Cost: $14.95

Grape Variety: 61.5% Merlot, 25.3% Gamay, 3.2% Cabernet Franc
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Winery & LCBO Vintages
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13^th Street Winery
Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.

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

Positives: Nice cherry & plum notes followed by a little bit of fall leaves on both the nose & taste. There are some cranberry sauce & tamarind notes on the finish. This medium+ length wine is easy to drink on its own or pair it pheasant.  

Negatives: None 

Interesting Things: Similar to the Estate Series Gamay, but better due to the complexity and flavours that come out on this wine. 

Drink now. 

Tasted: 30 Sept 2011

Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 9/10, Total: 18/20

Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine 3.5

LCBO#: 249458

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:  13^th 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

Cost: $44.95

Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Category: Red Wine
Appellation: Winery
Country: Canada
Region: Niagara Peninsula
Format: 750 mL
Producer:  13^th 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 1^st 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