If I Could Buy Only One – May 10th Vintages Release
We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from the May 10th release, which one would it be and why?”
Stratus Cabernet Franc 2021, Ontario, Canada
$45.20, Stratus Vineyards
Sara d’Amato – Forget tariffs and patriotic duty – this Canadian gem stands tall on its own merits. Among this week’s international Vintages release, it pours as my top-scorer. Broad on the palate, this cabernet franc features a supple texture, ample dark fruit of blackberry and plum balanced by a subtle bitterness and graphitic minerality that curbs the alcohol. It’s a style that speaks clearly of Niagara, one of the few regions capable of delivering this kind of complexity and restraint while fully ripe. Already in an excellent place for drinking, though it has enough structure to evolve further.
Megha Jandhyala – If I could buy just one wine from the latest LCBO vintages release, Stratus’ 2021 Cabernet Franc is the one I would choose. Concentrated, complex, and structured, this premium wine is poised at an ideal degree of ripeness. I love how cogently it evokes the scents and sensations of flowers, fruits, herbs, and spices, including violet essence, dark cherries, damson plums, and, perhaps most compelling of all to me, dried henna leaves. Oak influence has lent the wine generous flavours of spice and vanilla bean that are salient but not brash or overpowering. I also appreciate that one can sense that this cabernet franc is from Ontario; it has a distinct character that I associate with Niagara’s terroir and Stratus’ aesthetic. I cannot wait to try another bottle in a couple of years.
Closson Chase Churchside Pinot Noir 2022, Prince Edward County, Ontario
$39.20, Closson Chase Vineyards
David Lawrason – I encountered this new vintage at the Canadian Culinary Championship in Ottawa in February, where it finished in second place overall in the CCC’s Wine of the Year competition. I was hugely impressed by the energy, balance and completeness. It is from the maturing ridgetop vineyard in a vintage being hailed for its ripeness if lower crops yields. It is very lifted and fragrant with classic red cherry, florals, forest floor and French oak spicing (large 60HL barrels for 18 months) It is classically light to medium weight, very even and effortless but not at all soft. Tannins are finely weighted as well. The length is excellent to outstanding. Given the quality on display here, it becomes an excellent buy at $40.
Wending Home Pinot Gris 2020, Ontario, Canada
$27.95, Wending Home Estate Vineyards & Winery
John Szabo – Controversial!?! My pick this week earned widely disparate ratings from the WineAlign crü, from 92 points (me) to 87 (David), with Megha splitting the difference at 90. And yet, our reviews read almost identically – clearly we were tasting the same wine and pulling out the same features. So why the difference in score? In a word, personal preference. The wine in questions is the Wending Home Pinot Gris 2020 from the Creek Shores sub-appellation in Niagara.
Veteran Niagara winemaker Ron Giesbrecht crafted a pinot gris of great richness, “late harvest-like” as both David and I write, probably even with some botrytis, but dry. I love the style, luscious and flamboyant, fun to experiment with at the table (roast lobster or seared scallops, slow-cooked pork belly, General Tso’s chicken, soft cheeses…), very much more ‘gris’ than grigio in style as David and I also point out, word-for-word. But David found an “mouldy overlay”, which dropped his rating (botrytis again?), which I failed to pick up, or ascribed to the ‘noble’ side of rot. So what do you think? Grab a bottle and decide. This is the essence of WineAlign – absolutes of pleasure in wine do not exist.
Use these quick links for access to all of our May10th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.
John’s Top Picks – May 10th
Lawrason’s Take – May 10th
Megha’s Picks – May 10th
Sara’s Selections – May 10th
