Henry of Pelham Riesling Icewine 2014
VQA Niagara Peninsula $49.95 (430561) 375 mL 9.5% alcohol
This is a Vintages Essentials wine always stocked on shelves in select LCBO stores. Aromas of buckwheat honey and ripe juicy nectarine mingle with nutty notes and minerality on the nose. It bathes the palate with a gorgeous wash of peel marmalade, lemon curd and blood orange. It’s medium weight with generous mouth feel and a monumentally lengthy finish and aftertaste. Riesling is considered by many to the make premium icewine and Henry of Pelham is a premium producer—an unbeatable combination here. (Vic Harradine)

   
Kevin O’Leary Fine Wines ‘Trevor - Family Reserve’ Cabernet Franc 2012
VQA Niagara Peninsula $29.00 (421347) 13.5% alcohol
Named for his son, Trevor, this Kevin O’Leary—of Dragon’s Den fame—Cabernet Franc leaps from the glass with heady aromas of campfire smoke, piquant spice and graphite. It coats the palate with endless waves of red and black currant interlaced with grilled herbs and pie cherry. It has good purity of fruit, deft balance and lip-smacking tang. There’s good weight and smooth texture while finishing in a blaze of solid dark fruit flavour, good acidity and interesting notes of earthy, forest floor. How good is that? (Vic Harradine)

   
Vineland ‘Elevation – St. Urban Vineyard’ Riesling 2014
VQA Twenty Mile Bench $19.95 (38117) 8.0% alcohol
Sourced from 35-year-old, 21-B Weiss clone vines, famously brought over from Weingut St. Urbans-Hof in Mosel, Germany by Hermann Weis; this is unfettered joy. Piquant aromas of lime, steely mineral notes and apple pierce the air. It streaks over the palate with wild abandon, lemon rind and white grapefruit pith garnished with honey-drenched mango and nectarine. It’s off dry and terrific now continuing to evolve over the next few years—good value and not to be missed. Pour with butter chicken, garlic naan and steamed rice. (Vic Harradine)