By Rick VanSickle
A rare opportunity awaits Niagara wine lovers this weekend as Flat Rock Cellars opens its cellar for an eye-popping back-vintage sale.
Also in this Ontario Wine Report: The County’s Last House creates first Pinot Gris from Niagara fruit, and Nyarai Cellars is back with two tasty wines.
Over 90 different bottlings from vintages as far back as 2003 will be available at the winery over three days — Dec. 6 to 8 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. — at prices ranging from $10 to $60. “The goal is to have something for everyone,” said the winery’s business development manager Jacob Glantz.
Glantz said that the idea for the sale came about a few months ago when “we did a deep clean of our warehouse in preparation for harvest. It was the first reorganization of this magnitude in ages, and we discovered several gems that had been tucked away for safe keeping — small in number, but wines we were excited to see again and eager to taste.”
Glantz noted that there will be some “significant discounts, but the more exciting part for wine lovers is the access to taste and buy dozens of back-vintage wines — including some that we are no longer able to be produced (i.e. estate Syrah).”
The sale is first-come, first-served, so the Flat Rock team suggests you plan to arrive early on any of the three days of the sale that features hidden gems, unique bottles and many wines that are no longer in production.
Wines in Niagara was part of a group of writers invited for a pre-tasting last week of a small selection of some of the wines available for sale. Here’s what we uncovered:
Flat Rock Riesling 2005 and 2009
The 2005 Riesling, the oldest vintage of that variety being offered in this sale, was one of the most impressive tasted of the wines we previewed. The vintage overall was disastrous, not for the quality but notable due to an extremely cold winter that killed any hope for a healthy vintage, with more than half of the vintage wiped out. Many producers didn’t have enough wine to sell and suffered hefty financial losses. The irony of the vintage was that, even with a tiny crop, what was grown ended up being pretty good. This one is still showing freshness and hanging in there. Lots of sweet ginger and petrol notes with gushing lime.
The 2009 bottling (now bottled under the Nadja’s Vineyard label) was fading a bit but still showed some elegance, honey, stone fruits and interest for those curious to experience an older Riesling from a good vintage.
Flat Rock Chardonnay 2006, Seriously Twisted
2017 and Rusty Shed Chardonnay 2008
The 2006 vintage was on the cooler side but the mood in Niagara was upbeat as vines recovered from the terrible winter kill of 2005. It was a decent year for Chardonnay, which thrives in the colder vintages. This is still hanging on with notes of pear, honey and lanolin. If purchasing, best to drink up sooner rather than later.
The Seriously Twisted 2017 bottling is a blend of mostly Chardonnay with Riesling, Pinot Noir and Gewurztraminer from a decent vintage. It’s still very much alive and with age has accentuated the quirkiness of the blend. A curiosity worth pursuing.
The Rusty Shed Chardonnay 2013 is from a cooler vintage and very much alive with vibrancy, wet stones, pear, apple, citrus fruits and mouth-watering acidity.
Flat Rock Gewurztraminer 2012
and Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2013
Both the Gews here — the regular bottling and the sweeter late harvest — were quite lovely. The 2012 from a super warm vintage has a persistent nose of lychee, grapefruit and ginger with a rounded finish, while the late harvest is showing lovely tertiary notes of honey, marzipan, lychee and vibrancy on the finish.
Flat Rock Unplugged Chardonnay 2006
This unoaked Chardonnay was another star of the tasting. Still fresh and lively with a melange of stone fruits lifted by racy acidity.
Flat Rock Pinot Noir 2009, Gravity Pinot Noir 2011,
Red Twisted 2017 and PTG Monolith Series 2021
All of these vintages were on the cooler side, a good thing for Pinot Noir. The 2009 Pinot was a surprise with a big nose of red berries and spicy wood notes. The Gravity 2011 is expressive, bright, fragrant and fruity with soft tannins and freshness hanging on for dear life on the finish. The Red Twisted is, unbelievably, still evolving with rich, deep, savoury red berries and a vibrant finish. The PTG from the Monolith series is a Pinot Noir/Gamay blend that is only now in its prime with a savoury, wild, untethered profile with dark berries, plums and mouth-watering acidity. Probably the only wine I tasted that can still benefit from cellaring.
At the end of the day, the pre-tasting of these treasures offered a glimpse of the past and an opportunity for wine lovers to taste wines that have been perfectly cellared at the source to see how they evolve over time. It’s both educational and interesting, and all at prices that seem quite reasonable. Happy hunting!
