Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Our final winery visit in Napa Valley was to Joseph Phelps Vineyards, which makes some of the best wines in the world.  The winery, however, does not offer tours and tastings are by appointment only.  The entrance and reception was the most businesslike and least friendly of the wineries we visited (see Mondavi and Montelena) as if they are doing you a favour by letting you visit.  Of the two tasting packages available, we chose to sample 6 wines for $30 dollars each.  Although that may seem very expensive, you would have to spend $450 to buy those 6 bottles so it wasn't unreasonable to pay $30 to taste these wines.

Reception gave us each a glass, then escorted us out to the patio, surrounded by beautiful vistas of vineyards.  The serving staff were much friendlier and clearly very proud of their winery and its wines.  The servers had a very standard pour, though, of about 1.25 oz; no amount of schmoozing would get you extra wine here.  Actually, since any purchases are made back at reception on the way out, the servers aren't that connected to the sales function.  I suppose they expect (rightfully so) that the wine will sell itself.

Below are the highlights of our flight of 6 wines.  Each wine was far more complex than these notes indicate.

2012 Sauvignon Blanc, St. Helena, $35 - chemical nose, flowery palate, fuller bodied than most I've tried.

2011 Chardonnay, Freestone Vineyards, $55 - loved it, better than Montelena, brought 1 bottle home.  

2011 Pinot Noir, Freestone Vineyards, $55 - bright red colour, nose of sweet red cherry / pie filling and orange peel,  fantastic balance of acidity and tannin, spicy and juicy with a strong finish.

2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $65 - rated 94 by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, but needs another 10 years to soften the tannins.  Beautiful mid-palate flavour.  Brad loved it, Chris didn't, Brad drank Chris' glass!

2009 Insignia, $200 - Phelps' signature wine, this vintage rated 95 by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.  Tar, spice, sweet red apples.  Better than the cabernet sauvignon, but $135 better?

2011 Eisrebe, $50 - California's answer to icewine is to put the late harvest Scheurebe grapes in a freezer.  Honey, apricot, peach, orange blossom, a  hint of caramel and brilliant acidity.  

At checkout, we needed to purchase some extra wine-skins (wine bottle fitted bubble wrap for travelling) to keep the bottles we'd bought safe in our luggage on the plane.  Much to our delight, Joseph Phelps sells resealable wine-skins, which we'd never seen before.  The ones we usually buy are single use, but can usually be pushed to 2 or 3 uses.  We stocked up on these, knowing we'll never have to buy them again, and comforted by the fact that YOU CAN PUT NEW WINE INTO OLD WINE-SKINS AFTER-ALL!  

New Vintage Festival (Ridgepoint Wines)

After a disappointing start to the day, the people at Ridgepoint Wines really turned things around for us.  It had set up an area for passport holders and staffed it with a very knowledgeable and friendly host. I loved the little tidbits of information I picked up during this visit.  For example, the cabernet sauvignon grape is actually a cross-breed (most likely accidental) of sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc.  We also learned that a wine's eventual % alcohol can be approximated by its brix level divided by 2.  Sometime during our lesson, we managed to taste 2 red wines accompanied by venison sliders.  Carrie and Chris were a little hesitant to try venison, but were later glad that they did.  

The first wine, the 2009 Monticello Rosso (translation = "little hill") is an odd blend of some lighter reds and even a white.  (Sorry - I didn't record the exact blend but then couldn't find it on the winery's website later.)  It is served chilled, is very drinkable, and not at all dry.  Its fruity / berry flavor has an obvious Italian influence, like many of Ridgepoint's wines.  At $15 per bottle, this wine is good value.  It doesn't require food, but would go well with lots of antipasto dishes.  Although the venison was too big of a flavor for it, the wine picked up both the taste and the smell of the burger's tomato. 

