NV Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Imperial Rosé, France, Wine Review

Score: 
93
Grade: 
A

Deep salmon Pink in color.  There is a nice mousse with lots of tiny bubbles.  The nose has seltzer, and strawberries.  Reminiscent of the Faygo Red Pop of my youth.  Nice.  On the palate, there is a bit of depth and complexity.  Dry.  Nice acidity.  Good finish.  Would go with practically any food.  This drinks quite well now but should develop some maturity and drink well for a while.  Aged Champagnes are not to everyone's taste but I think this should easily last for a decade.  delicious and more traditional Rose.  

NV Moët & Chandon Champagne Nectar Imperial Rosé, France, Wine Review

Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Apparently some version of this have a bit more sweetness than others.  This bottle had a hint of sweetness but not overt or cloying.  It was absolutely delicious.  Served to a group on a warm summer evening, it was a star.  Salmon pink in color.  There is a nice mousse with a lot of tiny bubbles.  The nose has nice strawberry fruit along with a bit of burnt orange peel in the background.  On the palate, citrus comes out first followed by nice strawberries.  There is a nice depth and complexity here.  Just that hint of sweetness which combined with the acidity is very refreshing.  Nice fini

2016 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir Speck Family Reserve, Canada, Niagara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Purple in color with ruby swirls.  The nose is dusty warm with plums and red berries.  On the palate, there is a nice chocolate dust quality to this along with some plums and black cherries.  Tart acidity which works well (almost in a Barbera way).  Some firm tannins.  This wine is quite food friendly and while different, certainly it would please most tastes.  $23 is a nice value for this wine.  A few steps up from the basic level Baco Noir they make and about the same pricing.

2017 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir, Canada, Ontario, Wine review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B

Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has saddle leather, dried cherries and a bit of barnyard.  Nice mouthfeel.  Tart dark cherries on the palate.  Light tannins.  Turning more to sour cherries and the chalky on the finish.  Undertones of clay.  An interesting varietal and wine.  Would work well with food.  $23

2016 13th Street Gamay Noir, Canada, Niagara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Deep ruby/purple in color.  Bright.  The nose is dusty and slightly horsey with red berries.  On the palate, plums and cherries.  Still a lot of tannins.  This wine could pass for Clos de la Roilette, one of the better Beaujolais producers.  Whether it improves in the cellar is a question, but it is drinking quite well right now.  Would work with a lot of foods including heartier fare as well.  $17.  

2017 Henry of Pelham Riesling, Canada, Niagara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

Pale silvery/gold in color.  The nose has slight, slight, petrol and along with slight pineapple and with air, minerals.  On the palate, it seems more about grapefruit with an underlying minerality.  This is mostly dry but there is some sweetness especially on the finish.  Long finish.  This would be great with food.  Another superb value from this winery at $13.  A reasonably unique expression of Riesling but close in style to the Finger Lakes.  It will be interesting to see how well this ages.  

2016 Henry of Pelham Sauvignon Blanc, Canada, Niagara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
89
Grade: 
B+

Light golden in color.  The nose is grassy like a California Sauvignon Blanc from 20 years ago.  Also a bit of orange peel.  Cleaner on the palate with the orange peel coming thru along with some slight tropical fruit.  Full, slightly oily texture.  Good acidity.  Very good finish.  Lot's of value here at $13 especially for people (and there are a lot) who like this style of Sauvignon Blanc. 

2017 13th Street Chardonnay June's Vineyard, Niagara, Creek Shores, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-

From the VQA next to Niagara.  This is very good.  Light silvery/gold in color.  The nose has lemons, melons and slightly woody note which is presumably from the stems (whole clusters were added).  The winemaker described the woodiness as nutty, but that was probably because he was trying to impress that this wine saw no oak.  In any event, the nose is very nice.  On the palate, the melons (mostly Honey Dew, but also some cantaloupe-ish notes) come to the foreground.  Also some lemons and minerals.  Good acidity.  This is clean and full bodied but has an energetic edge to it.  Some of that

2015 Henry of Pelham Chardonnay, Canada, Niagara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B+

Green/gold in color.  The nose is dusty with vanilla and slight lumber and slight grapefruit.  A nice oily texture.  On the palate there is lemon and grapefruit notes.  It could use a bit more acidity to make it more food friendly.  A nice slight red apple note on the reasonably long finish.  There is a bit of a sweet note at the very end that is a bit sticky.  Probably should be drink in the next few years.  All said, though, this is really an excellent value for a $13 Chardonnay.  It is interesting and easy to drink at the same time.  You could certainly pay a lot more for a Chardonnay th

2012 13th Street Premier Cuvée, Canada, Niagara, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
88
Grade: 
B+

A 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Light golden in color.  A nice mousse with lots of smallish bubbles.  The nose is nice with seltzer and slight ginger.  On the palate, this could use a bit more acidity which is surprising as the label indicates it was harvested at 18.5 Brix.  Still, there is some nice slightly sour apple notes.  It is tasty.  Shorter on the finish.  $30

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