Essex Wine Review

Winemaker’s Notes:
This Gold Medal All Canadian Championhip Baco Noir offers depth in both colour and flavour. This full-bodied dry wine is intense with dark berry undertones and black pepper aromas.

*ALL CANADIAN WINE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010 – GOLD MEDAL WINNER*

Food Pairings:
The flavours of black cherry are followed with a velvety finish. Pair with game meats, grilled steak or hearty stews.

VQA Ontario
12.8% alc./vol.

Price: 750 mL $14

Rate and review Aleksander Estate Baco Noir 2009

Winemaker’s Notes:
Bird Dog has developed kind a cult following in “The County” and this ’05 is a great example of why. This a serious, full-bodied wine with a prominent whack of oak – however, with extended cellar time at the winery it has become really nicely integrated and lost most of the youthful, astringent edge seen in its earlier tastings. It is still very firm though, packing a good tannic punch on the finish and would continue to age nicely in your cellar through 2015. At the time of this tasting (Nov. 2009) it showed deeply extracted ruby colours and was just beginning to take on some lovely, mature, garnet hues. The palate was also evolved, with all that sweet, elegant oak and notes of old leather in the forefront nicely integrated into the core of jammy raspberry fruit. This is a great fall/winter wine to serve with hearty braised meats or Sunday roasts.

Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Cabernet Franc 35%, Merlot 25%

VQA Lake Erie North Shore
13.5% alc./vol.

Price: 750 mL $19.95

Rate and review Sanson Bird Dog Red 2005