Vintages Release: May 15, 2021
• Fruit for the following 2019 Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Red Tail Merlot’ was harvested and optically sorted before being cold soaked for 5 days on skins. It was then fermented with commercial yeast in the winery climate-controlled cellar and underwent 100% malo-lactic conversion before being matured for ten months in French oak barrels—Tonnellerie Sirugue – Nuits Saint Georges. All Featherstone wines are sustainably grown and fashioned.
91
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Red Tail Merlot’ 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (131540) 12.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of dark cherry/berry fruit, dark bittersweet chocolate and charred wood smoke abound. It blankets the palate with piquant spice, ripe dark cherry and sweet black plum interwoven with perceptible, yet acceptable, ripe tannin dryness on the tongue and cheeks—easily ameliorated with a two-hour aeration decant. This is medium-plus bodied with good mouthfeel and plenty of ripe fruit flavour to balance the tang. It finishes lengthy and mouth-watering. Pour with your favourite grilled meat—gourmet sausage, burgers, steak or roast beef. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: May 15, 2021
• The following 2020 Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Phoenix’ Gewürztraminer was sourced from 100%, 17-year-old gewürztraminer vines, clone 17 on S04 rootstock. Fruit was picked, crushed/destemmed, cold soaked and pressed then fermented with commercial yeast strain X5 under controlled fermentation temperature set for 15 °C then racked off gross lees immediately following fermentation. This wine showcases the dazzling 2020 vintage in Ontario.
92
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Phoenix’ Gewürztraminer 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $18.95 (519025) 13.5% alcohol
This has a pink-bronze hue in the glass while aromas of rosewater jump from the glass interwoven with tinned lychee fruit—they are preserved in a liquid that contains rosewater. Palate flavours of blood orange and peel marmalade are joined by apricot jelly and hints of Turkish delight confectionary. This is a match made in heaven when served with a baked, bone-in ham glazed with a mixture of brown sugar and maple syrup with powdered ginger root and a few lines of cloves pierced into the ham. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: May 15, 2021
91
Wakefield ‘Estate Label’ Clare Valley Riesling 2019
Clare Valley, South Australia $16.95 (301523) 12.0% alcohol
Lifted aromas of mint and mineral provide segue to a tang-infused surge that tingles the tongue and palate with bracing acidity carried along on lemon juice and lime cordial that achieve balance and lip-smacking enjoyment. It’s medium weight with good texture and flavours of honey dew melon and citrus on the back palate and aftertaste. Pour with pan-seared freshwater fish or grilled and breaded calamari rings. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: June 12, 2021
• The following Fess Parker ‘Marcella’s White Wine 2017 was sourced from three vineyards in Santa Ynez Valley—44% Camp Four Vineyard/31% Rodney’s Vineyard/ 25% Vogelzang Vineyard. The grape blend is 47% viognier/38% grenache blanc/12% roussanne/3% marsanne. Fruit was 73% barrel fermented then aged nine months in one-year and older French oak, pre-loved barrels.
91
Fess Parker ‘Marcella’s’ White Wine 2017
Santa Barbara, California $21.95 (17580) 14.1% alcohol
Piquant, lifted aromas of honeydew melon, white flowers and ginger root abound. It surges over the palate with a resounding river of rollicking flavours with orange and lemon peel marmalade, apricot, nutty notes and sweet vanilla bean to the fore. It finishes with replays of palate flavours that become crisp and refreshing on the finish and aftertaste. Pour with green curry chicken.
Vintages Release: June 12, 2021
• Quino is a native word meaning ‘between two rivers’. The following 2019 Viña William Févre ‘little Quino’ Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from Chile’s southernmost vineyards and a relatively new growing area. The juice was fermented when still a bit cloudy to capture more mouthfeel and texture and was kept at a slightly higher fermentation temperature to capture and preserve more primary aromas. It was fermented with selected yeasts.
87
Viña William Févre ‘little Quino’ Sauvignon Blanc 2019
D.O. Malleco Valley, Chile $15.95 (17609) 11.8% alcohol
Aromas of flinty minerality, musk melon and sprigs of herbs dominate the nose of this 100% sauvignon blanc. It rolls over the palate with a line of bracing acidity expressed as flavours of lemon, mineral notes and white grapefruit from first to last drop and is persistent through the finish and aftertaste. This is medium weight with good texture and pours well with pan-seared freshwater fish under a squeeze of fresh lemon or sushi. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: June 12, 2021
• The following 2020 Flat Rock Cellars ‘Pink-Twisted’ is an inspired blend of 33% Gamay/33% Riesling/33% Gewürztraminer that showcases the dazzling 2020 vintage of Ontario VQA wines. It was picked at a fairly low Brix level—the amount of sugar in the unfermented grapes that when fermented made up this wine—that retained the natural tangy acidity that eventually matched up with the natural residual sugar to deftly balance this delightful wine-imbibing experience. This is an Ontario-certified sustainable winemaking product. This wine showcases the dazzling 2020 vintage in Ontario.
