Sunday, 2 April 2006
Reported by Jim Gallivan (with help from Mark Kilpatrick)

In a somewhat unusual event—at least in terms of timing, a group of guild members gathered on a Sunday afternoon for a tasting of Mountain Road Wines with owner/winemaker Steve Kocsis. Although Steve has been growing grapes for many years, Mountain Road Winery is a relatively new, small volume winery that produced its first wine in 1999. Steve decided to try winemaking after watching his carefully tended grapes end up in whatever at the larger wineries. It was obviously a good decision given the quality of the wines, and an even better decision given the price points.

The first flight featured four whites from the 2002 vintage, a Dry Riesling, an Unoaked Chardonnay, a Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay and the Reserve Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. The Riesling was floral, ripe pear/honey, and petrol on the nose with a bracing acidity. It was drinking well now, but will probably last a few years. The Unoaked Chardonnay was aromatic with some floral notes and a ripe apple nose. After the Riesling it was quite soft, but still had good acid and a clean finish—a nice light quaffing wine. The oaked Chardonnays were both complex. The Barrel Fermented was a combination of American and French oak, while the Reserve was French oak. The “regular” had a more forward caramel and tropical fruit aromas, but was well balanced with good acidity and a long finish—perfect for drinking this summer with a grilled chicken salad. The Reserve was more austere with noticeable oak and high acid still dominating the fruit—this one will take a few years to integrate, but will be a very impressive wine when it does.

The second flight featured the “lighter” reds, at least that’s what we were told. The first two wines were from the 2001 vintage, a Baco Noir and a Marechal Foch. Both were big, complex wines with lots of ripe dark fruit and definite oak—34 months in barrels will do that. Behind it all was good acid and fine tannins. These were definitely not typical wines for these grapes. Now we know why the Marechal Foch won a medal at the Ottawa Wine and Food Show. The second pair of wines were 2002 Barrel Fermented Gamays, the regular and the Reserve. They were noticeably lighter than the first pair of wines, but both had loads of fruit with a ripe sour cherry nose and earthy, smoky notes. The Reserve was more complex with some candied notes as well and greater body. Both had high acid and were slightly disjointed, probably because they were only bottled a few days before. Given some time to settle, these wines may have the depth and character to challenge the top Crus of Beaujolais.

The second flight was matched with three cheeses, a Madawaska from the Ottawa Valley, a Fondu artisanal production from the Quebec City region, and a Pecorino con Tartufo. The Fondu was an interesting match with the Baco Noir and Marechal Foch. The truffles in the Pecorino complemented the earthy, smoky tones in the Gamays while the Pecorino tamed the acid.

The third flight was the Cabernet flight, featuring the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, the 2001 Cabernet Franc Reserve, and the 2002 Cabernet Blend, a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. All had loads of dark ripe fruit. Apparently Steve is a bit of a gambler and likes to leave the grapes on the vine as long as possible. Obviously the risk paid off. Both Cabernet Sauvignons had earthy/herbal notes, with bell pepper and vanilla. The regular Cab Sauvignon tended more to ripe sweet cherry, while the Reserve was more complex with plum and dark fruit. Both had soft tannins, good balance, and a long finish. The Cabernet Franc Reserve had some smoke, chocolate, bell pepper, and loads of dark fruit. This was a well balanced wine with loads of ripe tannin and good acid, suggesting it may live for a few more years. The Cabernet blend was complex with dark fruit, chocolate, vanilla, a hint of cassis, and ripe tannins. However, it had a high acid content and was somewhat disjointed as it had only been bottled a few days before. Like the Gamays, this one needs time to settle, then it can wait several years before drinking.

The third flight was matched with two sausages, a Hungarian Csaby and a Rosette de Lyon with walnuts. Both worked with all of the wines, but the Csaby was probably better with the Cabernet Sauvignons and the Rosette with the Cabernet Franc and the blend.

The final flight was the sweet wines. The first was a 2004 Botrytis Affected Riesling with a floral, honeyed nose, good acid, and a long finish. The second was the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine with a light rosé colour, and a candied strawberry nose. The 2001 Cabernet Franc Icewine that followed was a marked contrast, dark brown with a nutty, raisiny, almost sherry-like nose. Both had good acid, and were well-balanced. The last wine was the 1999 Vidal Icewine, Steve’s first wine. It had a ripe peach/apricot nose with lots of fruit and good acid. This was a well-made wine that will last for a few more years. Based on the wines tasted, Mountain Road Winery is a “must-visit” on future trips to Niagara. Given the price/quality ratio, it is a definite “must-visit”. Hopefully, Steve’s trip to Ottawa was also successful, and some of these wines will be featured in local restaurants.

Flight 1: Whites
2002 Dry Riesling $13.95
2002 Unoaked Chardonnay $14.95
2002 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay $15.95
2002 Barrel Fermented Reserve Chardonnay $25.95

Flight 2: Reds
2001 Baco Noir $11.95
2001 Marechal Foch $12.95
2002 Barrel Fermented Gamay $12.95
2002 Barrel Fermented Reserve Gamay NYR

Flight 3: Cabernets
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon $21.95
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $23.95
2001 Cabernet Franc Reserve $22.95
2002 Cabernet Reserve Blend NYR

Flight 4: Sweet Wines
2004 Botrytis Affected Riesling $17.95
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine $89.95/375 ml
2001 Cabernet Franc Icewine $79.95/375 ml
1999 Vidal Icewine $34.95/375 ml