New winemaker, new wines at Kacaba, plus Southbrook’s big wine offer

By Rick VanSickle

There’s a new sheriff in town at Niagara’s Kacaba Vineyard and Winery.

Note, also in this Ontario Wine Report: A lovely textbook Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and Southbrook Vineyards unveils chef-signed wine collection to honour Canadian culinary stars.

Chris Robinson, above, took over the head winemakers’ job in June of last year, replacing Vadim Chelekhov, who moved to over to Palatine Hills Estate Winery. Robinson’s impressive resume includes stints at Le Clos Jordanne, Chateau des Charmes, Lundy Manor Wine, Good Earth, Leaning Post and many other wineries.

He now presides over an impressive and deep portfolio of wines at Kacaba, a premium, craft winery nestled on the Twenty Mile Bench and known for crafting a range of Bordeaux-style reds and Syrah, among other white varieties and blends.

Wines in Niagara recently tasted a selection of new Kacaba wines the winery has earmarked for various Vintages releases coming up this year. Here’s what we liked:

Kacaba Reserve Riesling 2023 ($24, winery, 92 points) — From the “Sustainable” series at Kacaba, this Lincoln Lakeshore sourced Riesling is finished in an off-dry style at 8 g/l of RS. It has a racy/steely nose of fresh saline, white peach, lemon, green apples, wet stones and pear skin. Rousing acidity gives the wine a dry impression on the palate with lovely freshness, peachy/pear/quince fruit, slate minerality, a touch of honey, citrus, kiwi and a lifted, intense finish. Can cellar this through 2030 for more pronounced minerality and petrol notes.

Kacaba Jennifer’s Pinot Gris 2023 ($24, winery, 89 points) — The “Summer Series” Pinot Gris grapes are sourced from the Short Hills Bench and Four Mile Creek. It shows a light golden colour in the glass with vivid aromas of bin apples, nectarine, honeydew melon, peach preserves and apricot. It’s dry on the palate with crisp orchard fruits, melon, and apricots with electric acidity keeping it lively through the fresh finish.

Kacaba Proprietor’s Block Vineyard Syrah 2021 ($35, winery this spring, 92 points) — Aged in French and American oak for 14 months, this single-vineyard, estate wine is a classic old school Syrah with a peppery/meaty nose, rose petals, wild raspberries, anise, kirsch and fine oak spices. It’s meaty on palate with earthy/savoury notes, cracked black pepper, black currants, licorice, brambly raspberries, and spices on a lifted, finessed finish. Can cellar through 2031.

Kacaba Cabernet Franc 2021 ($35, winery, 91 points) — The estate Cabernet Franc from the “Escarpment Series” is aged in French and American oak for 12 months. It shows a lighter colour in the glass due to the difficult vintage but shows a textbook CF nose of brambly red berries, wild herbs, anise, floral notes and spice. The fruits on the palate lean more toward the dark berries of anise and black currants with savoury red berries playing a supporting role. There’s a touch of cedar smoke, herbs and spice with a smooth texture and a polished, fresh finish. Can cellar through 2031.

Kacaba Meritage 2021 ($35, winery, 90 points) — Aging was in a combination of French and American oak for 17 months. It, as well, shows a lighter shade of red in the glass. The blend is 41.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33.5% Cabernet Franc and the rest Merlot. The CS struts its stuff on the nose with blackberries, anise, plums and savoury/earthy notes followed by subtle brambly red berries and fine oak spice. It’s juicy on the palate, if a bit lighter bodied than previous vintages, with earthy/savoury notes, dark berries, kirsch, smooth tannins, dark chocolate, aniseed and a finessed, long finish. Can cellar through 2032.

A lovely Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand

Wines in Niagara occasionally reviews international wines that are sent to our office for possible review. This smart, classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc arrived at Vintages stores in December and consumers can still find on LCBO shelves throughout Ontario. Here’s our review.

Stoneleigh Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($17, Vintages stores now, 90 points) — This is a classically styled Sauvignon Blanc from the famed Marlborough wine region in New Zealand, crafted from certified organic grapes and vegan friendly, that has a vivid, sharp opening that’s redolent in grapefruit, kiwi, lemon verbena, racy acidity and lifted wild herbs. It tastes like summer on the palate with lovely grapefruit/citrus notes, integrated herbs, passionfruit, kiwi, and racy acidity through a vibrant, lifted finish. A delight and crafted in that style that made the world fall in love with NZ Sauvignon Blanc.

Southbrook Vineyards unveils chef-signed wine
collection to honour Canadian culinary stars

Niagara’s Southbrook Vineyards has released a limited-edition wine collection signed by award-winning Canadian Chef Keith Pears, and Southbrook’s founder, Bill Redelmeier. 

The Southbrook limited edition Chef’s Canada Collection celebrates the winery as the official wine partner of Chef’s Canada and honours its team that competed at the Bocuse d’Or Finale at the Sirha in Lyon, France, this past Monday, led by Chef Pears.

The collection includes magnum bottles of the 2020 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2020 Estate Merlot, and 2020 Poetica Red, presented in a wooden box and is signed by Redelmeier (below) and Pears. Only 50 sets are available online, HST-exempt until Feb. 15, at a price of $442. From each sale, $100 will go to support Team Canada at the Bocuse d’Or. You can order the set here.