The second wine, the 2007 Meritage, sells for $25.25, low for an aged Ontario red blend.  I enjoyed the musky smell of cigar smoke / wet leather.  Most of the flavor comes early and up front, though, and the finish is both short and weak.  I described the wine as poorly structured, because I experienced the whole taste at once and mostly in one part of the mouth.  Chris described it as too tannic.  Our host agreed with Chris on that note, suggesting that it would benefit from 2-3 more years of aging. (Apparently I can only detect tannin when it's either really young and chalky or really old and silky, recognizing nothing in between!)  This wine went very well with the venison, holding it's own against both the strong flavour and the fat content.  It was one of those mutually beneficial pairings where the combined flavour of the food and the wine is somehow better than either flavour on its own.

We will definitely return to Ridgepoint, probably for lunch, and to try their more unique wines.  As I mentioned, there is a strong Italian influence, and the winery actually grows and bottles its own sangiovese and nebbiolo, which I didn't think was possible in Ontario.  It also offers a white Cab Franc / Cab Sauv blend for $18, $4 cheaper than Hinterbrook's Franc Blanc. 

Graze the Bench (Organized Crime)

Graze the Bench is a very different wine event from those we typically frequent.  First, only the six wineries on the Beamsville Bench participate.  At each winery, you receive a full serving of your choice of two wines, paired with a light lunch.  The entire event is outdoors, and each venue hosts its own live music.  To top it off, the wineries are (mostly) close enough to walk between, and the new Beamsville Bench Vineyard Trail allows you to take the vineyard filled scenic route rather than the road.  Like most events in Ontario's wine country though, the event was poorly promoted.  We only knew about it because we'd seen the flyers during last year's Wine & Herb festival and knew to watch for it this year.

The Organized Crime Winery

As we approached the wine boutique to buy our event tickets, I grew concerned about my winery choice as some neighbourhood cats had clearly been having a turf war over the surrounding bushes.  Fortunately, though, the food and the band were on the other side of the building, where it smelled much nicer.  As Organized Crime doesn't have its own kitchen, it hosted a food truck, El Gastromundo Vagabundo, who served charcoal grilled chicken with guacamole and hot smoked pineapple habanero hot sauce with herb salad.  The food was yummy, but just a little too spicy for either of the wines - or any other wine I can think of for that matter!

So that we could try both wines on offer, Chris ordered the red and I the white.  The red, a 2011 blend called The Pipedown, went surprisingly better with the food, but it tasted more like sangria than it did a "classic Bordeaux style blend."  Its predominant features are its nose of black pepper, clove and vine-ripened tomatoes, and its already mellowing tannins.  We rated it an 82 without knowing the price as the bottle isn't listed on the winery's web page.  Realistically, I probably wouldn't buy this wine at any price, unless I wanted sangria in the first place!

The white, another 2011 blend  of gewürztraminer and viognier called The Mischief, was much more enjoyable.  Since I agree with the winery's tasting notes on this one, I'll copy them here; "Voluptuous, big and rich in both appearance and on the palate.  Very complex beginning with spice, ginger and a floral hint progressing to a bountiful ripe basket of tropical and stone fruits finishing with grapefruit acidity."  In my own notes, I commented that its a nice balance of crisp but full, and that my mouth was watering near the finish.  At a score of 85, I would pay up to $24 for this wine, which also is not listed on the company's web site.  I also remarked that I would rather have this white blend than those we tried at Stratus for Cuvee.  Overall the winery created a great atmosphere for the afternoon, with the help of a Latin inspired band, Los Caballeros del Son.  The music set a relaxed, festive tone but was not so loud as to prohibit conversation.  For that reason, although we did walk the trail and graze elsewhere, we came back to end our day there.

