Last week I wrote about the Seriously Cool Chardonnay trade show being held next month in London, England. It’s supposed to be the coming-of-age party for our fine wine industry — what critic Tony Aspler is calling “the most significant event for Ontario wines since Inniskillin won the Prix d’Honneur at Vinexpo in 1991 for their Vidal Icewine 1989.” The goal is to make Niagara as famous for Chardonnay as New Zealand is for Sauvigonon Blanc.
It will all start with trying to impress the big names in the international wine press, like Jancis Robinson. Can the wines do it? I had the opportunity to pre-taste the wines going to this trade show and I found the quality to be inconsistent. The best Ontario Chardonnays are so vibrant and driven that they certainly deserve worldwide attention. The worst are not awful, but they tend to be diluted and uncomplex.
Between these two extremes lies the truth: most Ontario Chards have a distinctive character: minty, well-rounded and balanced. Not all of them are a revelation, but they offer charm and admirable consistency. The main problem is that the price is not nearly as consistent as the flavour. Some are excellent value at $15-20, but many left me scratching my head with a $30-50 price tag. Luckily for Ontario, the London critics won’t be purchasing the wines before tasting them.
Of course, I didn’t pay either, so I shouldn’t be sour. What does leave me bitter, however, is that my two favourite wines (listed below) are both sold out. However, these wineries continue to make excellent Chradonnays, and their new vintages will be coming out soon.
Southbrook Vineyards 1998 Poetica Chardonnay
“Poetica” is Southbrook‘s premier line of wines — current vintages are approximately $50. This may seem hard to swallow, but in point of fact, it’s very easy to swallow after it has been cellared for 12 years. This bottle demonstrates how much aging capacity a good Ontario Chardonnay really has and this is perhaps the best lesson from this wine show. The Poetica is a beautiful marriage of anachronistic vigor and seasoned maturity; enjoy the notes of beeswax, marshmallow, and baked apples. Fantastic — and it’s inspired me to age more Chardonnays in the future. 93/100
Hidden Bench 2006 “Tête de Cuvée” Chardonnay
Hidden Bench always makes excellent wines, but this is especially superb. Along with Le Clos Jordanne and Southbrook, it was the best I tasted in the show. The nose is full of summer fragrances and musky perfume. The complex palate is finely knit with ripe flavours of MacIntosh apple, apricot and spice. The best part is how well it is aging: 3-4 more years will only make it better. 92/100
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He blogs weekly here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column also appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca. Follow along on Twitter: @shortcellar.