Chateau des Charmes (Day 1 of Wine and Chocolate)

Chateau des Charmes was our final stop on day 1, and ended our search for a cab franc to rival our current favourite. If you haven't already, read more about how the day started. Otherwise, here's how it ended ...

Keep in mind that this was the 5th wine we'd tasted in about 2 hours, which might explain the ensuing confusion. The cab franc we tasted instantly identified itself as a contender to Tawse. We thoroughly enjoyed the taste, enthusiastically chatting about it much more than usual, but all I wrote down was cocoa, prune, bell pepper, and more tannin (compared to Ravine Vineyard). In hindsight, I'm not sure how much of that was describing the taste versus the smell. We promptly decided to buy 2 bottles to consume alongside the Tawse, once in the near future, then once again after a few years, and we were shocked when we got to the boutique to discover that the price on this wine is only $13.95.

Here's the problem; I'm not actually sure which vintage we tasted. When I started writing this, I checked my touring pass to make sure I would get all the names correct.  It lists the winery's 2008 Estate Bottled Cabernet Franc.  Panicked, I ran upstairs to the wine fridge, confirming that we'd actually bought the 2009 instead, but I distinctly remember verifying with the boutique staff that this was what we had tasted.  Then I checked the winery's website, and found that only the 2009 is available for purchase.  So, either Chateau des Charmes was showcasing a wine that it no longer actually sells, or there was a typo in the touring pass.  Either way, the winery has a good reputation for cab franc; I found an exceptional review of the 2007 at OntarioWineReview.com. 

This is definitely a winery worth further investigation, both for its high quality and for its low prices.  Chris also wants me to clarify that my lower ranking for its atmosphere only reflects on how much we liked Pondview and Ravine Vineyard, and not on any defect of Chateau des Charmes.  The estate mansion is both spacious and opulent with several rooms available to host simultaneous functions.  The rooms also function as gallery spaces with local artwork on display and available for purchase.  You might perceive a certain country-club stuffiness, but the staff work to avoid this; there is a greeter at the front door to help navigate the various wings and staircases and our server, a delightfully friendly French-Canadian woman, kept things refreshingly down to earth.