Cuvee at Strewn

The first time Chris and I visited Strewn Winery, we determined to return to taste its higher end wines.  So when it advertised it would be serving three of its Terroir wines, we made it the 4th stop of our Cuvee tour route.   Of course, we had already tasted 14 other wines before arriving, so the memories are fuzzy and the tasting notes nearly illegible.  (I'm noticing that my choices for quality pictures got pretty slim as the day went on too!)  The wines consisted of three different years of the "Strewn Three" red blend of cabernet sauvingon, cabernet franc, and merlot.  Strewn does not make this wine every year, depending on the growing conditions and the quality of the harvest.

2005 - The sommelier student who served us accurately described the nose as 'cigar box' - rich, thick, sweet and smoky.  The wine is exceptionally dry, but without tasting at all of chalk.  Its taste and body do not live up to what its nose promises.  Its finish was a tad too short and its brick-like colour suggested that it had passed its prime.

2007 - Jeff absolutely loved this wine!  According to the place mat (pictured left), "Aromas of plum and a minerality are found on the nose.  Flavours of cherry mingle with raspberry and plum on the palate.  Supple and silky tannins add to the full round character.  This wine from a stellar vintage year can be enjoyed now or allowed to develop through 2015."

2010 - Based on the description alone, I knew this wine was for me!  "Cedar, maraschino cherry, vanilla, eucalyptus and spiciness on the nose.  Maraschino cherry plays in the flavour with chocolate and a hint of tobacco and a desirable leather.  Structured tannins are well integrated.  Drinking well now but can cellar up to 2016."  The description is bang on, and I bought 4 bottles at $33 each - two of which were for other people.

In addition to the advertised tastings, we were also offered a sample of the pre-release 2011 Meritage.  When it is released this August / September, it will be a good buy for $19 / bottle and we'll definitely look for it again.

Niagara Wine Festival (Pillitteri / Bad Company)

You would think that I would have more time for wine tours and blogging during summer vacation, but apparently I needed my regular schedule of the school year to resume before I could get back into the swing of things.  This weekend is the first of two for the annual Niagara Wine Festival.  Last year, Chris and I checked out the festivities at the festival's hub, Montebello Park in St. Catharines, but we were sadly dissapointed by the predominantly trashy atmosphere and the remarkably inefficient ticket system for sampling wine.  This year we skipped the park altogether, opting for a $30 Discovery Pass and visiting three of the participating wineries.  Click here to see what this route has to offer, and note that you can buy a passport at any of those wineries, a fact that isn't entirely clear on the web site.

Usually when we plan a route, we pick a theme by visiting, say, three wineries serving the same varietal or three wineries all serving dessert.  For these two weekends, though, we're focusing on wineries we've never been to before and we're continually surprised at just how many of those there still are.  Pillitteri Estates Winery has been on our "to visit" list for quite some time due to its reputation for icewine, but it's just never fit into our touring theme before.  We have noticed that the parking lot is always busy, partially due to its prime location on Niagara Stone Road.  There are three different entrances and each gives a very different overall impression.  One opens to the casually elegant primary tasting bar, the next into an impressive showcase of awards and a hostess to direct you around, and the third into a country market / wine store.  Unfortunately, we entered through that last one which instantly reminded me of my distaste for Riverview Cellars.  After a brief walk around, though, the careful merchandising and professional staff convinced me that this setup was genuinely "shabby-chic" instead of just shabby. 

One thing still confused me; the wines on display in both retail areas ranged from $10 - $189 per bottle, but without the variety in between that such a range would imply.  Producing 100,000 cases per year, Pillitteri is neither a cottage industry like Maleta nor a mass producer like Magnotta.  It's interesting portfolio of wines suggest that it likes to experiment, but produce only what it is best at, and only then in large quantities.  It also takes the risk of extensively aging its Family Reserve label, its current offering a 2002 vintage.  (Honestly, though, when I think of what $189 would buy me in a French or Californian blend, I'm going to be hesitant to risk that much on what is, at least to me, still an unknown.) 