“Representing Team Canada at the Bocuse d’Or is an incredible opportunity to continue striving for perfection in my craft,” said Chef Pears, who hails from Vancouver but resides in Toronto, and is Canada’s Bocuse d’Or candidate. “I’m thrilled about the partnership with Southbrook Vineyards because they share a similar philosophy — approaching their work with thoughtfulness, a dedication to small-batch winemaking, and a focus on the health and vitality of their vineyards.” 

Bocuse d’Or was founded in 1987 by legendary French Chef Paul Bocuse and is recognized as the world’s most competitive culinary event. It’s a prestigious platform for nations to spotlight their unique culinary heritage and terroir, while showcasing gastronomical innovation from next generation chefs. 

“We deeply admire the passion, precision, and extraordinary skill that Chefs Canada and Team Canada bring to their preparation for the Bocuse d’Or. It’s an honour to support Chef Keith Pears and his team on their inspiring journey toward gold,” said Redelmeier. 

Team Canada placed in the Top 10 out of 24 countries.

The wines

Wines in Niagara has tasted and reviewed the three wines in the collection when tasted in 750 mL bottles. While the collection includes three magnums, the reviews should represent a fair assessment of the wines.

Southbrook Poetica Red 2020 ($70, 96 points) — Poetica wines are only made in the what the winemakers feel are the best vintages for the style of wine they want to present to consumers. There was no Poetica Red in 2017 or 2018, and winemaker Casey Hogan is still assessing the potential for 2021 while 2022 is a definite yes. The winemaking team, now led by Hogan (previously Ann Sperling), carefully chooses the best grapes from the estate’s biodynamic and organic vineyards, and then picks from the best barrels for the Poetica. The 2020 blend is 58.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29.5% Merlot, 6.9% Petit Verdot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Clusters were sorted and whole berries were fermented in micro-cuvee lots in open top new French oak barrels. Post-processing, the lots were returned to the barrels for aging. After 18 months, individual barrels were tasted, assessed, and blended. After pressing, the lots were returned to the barrels for 13 months of aging. The blended wine received an additional five months in oak barrels (30% new oak). I tasted this wine with Hogan at the winery un-decanted and then tasted it again 24 hours later and then 24 hours after that to get a more complete picture of where it is going. I can confidently tell you; it’s going to the moon! This is a stunner of a wine. It has an intoxicating nose of brambly raspberries, black currants, dark cherries, jammy cassis, violets, blackberries, sweet cedar, and an elegant array of spices. It’s mouth-filling on the palate with a generous array of ripe red and dark berries, grippy tannic structure, subtle savoury notes, gorgeous fine oak spices that all comes at you in layer after layer. It has remarkable balance for such a young wine, and a vibrant, finessed finish that lasts for minutes. It shows incredible restraint and elegance for such a blockbuster of a wine. You need this in your cellar, but find a cool, dark place and forget a bottle or two for 20+ years. Your children will thank you later.

Southbrook Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 ($48, 93 points) — The wine spends 18 months in French oak barrels (50% new oak). If any grape variety benefited the most from the hot 2020 vintage, it is Cab Sauvignon, especially in the warm Four Mile Creek sub-appellation. We will see some long-lived wines coming from this vintage, especially from the bolder reds. This is a delight on the nose with plump blackberries, black currants, cassis, dark cherries, dried tobacco, and baking spices. It’s built on a solid bed of tannins with thick and pronounced dark berries, kirsch, licorice, earthy accents, cedar, and lovely spices in a mouth-filling style that benefits from racy acidity on a long, long finish. Can cellar to 2030 or beyond.

Southbrook Estate Merlot 2020 ($48, winery now, 92 points) — The estate Merlot spends 18 months in French oak barrels (30% new oak). The nose shows dense dark cherries, ripe raspberries, cassis, plums and elegant oak spice notes. It’s juicy and concentrated on the palate with an array of red berries leading the charge followed by cassis, anise, a touch of earthiness and fine oak spices. The ripe, plush tannins provide structure for the luscious fruits along a lifted and long finish. This is a classic example of the 2020 vintages working its magic on the bolder red wines of Niagara. Can cellar 7+ years.

About Chefs Canada

Devoted to inspiring culinary excellence, Chefs Canada has a mission to promote Canadian cuisine, terroir, producers, ingredients and products here at home as well as abroad, doing our part to create a sustainable and profitable culinary scene. Its strong network counts some of the country’s best chefs and top industry professionals. Chefs Canada works to shine the spotlight on the industry to further define and promote its cuisine through global competitions and partnerships. The organization is strongly rooted in its desire to unite, share and transmit our mutual expertise, techniques and savoir-faire among Canadian chefs but also with the next generation, creating a demand and standard for Canadian gastronomy on the world stage.

About Chef Keith Pears

Hailing from Vancouver and born into a family of chefs, Keith was destined to become immersed in the culinary field from a young age. After enrolling in culinary school at the age of 19, Pears quickly developed his skills in the kitchen and worked his way up the ranks throughout the years to master his craft. In 2017, he moved to Toronto to take on the title of executive chef at Delta’s flagship hotel. There, Keith played an instrumental role in shaping the hotel’s culinary excellence through his limitless creativity before opening Toronto’s first W Hotel. He was recently appointed executive chef at Accencis Group. By winning the Bocuse d’Or National Selection, Pears was elected leader of the Canadian team and represented Canada’s Culinary excellence at Bocuse d’Or Finale on Jan. 27.