2018 Pinot Noir Canal East - Silver Award Winner

91 Points by Rick VanSickle, Wines In Niagara

Silver Award: WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada 2021

Winemaking notes

In 2018 we harvested Pinot Noir from both our estate vineyard and from another vineyard located in the St. David’s Bench appellation. With the original intent to combine the two, after tasting the batches separately we decided to keep them as single vineyard wines to showcase the differences, and thus the pinot noir east and west were born. East and West of what you may wonder, well its the Welland canal which divides the Niagara region.

The grapes were hand harvested at the end of September from a vineyard located in St. David’s Bench appellation. The grapes were then destemmed and crushed into tank for cold soaking and fermenting. Once fermentation had finished the grapes were then pressed off and settled in tank before going to barrel. Malo lactic fermentation occurred during the early months of the barrel aging process. The wine was aged for 15 months in 15% new French oak. The wine was then filtered before going to bottle.

Tasting Notes

This Pinot Noir is a beautiful ruby colour with a rose hue. Lifting from the glass are wonderful complex notes of fresh raspberries, dark cherries, undergrowth, rose petals, cranberries and elegant barrel spice notes. With a palate that mimics the nose the red fruits of raspberry and cherry are on the forefront. It is light to medium in body with velvety soft tannins and a balanced acidity and alcohol. The red fruits linger on the medium length finish along side other nuances of spice, toasty oak, and vanilla.

Food Pairings

Duck Confit with a cherry reduction; Cedar Plank Salmon; beet and goat cheese salad.

91 Points - Rick VanSickle, Wines in Niagara