Moving onto the festival activities, Pillitteri offered two different options for Discovery Pass holders: the advertised gourmet grilled cheese with a choice of its mid-range red or white, or a sample of both the red and white from its Bad Company label with an antipasto plate.  (I can't recall any other wineries offering such a choice.)  We chose the latter of these as it was indoors, warmer and less crowded than the former!  Bad Company is Pillitteri's entry level wine, at $10 / bottle and with no vintage year indicated.  The upstairs tasting room was devoted to promoting this brand, with a fun, interactive photo area.  The servings were generous for a festival, and there were tables with seating to relax, enjoy and discuss. 

The Bad Company white is a blend of riesling and gewurztraminer.  It has a weak nose of lemon with a hint of mold.  It's taste is a very light, clean flavour of yellow grapefruit, but with a rather short, flat finish.  Although it is described as off-dry, I would put it on the dryer end of that.  However, the wine did provide a very nice background for all of the various flavours in the antipasto, and its hint of sourness disappeared with the food.  Chris and I agreed on a rating of 82 for this wine.

The red counterpart is a blend of pinot noir and merlot with a pleasant nose of very ripe, still dirty strawberries right off the bush.  Its mouth feel is pretty thin, but very smooth, or as Chris said, "nothing complex, but nothing offensive either."  The pinot noir is more evident than the merlot, and the flavour suggests sweet, ripe tomatoes and, again, strawberries.  It's finish is more pronounced and a little longer than its sister's.  Again, this wine nicely offset the accompanying food, earning a rating from both of us of 83. 

Although these wines wouldn't really fit into our usual style, I have been to several events that serve a generic red and white, perhaps with a bottle of each on every table, and these two are better, and likely less expensive, than several I've had in that context.  I also figure that if that's what Pillitteri can do for $10, I'm certainly interested in trying some of its higher end offerings.

F'ing Winery Tour (Fielding Estate)

Seriously. That is the actual name of this annual event co-hosted by Fielding Estate, Featherstone Estate and Flat Rock Cellars, three F-named wineries all in the Niagara Escarpment regional appellation. A $10 passport buys you two wine tastings at all three of the wineries, each accompanied by a crostini topped with a local cheese and well paired example of Killer Condiments.



We had driven by our first stop, Fielding Estate Winery, several times en route to East Dell Estates, but had never stopped in. Situated right on the Beamsville Bench, Fielding's sleek facility almost looks like a modern Swiss ski lodge built on the side of a mountain. After the long driveway, you turn behind the building and enter the second story from the back, to be greeted with panoramic windows overlooking the sloping vineyards. This first room features the regular tasting bar and the very well organized wine boutique. The other half of the building houses the 2 story casks surrounded by a catwalk, where the passport tastings were held.

The crostinis at this stop were topped with Ermite Bleu cheese and Killer Condiments' maple-caramelized onions. The first wine, a sparkling riesling, really picked up the maple, and brought out the smoky flavour of the onions. It also stood up surprisingly well to the blue (albeit mild) cheese. I wouldn't usually think to serve a sparkling wine with an appetizer, but this one would certainly work.  On it's own, the wine struck a nice balance between the sweet riesling grapes and the dry bubbles, with no obvious taste of alcohol. Its nose was weak, but its palate carried a refreshing taste of citrus.

The second wine, Fielding's 2009 Red Conception is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.  I have stayed away from blends on this blog because I was worried the tastes would confuse me and I wouldn't learn anything useful.  However, as soon as I tried this one, I immediately tasted the advantage.  Until now, to get away from the harsh woody flavours of cabernet sauvignon, I have been favouring milder reds like cab franc and pinot noir;  the blended approach allows you to keep the cabernet sauvignon flavour but tone it down with the merlot.  The nose on this wine was decidedly weak, and we had to swirl a lot to get a decent whiff of what we think was cedar.  The aromas, like the flavours, were very muted.  This wine also picked up the maple flavour and nicely complimented the Ermite Bleu, but was slightly overpowered by the strong taste of the onions.