92
Flat Rock Cellars ‘Pink-Twisted’ Rosé 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (39974) 11.5% alcohol
Watermelon, rose petals and strawberry aromas lure you in. It’s pure ambrosia on the palate with racy, refreshing flavours of pie cherry and red berries interlaced with balancing ripe red plum and mulberry and hints of cherry cordial. This is crisp and refreshing on entry delectable on the palate and balanced, crisp and refreshing on the finish and aftertaste. Pick up six or twelve when they become available. Divine when sipped on its own, it also pours well with summer salads, charcuterie board or deli platter. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: June 12, 2021
• The following 2020 Featherstone Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from 100% Sauvignon Blanc on clone 317, 17-year-old vines with SO4 rootstock. Once picked, fruit was crushed/destemmed and allowed to cold soak for eight hours. Juice yield was 600 liters per tonne that was transferred into stainless steel fermentation tanks. After eight hours of juice fining and settling, it was racked off gross lees then 20% barrel fermented using neutral Canadian oak barrels with temperature uncontrolled. The other 80 % was stainless steel fermented at 15 °C with commercial yeast strain X5. Ferments were racked off lees several times before final fining.
89
Featherstone Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (89011) 13.5% alcohol
Herbaceous aromas of mint, basil and rosemary leap from the nose of this savory sauvignon blanc. It envelops the palate with herb-infused, tang-laden flavours of minerality and hints of flinty bits along with sprigs of mixed herbs. It’s quite dry on the palate, finish and aftertaste. This would pour well with cooked and creamed spinach or grilled calamari under a squeeze of fresh lemon and a side of grilled greens. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: July 10, 2021
• The following 2019 Moillard ‘Coquillage’ Chablis was sourced from 100% chardonnay and vinified traditionally with fruit pressed when it arrives at the winery in pneumatic presses then settled and cold stored for 48 hours. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 16 to 20 °C. It then rests on its full lies from eight to ten months with regular bâtonnage.
92
Moillard ‘Coquillage’ Chablis 2019
AOP Chablis, Burgundy, France $24.95 (10380) 12.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of wet-stone minerality intertwine with apple and ripe pear. It’s light-medium bodied with excellent mouthfeel and texture along with palate-bathing flavours of lemon zest and wisps of lime along with plenty of racy pizzazz. It’s nicely balanced on the back palate, finish and aftertaste. Give this a go with chicken a la king or olive-oil dressed arugula under crumbled chèvre. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: August 7, 2021
• The following 2020 Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Four Feathers’ is an alluring blend of 62% riesling/20% sauvignon blanc/15% gewürztraminer/ 3% chardonnay. It was hand and machine harvested then juice yield was pressed and transferred into 100% stainless steel fermentation tanks. After eight hours of juice fining and settling it was then racked off gross lees. This was fermented with commercial yeast strain X5 with fermentation temperature set for 15 °C that took place through October 2020 before being bottled on February 10, 2021. This wine showcases the dazzling 2020 vintage in Ontario.
91
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Four Feathers’ 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (341586) 12.5% alcohol
This is a perennial favourite for white-wine lovers. Aromas of apple, pear and apricot mingle with orange blossoms. It surges over the palate with a bracing line of excellent acidity intertwined with mixed spicy flavours of yellow peach, rosewater and hints of herbs. This is medium-weight with good texture and replays of the palate flavours on the finish and aftertaste. Pour on its own or with lighter-styled appetizers of fish, seafood, chicken or pork. (Vic Harradine)
Vintages Release: August 21, 2021
• Fruit for the following 2020 Featherstone Estate Winery Pinot Grigio was single-vineyard sourced from 100% pinot gris (also called pinot grigio) in Jordan Valley Vineyards. It was harvested then divided into two batches—one half of the grapes were left on the skins to soak, and then pressed. The other half was pressed immediately with juice yield at 600L/tonne then transferred into stainless steel fermentation tanks and fermented with commercial yeast strain X5. The fermentation temperature was set for 15°C. Ferment was kept on lees for 10 days. This is winemaker David Johnson’s first attempt at this wine and it showcases his winemaking talent—recently awarded Winemaker of the Year—as well as showcasing the dazzling 2020 vintage in Ontario.
92
Featherstone Estate Winery Pinot Grigio 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (20599) 12.5% alcohol
Slightly pink-tinged, this reflects the lineage of pinot gris—it is thought to be a mutant clone of pinot noir and still produces grey and dark-hued grapes within a bunch. Aromas of floral notes, mixed spice and berry fruit abound. It bathes the palate with a spirited stream of spice-laden strawberry and racy pie cherry that intertwine with a linear line of excellent acidity throughout the finish and aftertaste. Not your garden-variety, watery pinot grigio, this has plenty of flavour, great texture and mouthfeel with a lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. Sip on its own as an aperitif or pour with hot or cold appetizers of all stripes. (Vic Harradine)
• The following 2020 Vineland Estates Winery Rosé was sourced from 70% cabernet franc and 30% riesling grapes from selected vineyards. It was fermented and settled in stainless steel tanks. This wine showcases the dazzling 2020 vintage in Ontario.
92
Vineland Estates Winery Rosé 2020
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 12.5% alcohol
Light-pink hued in the glass, this offers up lifted aromas of rhubarb, strawberry and red cherry. It blankets the palate with a surge of pomegranate and cherry cordial that’s deftly balanced with a persistent purity of fruit through the back palate, finish and aftertaste. It’s crisp, refreshing and mouth-watering good from first to last drop. Pour on its own or with lightly spiced Asian food, summer salads, seafood or roast chicken. The price-quality ratio skews well in your favour, pick up a few for your family and when your bubble-friends drop by. (Vic Harradine)