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Inniskillin Wines (Ontario) Last Post 08-25-2005 03:16 AM by ChangeMe. 7 Replies. | Sort: |
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ChangeMe  
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
 | | 08-19-2005 02:51 AM |
| We visited this winery in Niagar-on-the-Lake 16 days ago. The tasting room staff was very helpful and knowledgeable which was not alsways the case on this most recent trip through NY and Niagara. It's a large property with a self-guided tour. I'd advise a mid-week visit here to avoid many of the tour buses that stop there. The wines:
2003 Old Vines Riesling, 11.5% alcohol, $19-
Muted grapefruit nose. Grapefruit juice. 80
2002 Montague Vineyard Chardonnay, 14% alcohol, $17- Banana and pineapple nose. Oaky. Rough. 78
2002 Founders Reserve Chardonnay, 13.3% alcohol, $30- Light nose of melon. Citrus flavor. 80
2002 Founders Reserve Pinot Noir, 13% alcohol, $35- Peppery, cherry nose. light. 82
2002 Founders Reserve Meritage, 13.5% alcohol, $30- Oak and dark fruit nose. Light. Acidic. 82
2004 Riesling Icewine, 10.5% alcohol, $70-
Mineral raisin nose. Pear, honey, and citrus flavors. Outstanding. 94
2003 Vidal Icewine, 10.5% alcohol, $55-
Berry jam nose. Nice acidity and balance. 91
2004 Cabernet Franc Icewine, 10.5% alcohol, $90-
Muted red berry nose. Juicy raspberry flavor. Delicious. 93
2002 Sparkling Vidal Icewine, 10% alcohol, $55-
Light nose of yeast and apples. Nice. 91
Inniskillin gets my vote as most improved producer of ice wines in Ontario. At our previous visit three years ago, I found their ice wines a bit out of balance, especially the Vidal. Well, they seem to have discovered the secret to producing well-balanced ice wines. All had the necessary acidity to balance the sweetness. The Riesling, Vidal, and Cabernet Franc ice wines are all at or right near the top of the those produced at the wineries we visited. Of course, I didn't get to try the ice wine I liked most at our last trip, the Vineland Estates Cabernet Franc, which is to be bottled shortly. This winery is a definite must visit. | | |
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ChangeMe
Grape Destemmer
Posts: 53
| | 08-25-2005 12:18 AM |
| I hit the lottery of all random wine tastings today. It's three hours later and I'm still giddy about what happened.
I know the brother of (one of) their sommeliers - Cian Macneill - so I was hoping he'd be able to get me a flight or two for free. I didn't even get to talk to him, but a girl I used to go to high school with was at the front bar, so I still got to do some sampling on the house.
Tried the 2002 Montague Vineyard Chardonnay, the 2003 Founders Reserve Chardonnay and the 2003 Founders Reserve Pinot Noir. I asked for the 2002 Pinot (Founders Reserve or just single vineyard lines) but they were all sold out at the winery. Technically they were competent wines (especially for the area), but I wasn't blown away by any of them. I'd like to attribute that to the canker sore in my mouth and a mild cold. It's hypersensitive to acids right now, my whole palate seems to be thrown off slightly, and my nose isn't picking up everything it should be.
I stopped over at their Icewine bar next. It's a rule of thumb in Niagara that you don't spit Icewine, and since I can get their Riesling and Cab Franc any time, I asked to only try their 2004 Oak Aged Vidal Icewine.
I tried the previous version and enjoyed it, but this one was a shade off. The server mentioned that its only been served for the past two weeks... the youth was evident, despite my cold. Knowing Inniskillin's past methods, they would have harvested late Dec/early Jan, fermented for 3-4 weeks, then aged it from Feb til at least July. It seemed unsettled still - I'd sooner give it another go in a few months (but I'll never pay the $110 for a 375mL bottle).
All this wasn't what impressed me, however. After talking for a few minutes, dropping random names from Ontario's wine history and lauding previous Inniskillin vintages, the server brought out something incredible: Inniskillin's 3rd commercially produced Icewine, the 1986 Vidal.
