Reported by Dawn Harvie

There was a full house for this very interesting update on where Prince Edward County wines are at! With the Merrill Inn as home base, Jay Hunt and his wife, Karen, spent some time visiting this new viticultural site. Jay was kind enough to share his experiences during this tasting.

The traditional white flight, flight one, introduced us to two Pinot Gris, a Geisenheim, and a blend. One thing was clear to everyone—there is no shortage of acidity in these whites! The Long Dog Pinot Grigio had mineral/steel and wet wool notes on the nose with some lemon. On the palate, there was some mineral notes and lemon, but also a bracing acidity and a slightly bitter finish. The Huff Estates Pinot Gris had some honey sweetness on the nose with some mineral notes, but in the mouth it was quite acidic. Some of the mineral notes came through, but none of the honey. The Geisenheim had the most interesting nose by far. There was something almost Gewurtz-like about it with its floral notes. It also had some grassy notes and the aromas of oxidization. On the palate, the floral notes came through as well as the oxidization. The By Chadsey’s Cairns Brighton White (70% Chardonnay, 15% Gewurtztraminer, 15% Chenin Blanc) had a nose that was almost earthy/mushroomy with smoky notes and, some thought, soapy notes. On the palate, the mushroom and smoke came through along with some steeliness near the finish. Everyone was sure it was an oaked Chardonnay. Imagine our surprise when we learned that this was produced in 100% stainless steel!

Flight two was a line-up of whites to reds. We started off with the Carmela Estate Riesling Reserve. There was a lot of different aromas on the nose including some floral and vegetal notes as well as juicy apple. On the palate, however, it was quite acidic. The Closson Chase Chardonnay had a “fino sherry-like” nose. It was oxidized. It had a nice mouth feel, good oak, and good flavours, but they couldn’t overcome the oxidization. A nice wine (except for the fact this bottle was oxidized), but most thought it wasn’t worth the $40 price tag. The Grange Trumpour’s Mill Rosé (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Gamay) had a sweet strawberry, candy floss nose. On the palate, it was full of strawberries, floral notes, a touch of lemony acidity. Many people liked it. The final wine of the flight was the Long Dog Pinot Noir with a classic Pinot Noir nose. On the palate, the tannins were slightly green, but again the classic Pinot Noir flavours came through. Another favourite of the flight.

Flight three was a red flight from start to finish. We started with the By Chadsey’s Cairns Pinot Noir. This Pinot had a little less earth and a little more fruit with a nice peppery spice which came through on the palate along with cherry fruit and slightly green tannins. Many people enjoyed this Pinot. The Carmela Estates Zweigelt had lots of black fruit on the nose with a hint of dill and olive. On the palate, the black fruit came through with a hint of the dill, but the tannins were slightly unripe. The Carmela Estates Cabernet Franc had a rather peculiar nose—some found soy sauce and boiled cabbage, while others found some strawberry fruit and a slight hint of earth. On the palate, many of these aromas came through along with a hint of spice. The Huff Estates South Bay Blend (40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot) was another favourite of the flight. It had a very interesting nose with smoke, bacon, tobacco, and a little green pepper. In the mouth, the flavours of the smoke and bacon came through along with pencil shavings and some rather green tannins.

The last flight was the County Cider Ice Cider and everyone enjoyed it. It was sweet, with good acid and some spice. Someone said it was like drinking apple pie. We enjoyed it with four different cheeses: Terres du Portneuf (Triple Crème Brie), Bleu de Bresse, Chatelain (Camembert), and Coutain. Many thought that the Coutain was the better match with the Ice Cider.

Prince Edward County terroir is still in its infancy but evolving, as we have indeed tasted a difference since our first sample of these wines some two years ago. We appreciated the opportunity to get an early look at these wines and look forward to great things in the years to come.

Our sincere thanks to Jay and Karen for thinking of their fellow Guild members during their vacations last summer. Thanks to them, we had a great tasting.

Flight 1

Long Dog Pinot Grigio, 2003, 100% PEC grapes* $14.50

Huff Estates Pinot Gris, 2004, 100% South Bay (PEC) grapes $19.29

Waupoos Geisenheim Dry, 2003, 100% PEC grapes $8.83

By Chadsey’s Cairns Brighton White, 2003, 100% PEC grapes $16.00

Flight 2

Carmela Estates Riesling Reserve, 2003, 75% PEC grapes, 25% Niagara grapes N/A

Closson Chase Chardonnay, 2003, 100% Niagara $39.95

The Grange Trumpour’s Mill Rosé, 2004, 100% PEC grapes $12.95

Long Dog Pinot Noir Barrel Select, 2002, 100% PEC grapes $28.00

Flight 3

By Chadsey’s Cairns Pinot Noir, 2004, 100% PEC grapes $14.00

Carmela Estates Zweigelt Cuvée Once, 2003, 100% Niagara grapes N/A

Carmela Estates Cabernet Franc, 2002, 100% PEC grapes N/A

Huff Estates South Bay Blend, 2003, 100% South Bay (PEC) grapes $20.96

Flight 4

County Cider Ice Cider, 2002, 100% PEC grapes $24.00

* 100% PEC grapes indicates that the wine contains 100% Prince Edward County grapes.