Buyer’s Guide to Vintages March 30th Release

Stars Aligning for Ontario Wine, plus Cabernet Value?
by David Lawrason with notes from Michael Godel, John Szabo and Megha Jandhyala

As winter turns to spring the planets are aligning nicely for the onward and upward promotion of Ontario wine. Events are busting out all over. Last week several winemakers returned home after taking Manhattan at a trade fair attended by New York media and sommeliers. Saturday saw the return of Cuvee, a large consumer event in St. Catharines where winemakers don and pour their finest (John, Michael and Megha were in attendance). Upcoming April 12 is the kick-off for the virtual Grapes for Humanity auction, featuring collaborative bottlings by Ontario’s most highly regarded winemakers in the “From the Heart Micro Lot Project.” That same night Stratus Vineyards debuts two amphora-aged wines during a dinner at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics in Toronto. A week later, on April 15 is the annual Taste Ontario trade tasting at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Toronto features no less than 65 Ontario wineries. 

All this would seem hard to eclipse, yet on April 8 the heavens will align to etch a path of almost total midday darkness directly over the Niagara Peninsula, drawing tens of thousands to wine country and causing the wineries to break out both viewing and tasting glasses. The world will stand still for a while, and hopefully the stars will shine at about 2:10pm, as we toast the heavens.

If I were to raise one wine to this stellar occasion, it would be a Niagara riesling that we Aligners tasted from Vintages March 30 release. Thirty Bench 2020 Small Lots Steel Post Riesling from a 40-year-old vineyard on Beamsville Bench is pinpointing Niagara’s maturation into a first-class wine region. I encourage you to try a bottle for yourself, whether for eclipse toasting or not.

Cabernet Sauvignon Value?

Elsewhere in this release there is a global slate of inexpensive cabernet sauvignons, as featured on the cover of Vintages magazine. I suspect this will be a popular release given that cabernet is the world’s best-known red grape. This familiarity nudges people’s decision-making. And they will be further wooed by the modest prices.

But of course, cabernet, as a value proposition, is all over the map, because it is grown all over the map, although not always successfully in terms of quality. 

In the places where it reaches grandeur — Cru Classé Left Bank Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and arguably Bolgheri in Tuscany — it can also reach heavenly prices that are not part of a value discussion, except as art and trading pieces. And results from attempts to make very inexpensive versions from these places are often underwhelming — especially in California where they are now using sugar to Botox the gaps in weak, green unbalanced “value-priced” cabernets.

There are other regions in the world where cabernet is capable of greatness too, but historical market pricing tempers expectations, while increasing value. My list includes three maritime regions in Australia – Coonawarra, Margaret River and Langhorne Creek. Elsewhere, Chile’s Pacific-facing Andean foothills have the right stuff, as does Colchagua. And over in South Africa, Stellenbosch, also not far from the coast, is a classic terroir for this grape. So, if you are really looking for cabernet values on this release that’s where the nuggets lie.

There are other places where very good cabernet is possible, but more marginal and variable due to climate conditions. Canada, with its shorter growing season is a classic example, in both Ontario and BC. New Zealand is another cool climate where cabernet only ripens well in the far north on Waiheke Island and the Bay of Islands. On the flip side, Mendoza, Argentina certainly achieves ripeness but often pushes into clunky overripeness. And all over the Mediterranean similar over-wrought-ness and baking is common (although there is a good Greek version this time out).

So here are our picks from this release, with a note that Sara has been away with family for most of March, returning in time for the next release April 13.

Something to consider.

Buyer’s Guide March 30: Sparkling

Pongrácz Cap Classique Rosé, Western Cape, South Africa
$22.95, PMA Canada
Megha Jandhyala – With warmer weather around the corner, this well-priced, pretty, coral-toned sparkling rosé is a versatile addition to outdoor get-togethers. Made in the traditional method, it is fresh and firm, with only a hint of sweetness, delicate toasty notes, and refreshing flavours of citrus fruit and tart summer berries

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And that’s a wrap for this release. It was completed while on a short journey west to Oregon’s Willamette Valley then the Okanagan Valley. Returning just in time for the Oregon-Washington Trade event in Toronto on April 8 — Eclipse Day. Hope to see you there, with shades on.

David Lawrason

VP of Wine

Use these quick links for access to all of our Top Picks in the New Release. Non-Premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.
Lawrason’s Take
Megha’s Picks
Michael’s Mix
Szabo’s Smart Buys

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