Founder Donald Ziraldo hosted a tasting from Ontario's upper crust a few days ago and opened a bottle. The remainder found its way to the fridge somehow. $400 for a 375mL bottle. You pay for the nostalgia.
Toffee-brown, almost a wooden shade. Dense, brandied, very close to sherry. One server joked that it's more like Johnny Walker than Icewine. 157g/L of residual sugar slid down very smoothly - necessary to cushion evident oxidation in the fading dessert wine. Winemaker Karl Kaiser thinks it has no more than 5 years left to it. Surprisingly, there was enough acidity to substantiate that claim (cold sore is good for something). Well, maybe 3 years would be a better mark. Either way, I was so surprised to find this open. Though it's way past its prime, I feel privileged to have tried this small, 4 oz piece of Ontario's history. I later looked it up in a book of mine, and found that this wine's harvest was done at -17 Celsius, achieved 55 degrees Brix, and had 13.4g/L acidity at harvest: all of which records for Inniskillin.
So 18 years after bottling, what does this tell you? Use Riesling instead of Vidal if you want to compete with the Germans for longevity. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 08-25-2005 01:02 AM |
| | I'm sorry we didn't get to taste the 1986 Vidal. We did taste a 1994 Hillebrand Estates Barrel Aged Icewine. I don't believe the varietal was listed on the label. I too noticed a nose of Sherry on this wine, which I attributed to early stage meadeirization. Archie and Rebecca seemed to enjoy the wine this way, but I felt it was beyond its prime. I attributed this to it being their wine. Did the people from Inniskillin intimate that they enjoyed the wine more in this condition? | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Destemmer
Posts: 53
| | 08-25-2005 01:37 AM |
| There were two servers. Male 35-40, Female 23-29. The male made the Johnnie Walker comment and didn't seem to really speak much about it. He then left to take care of some other customers. The woman seemed to be proud of it, but probably more of its existence than its taste.
I was at the bar with the 86 for about 2-4 minutes, nursing it. We made little small talk, and she spoke very briefly of the wine. If she were proud of it, I'm sure she would have boasted. Retail staff around here love to brag when they're passionate about one of their products, no matter how late it is. There almost seemed to be a look of worry on her face when I initially sampled and furrowed my brow. Kind of a "Will he catch on to the fact that this is far too old?"
I doubt they liked it brandied like that. I also doubt that the Hillebrand staff like it that old too. Maybe 2-3 years of age, but not 10-15.
I should mention something - all of the tasting staff have a memorized list of descriptors. I got the feeling they are encouraged to repeat them to every customer day in and day out. I've noticed this at all the big places. I compliment the establishments for the execution, it's great for the staff to have knowledge of the product. But when they get trained to like something or push something (like these tres chere Icewines), that's a little upsetting.
I tried a 97 Vidal Icewine earlier in the year and thought it was on its way out. Hadn't oxidized yet, but was getting there.
I have never met anyone who, after actually trying it, has liked old Vidal Icewine. I remember once I read a quote from Klaus Reif (owner/winemaker of Reif Estate Winery, between Inniskillin and Peller) who thought 3-4 years was good, but over 10 is far too long for Vidal.
Were the Hillebrand staff under 30? | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 08-25-2005 02:32 AM |
| Archie was about 60 and Rebecca about 30.
I've removed Reif from our list of wineries to visit. It's been consistently disappointing in the past. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Destemmer
Posts: 53
| | 08-25-2005 02:52 AM |
| | Interesting... they both indicated that they enjoyed the 94 Icewine? I assumed they were younger. Seems unusual. Maybe they were just trying to make a sale? | | | |
| ChangeMe
Master of Wine
Posts: 11169
| | 08-25-2005 02:54 AM |
| | I didn't indicate that I was buying anything. In fact, I bought nothing on this trip. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Destemmer
Posts: 53
| | 08-25-2005 03:16 AM |
| Fair enough.
Well, chalk that up to the "everybody's different" category.
(By the way, I understand the Reif removal - though their Icewine is nice, I've never been thrilled with their table wines. Bought a corked Riesling there once years ago.) | | | |
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