Nyarai Cellars honours legacy of
managing partner who died of cancer
Veteran winemaker Steve Byfield, above, launched his virtual project Nyarai Cellars16 years ago and quickly gained a following. As a négociant, Byfield gives careful consideration to what sub-appellations in Niagara he sources his fruit from to create wines that are of “distinct character and elegance.”
For the past seven years, Byfield has been involved with two winery projects in the new emerging wine region of Huron County. The region currently boasts four wineries situated between Clinton/Goderich, to Grand Bent. His current projects are 2nd Streetlight Estate Winery (outside Goderich) and Cornerfield Wine Company in Bayfield. “The region itself seems to be in the midst of a renaissance movement as it relates to other beverage proprietors such as breweries and cider operations,” said Byfield.
As for Nyarai, the brand has been out of the spotlight since early last summer after managing partner and Byfield’s confidant, Sharon Little (above), lost her three-year battle to breast cancer. “Sharon’s involvement goes back to the conception of the virtual label in 2008, following the inspirational ventures of the Charles Baker virtual Riesling project and 2027 Cellars,” said Byfield. “The immeasurable loss of a close friend forced me to step back and to re-evaluate the company’s goals,” he told Wines in Niagara. “Shortly before her passing I made a promise to Sharon to keep the brand moving forward and as such, our next chapter will be honouring her legacy.”
Byfield, who makes his wines at West Avenue Cider in Freelton, is just now releasing a couple of wines, the first new wines in almost seven months. His Cadence red blend and Folklore sparkling wines are staples in his portfolio and are back with the 2021 vintage. Here’s what we liked:
Nyarai Cellars Folklore Sparkling 2021 ($27, both wines reviewed are available here, 90 points) — Probably safe to say that there is no other winery in Ontario making a charmat style sparkling wine that combines Vidal Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Viognier. But Byfield’s recipe somehow all comes together to provide a fun, unique style of bubbly. The nose shows lemon biscuit (there must be some lees aging going on here), pear, green apples, kiwi, herbaceous notes, citrus zest with a gentle bead in the glass. It has lovely texture, a melange of orchard fruits, citrus zest, wild herbs, baked brioche and a perky, finessed finish.
Nyarai Cadence 2021 ($26, 92 points) — The blend for the 2021 Cadence is 37% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Malbec. This Bordeaux-style red blend has a rich, savoury and persistent nose of black raspberries, dark cherries, anise, blackberries, damp earth, and elegant spice notes. It shows a well-integrated melange of red and dark berries on the palate with aniseed/licorice, earthy/savoury notes, ripe tannins (but not grippy), toasted vanilla bean, cocoa and spice followed by mouth-watering acidity on a long, lingering finish. Can cellar to 2030.
Last House turns to Niagara for this Gris
The 2023 vintage at the Last House Vineyard in Prince Edward County was one of significant rain and disease pressure. As a result, only a half crop was achieved. To supplement estate grown fruit, a decision was made by owner André Gagne to purchase Niagara fruit to make their first “négoce” wine. The challenge was how to make a Last House wine from fruit they did not grow.
Last House Vineyard Midnite Négoce Pinot Gris 2023 ($26 available here, 92 points) — Last House proprietor Gagne and veteran County consultant Geoff Heinricks have a proven record for making unique, soulful wines from the small estate vineyard in Hillier. Every step is meticulously hands on, well researched and conducted with as little intervention as possible. They apply that philosophy to this Niagara sourced Pinot Gris with an eye toward the best examples of this grape made in Oregon. The fruit was sourced from Kevin Watson’s vineyard in Niagara’s Four Mile Creek sub-appellation. Fermentation was done in 225 litre oak barrels using a “pied de cuve” wild yeast starter drawn from estate grown Chardonnay. “This worked extremely well,” said Gagne. The wine was aged in barrel for 11 months and bottled by hand. The label design was done by local artist Rosalie Maheux and “reflects our goal to clearly state that this wine was not grown on the estate.” It’s a very different style than what we normally see in Ontario. It has a vivid nose of white peach, guava, apricot, nectarine, lemon curd and elegant spice notes. It has a creamy texture on the palate with subtle reductive/flinty notes followed by ripe tropical fruits, peaches, apricot tart, flint, spice box and citrus zest on a rounded, layered finish.
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