — This was part of four-bottle set that was a bit of marketing genius at the time because it enabled each winery — Marynissen, Stoney Ridge and Lakeview — to be able to sell wines other than their own at their wineries. The idea was to take the same grapes, grown by Mary and Gunther Funk, and apply a unique winemakers’ stamp on each expression. The three winemakers, John Marynissen, Jim Warren and Eddy Gurinskas, each made their style of Pinot that ended up vastly different from each other’s. The fourth wine in the set was a blend of the three. The Stoney Ridge version by Warren showed incredible spicy, dried fruits and was still alive in the glass with slightly fading, but evident tannins. Quite enjoyable.

Lakeview Cellars Funk Vineyard Pinot Noir 1995

Marynissen Funk Vineyard Pinot Noir 1995

Three Guys Funk Vineyard Pinot Noir 1995

SONY DSC

Inniskillin Pinot Noir 1986 — Very similar to the Stoney Ridge Pinot above with a gorgeous nose, pretty dried fruits and silky tannins.

Chateau des Charmes Pinot Noir Paul Bosc Vineyard 1991

Inniskillin Marechal Foch 1980 — Like all the Foch at this tasting, a real eye-opener that this grape, mostly pulled from the ground now, stood the test of time so well. It has aged much like a Burgundian red, gracefully and with elegance. The oldest one from 1980 was still pleasurable with funky barnyard,some  faded fruit and soft and elegant on the palate. Both the 1984 and 1987 Foch showed more red fruits and lifted spice.

Inniskillin Marechal Foch 1984

aflight3

Inniskillin Marechal Foch Reserve 1987

Thirty Bench Tradition Crown Bench Vineyard Select 1997 (unoaked)

Inniskillin Cabernet Sauvignon 1985

Inniskillin Cabernet Reserve 1988

IMG_5295

Stoney Ridge Classic Cabernet 1989 — A nose of rich, red fruits like cherry and raspberry, lightly spiced, with depth, structure and evident tannins that still haven’t fully melted away.

Hillebrand Trius Red 1991 (in magnum) — A complex, integrated red blend (only the second vintage of Trius Red) with lively notes of cherry and blackberry that shows great pleasure, even now. Wines from 1991 were some of the best of the tasting.

IMG_5297

Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard 1991 — We enjoyed three 1991 reds from the famed Paul Bosc Vineyard. What a treat! These still showed plenty of pleasure 25 years after the grapes were grown. The common theme was the elegant oak spice through the varietals and depth of fruit flavours.

Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard Merlot 1991

Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard Cabernet Franc 1991

Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1991

Marynissen Cabernet Franc 1995

Southbrook Farms Trillium 1995

Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet-Merlot 1998

aflight7

Marynissen Marynissen Vineyard Merlot 1998

Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1998

Vineland Estate Rosemel Vineyard Meritage Reserve 1998 (in magnum) — Well before Hidden Bench’s Harald Thiel purchased the Rosemel Vineyard, Vineland Estate sourced this fruit for its Meritage. Absolutely delicious! Lovely black currants, nutmeg spice, harmonious flavours and still tannic structure.

Henry of Pelham Cabernet Merlot 1998 (in magnum) — This was gorgeous with beautiful, fully-integrated red fruits, barrel spices, sweet ripe tannins and a luxurious feel through the finish.

aflight8

Thirty Bench Red 1998 — Perfumed nose with rich red fruits, structure and elegance.

Henry of Pelham Cabernet Merlot Unfiltered 2000 (in magnum) — Such vibrant and expressive aromatics with rich spice notes and integrated tannins.

Trius Red 1999

Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet-Merlot 1999 — (Incidentally, the Wine of the Year at the 2001 Ontario Wine Awards and the first non-icewine to win wine of the year). Meaty and bold with a range of fruits still alive on the palate. The finish is smooth and silky.

aflght9

Thirty Bench Benchmark 2000

Vineland Estate Cabernet Franc Reserve 2002 — Really fine Cab Franc from this highly tannic vintage. The nose shows ripe red fruits, herbs and spice with good tannic structure and power.

Vineland Estate Cabernet Franc 2002