Essex Wine Review

Winemaker’s Notes:
One of our flagship wines, Rondeau is a simple, tasty, unoaked Gamay/merlot blend with hints of black pepper and cinnamon. Pleasant Pairings: Rondeau works beautifully with grilled and charred foods, black olives, mushrooms, and fresh herbs.

VQA Ontario
11% alc./vol.
Price: 750 mL $13

Rate and review Smith & Wilson Rondeau Red 2009

Winemaker’s Notes:
You will find very ripe, plummy-sweet flavours and richness in this wine. There is also a rustic character. The French would call it a bistro, elbows on the table wine.

These are picked early in the day in mid-October when they have reached 20.2 brix, and arrive at the winery within hours of picking. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and fed into a rotor fermenting tank. Maturation temperature for this wine is controlled at 26 degrees Celsius. The key to the intense flavours and spicy aromas are the mature grapes and modern technology. This modern piece of technology allows for strict temperature control during fermentation: its gentle agitation of the wine extracts more colour and tannin from the skins, and the partial pressure this vessel is under during the time of fermentation allows higher concentration of fruit flavours to remain in the wine. Finally, this wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in the barrel room, which stabilizes its red colour and enhances its firm tannic finish.

This Cabernet Franc is best served with pasta or red sauce, barbecued foods, roast beef or lamb.

GRAPE: 85% Cabernet Franc, 15% Gamay Noir
ALCOHOL: 13%
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 3.7 g/L
SUGAR CODE: (0)

VQA Ontario

Price: 750 mL $11.45

Rate and review Pelee Island Cabernet Franc 2009

Winemaker’s Notes:
This wine has lots of vitality. Quite tangy, dry and refreshing so it really livens the palate and makes you hungry. These grape varieties produce a wine with a bright, cheerful character.

The Gamay Noir grapes were harvested in early October when the brix had reached 21.4 and the Zweigelt in mid-September, when the brix had reached 20. They were then left for four to six days in a temperature-controlled rotor fermenter under partial pressure.

This wine is an excellent companion to red meats and game without sauces.

GRAPES: 50% Zweigelt, 50% Gamay Noir
ALCOHOL: 13%
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 4.1 g/L
Sugar Code: (0)

Price: 750 mL $10.95

VQA Ontario

Rate and review Pelee Island Gamay Noir Zweigelt 2008.

Winemaker’s Notes:
The Gamay Noir grapes were harvested in early October when the brix had reached 21.4 and the Zweigelt in mid-September, when the brix had reached 20. They were then left for four to six days in a temperature-controlled rotor fermenter under partial pressure.

This wine is an excellent companion to red meats and game without sauces.

This wine has lots of vitality. Quite tangy, dry and refreshing so it really livens the palate and makes you hungry. These grape varieties produce a wine with a bright, cheerful character.

GRAPES: 50% Zweigelt, 50% Gamay Noir
ALCOHOL: 12.5% alc./vol.
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 4.1 g/L
Sugar Code: (0)

Price: 750 mL $10.95

Rate and review Pelee Island Gamay Noir Zweigelt 2007

Winemaker’s Notes:
Gamay Noir / Merlot, dry

Fresh and fruity, a very accessible wine. Ready to drink early, but developing an unexpected depth of character while bottle aging. The nose suggests strawberry, cherry and a wee bit of violet. Rondeau Red has a smooth and supple character in the mouth without the bite of tannins.

Pairs well with stews, creamy dishes and poultry. Fine for roasted vegetables too.

Price: 750 mL $13

CLICK HERE to rate and review Smith & Wilson Rondeau Red 2006.

Winemakers Notes:
This Gamay Noir shows our winemaking team’s ability to stay true to varietals and create fruit forward, food friendly wines.

Appellation: VQA Ontario
Blend: Gamay Noir 100%
Brix at Harvest: 18.2
Fermentation: Stainless steel tanks (7 – 10 days on the skins)
Aging: 6 months in Oak barrels
Residual Sugar: 2 g/l
Alcohol Content: 12.6 %
Production: 2200 cases
Winemaker: Tim Reilly
Size: 750 ml $11.55

Food Match: Turkey, Pork, Pasta-tomato based, Cheeses-mild
Colour: Light ruby red
Bouquet: Strawberry, cherry and blackberry
Taste: Medium-full, dry and soft fruit with extended toasty finish
Serve at: 18º – 20º C

Tell others what you think about this wine. CLICK HERE to post your comments and review of Colio Estate Gamay Noir 2006.