Category Archives: Winery Review Series

Upon visits to wineries, I will review their wines that they submit to me as well as the winery.

13th STREET WINERY “ESTATE SERIES” PINOT GRIS, 2010 VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

06 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in 13th Street Winery, Canadian Wines, White Wines

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Cost: $19.95

Grape Variety: Pinot Gris
Category: White Wine
Appellation: Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13th Street Winery
Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium straw in colour with medium intensity on the nose. 

Positives: This is an easy going Pinot Gris with some oiliness on the taste which gives it more of a medium minus body rather than a lighter style Pinot Grigio. The nose and taste has some nice notes of sweet pear & limestone. Nice long length to it. 

Negatives: Too simple for my taste, but still nice to drink. 

Drink now on its own or pair it with tuna ceviche. 

Tasted: 30 Sept 2011

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3

13th STREET WINERY “ESTATE SERIES” MERLOT, 2010 VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

06 Thursday Oct 2011

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Cost: $17.95

Grape Variety: Merlot
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13th Street Winery
Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium+ ruby in colour with medium+ intensity on the nose. 

Positives: Alluring floral notes of carnations followed by cherry & plum notes.   This is an easy drinking wine that has nice cherry, plum, red currants & red peppers on the taste. Good acidity makes this wine food friendly or drink on its own. Try pairing it with cooked ham. 

Negatives: None 

Interesting Things: This wine is un-oaked  

Best Buy 

Tasted: 30 Sept 2011

Score: 9/10, Value: 10/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4

13th STREET WINERY “ESTATE SERIES” GAMAY, 2010 VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

06 Thursday Oct 2011

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Cost: $19.95

Grape Variety: Gamay Noir
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Winery (Coming to Vintages in November)
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13th Street Winery
Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium ruby in colour with medium intensity on the nose. 

Positives: On the nose there are nice earthy notes followed by cherry & raspberry. The taste shows more wet earth notes of fall leaves, cranberry sauce & tamarind.  

Negatives: A little too much tartness for me. 

Interesting Things: Similar to Beaujolais village wine.  

Drink now on its own or pair with turkey dinner. 

Tasted: 30 Sept 2011

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 8.5/10, Total: 17/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3

13th STREET WINERY, ESSENCE SAUVIGNON BLANC, 2009 VQA Niagara Peninsula

06 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in 13th Street Winery, Canadian Wines, Top Picks, Price Not Withstanding, White Wines

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Cost: $34.95

Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Category: White Wine
Appellation: Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13th Street Winery
Alcohol: 14% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Light gold in colour with medium+ intensity on the nose. 

Positives: I love the nose on this wine. There is lots of creaminess, butter, limestone, peach and a smoky note that is reminiscent of amber glowing after a bonfire. The nose reminds me of a high end Californian Chard, but the taste says it’s not a Chard and more like Fumé Blanc from Loire. This is probably the best Sauvignon Blanc that I have ever tasted. There is lots of complexity and creaminess like the nose, with layers of taste from apples, guava, passion fruit, caramel and lemon candy. The finish is quite lengthy. I think I went for a mile run and I still tasted it.  

Negatives: None 

Interesting Things: 

  • The creaminess comes from the wine being aged in 40% French oak barrels. Make sure you don’t chill this too much, 13-14º C so you can taste all the different layers this wine offers.
  • I tasted this wine over a course of about 20 minutes and continuously found new notes. 
  • The grapes were picked the 1st week in November, which is very unusual for Ontario, heck it’s unheard of due to frost being a viable threat to the grapes. 
  • For those readers that follow my reviews, I am not a fan of high alcohol. This one is 14%, yet no heat from that, and on the plus side it adds to the full body this wine. 

Drink now or cellar it for another 3-5 years. Drink on its own or pair it with bacon wrapped scallops that are seared.  

Top Pick Price Not Withstanding 

Tasted: 30 Sept 2011

Score: 9.5+/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 19/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 4.5

13th STREET WINERY ESSENCE PINOT NOIR, 2009 VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

06 Thursday Oct 2011

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Cost: $44.95

Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13th Street Winery
Alcohol: 14% Alcohol/Vol.

Description: Medium ruby to garnet in colour with a medium+ intensity on the nose. 

Positives: Very clean & crisp grape-cranberry nose. The taste has the beginning of some earth notes followed by rhubarb & cherry. The fruit is very intense with a sweetish note due to the late picking of the grapes. 

Negatives: This is not a big Pinot with a lot of earth notes you would find in a Burgundian wine or the notes found in Oregon or Central Otego Pinots, somewhat like drinking a really good grape juice.  

Okay so that was my review of this wine when the bottle has been opened for 2 days! Here’s my review of a new bottle, and why it’s so important for you to ALWAYS ASK WHEN THE BOTTLE WAS OPENED. Don’t be shy anywhere, restaurant, bar, winery, etc to ask for a new bottle. 

Positives: The nose shows more Burgundian aromas of barnyard, suede along with the fruits of rhubarb, cranberry & cherry followed by some sandalwood. The taste is similar as the nose but with more fruit forward & intensity. Long length to this one. 

Negatives: The wine is a little weak in earthiness and it has that grape/cranberry juice taste, but not as bad as when I tasted the 2 day old bottle. In addition, I also found some bitterness on the finish.  

Interesting Things:

  • Picked in mid November that is very unusual as this is traditionally an early ripping grape.
  • The wine was aged in 60% old oak. T
  • his is Jean Pierre’s 1st foray in making Pinot Noir in Ontario.
  • Even though this wine is 14% in alcohol it doesn’t feel like it.

I would recommend laying this wine down for another 3-5 years to see if the secondary notes of the earthiness comes out more to the forefront, and easing the that intense fruitiness that you get now. There is good acidity here now that it should cellar well.  

Tasted: 30 Sept 2011

Score: 8.5/10, Value: 7/10, Total: 15.5/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3