Prince Edward County Wine Tasting Experience
with Astrid Young, Sommelier ISG, CMSA, CAPS
Casa Dea Estates Sparkling Rosé Cold Creek Vineyard, Hillier, PEC NV
Made from 100% Gamay grapes using the charmat method, this is an ideal aperitif wine or a great way to start any get-together in a festive way.
Bright vibrant pink in color, the wine is fruity and just off-dry, showing tart cherry and raspberry fruit on the nose. Notes of vanilla and cream on the palate rise through lively bubbles with just a kiss of sweetness and a hint of pie spice on the back.
Pair with fresh berries and cream, strawberry-rhubarb pie, blue cheese, stilton, French fries, hot dogs on the grill, salmon, hoisin pork, Thai or Indian cuisine.
Charmat is a bulk method of making sparkling wine. Following primary fermentation, the finished wine is closed into tanks where a mixture of yeast and sugar (called the Liqueur de Triage) is added to start the secondary fermentation, which produces the bubbles. The tank is kept closed during this process, locking the bubbles in. Though it is bottled at slightly lower pressure than traditional method champagne, the bulk method make it more economical to make, and often every bit as good.
$22 Available at the winery or online at www.casadeaestates.com
Casa Dea Estates Pecorino, Hillier, PEC 2021
A true original - an Italian variety and the only example grown in PEC. Casa Dea is one of the original wine estates and makes wine exclusively from grapes grown on their property. As such, they have a few unique varieties, including the county's only Melon de Bourgogne (the Muscadet clone of pinot gris), Zweigelt (an Austrian cool-climate vinifera variety), and Pecorino. Light and fresh, this is an excellent summer wine loaded with character and personality.
Tasting: Intense aromas of stone fruit and lemon curd open up to apricot and fresh citrus on the palate, finishing fresh with lime zest and a distinct minerality.
Pair with shellfish, Ontario pickerel or perch with butter sauce, soft cheeses, crudite with dip, potato chips, or enjoy as an aperitif.
$34.95 at the winery or online at www.casadeaestates.com
Closson Chase Vineyards Vineyard Chardonnay, Hillier, PEC 2023
Aromas of white flowers, ripe orchard fruits—Bartlett pear, crisp apple, and hints of peach and nectarine skin—unfold gracefully in the glass. Subtle notes of hazelnut, white chocolate, and brioche add depth and richness. On the palate, the wine is plush and rounded, with a silky texture lifted by bright, balanced acidity. The finish is long and elegant, driven by a fine mineral tension and a subtle, spicy lift.
Sourced entirely from the estate and blended from 25% Churchside vineyard, 75% South Clos vineyard.
Whole cluster pressed, then fermented and aged in French oak barrels for 16 months, 10% new barrels, partial malolactic fermentation in barrel.
Pair with grilled pork chops topped with wild mushrooms, pancetta, sage cream sauce, soft cheeses, a lobster roll, or fresh-shucked oysters.
Production: 1100 cases. Cellaring Potential: 2-3 years
$38 available at the winery or online at www.clossonchase.com
Rosehall Run PINOT NOIR, JCR, ROSEHALL VINEYARD, Hillier, PEC 2021
ESTATE GROWN & BOTTLED
Cases Produced: 1000
Drink 2023-2025 for fresher style or cellar 2026-2032 for more mature style.
ESTATE GROWN & BOTTLED
Cases Produced: 1000
Drink 2023-2025 for fresher style or cellar 2026-2032 for more mature style.
Tasting: Lifted aromas of red and black cherry, raspberry, rose petals, and a hint of oak vanillins over that classic Hillier earthiness. Medium-bodied and perfectly balanced with ripe, elegant tannins and a kiss of juicy cherry fruit on the back.
$45 Available at the LCBO #326504
or at the winery www.rosehallrun.com
Pair with duck, spit-grilled chicken, spicy foods, chili cheese fries, soft cheeses, anything you fancy.
STORY OF THE PINOT NOIR
This is the 11th edition of our JCR series Pinot Noir, named in tribute to our co-founder, partner, and family member John Campbell Reston. The fruit is sourced entirely from our Rosehall Vineyard in the North, South and West blocks, the most mature plantings on the Estate. Pinot Noir is one of Winemakers Dan Sullivan and Lee Baker’s favorite varietals to work with, and the 2021 vintage has proven to be an excellent expression of this Prince Edward County staple.
VINEYARD
Pinot Noir is our largest Estate planting in the Rosehall Vineyard with a total of just over 13,000 vines. Begun as a small 500-vine planting in the North Block in the spring of 2001 after acquiring the farm, successive plantings of Pinot Noir took place in the North, South and West blocks in 2002, 2004, and 2007 respectively.
GROWING SEASON:
2021 was a growing season marked by several periods of drought stress throughout August with frequent rainy periods during the harvest season of September and early October. Careful management of the vines was a key factor to ensure vineyard health, and special attention was paid to maintain proper airflow throughout the vineyards during the damp Fall.
HARVEST:
Due to inclement weather at Harvest, our crew conducted a staggered pick for the Estate Pinot Noir. Between October 1st to the 3rd and October 7th until the 10th, crews handpicked with the bulk of the fruit for the JCR coming from fruit harvested in the earlier pick. The 2021 yield was slightly above average representing about a 20% increase, resulting in approximately 2.3 tonnes per acre harvested.
WINEMAKING:
Following Harvest, the Pinot Noir was destemmed and transferred to two stainless steel fermenters. During fermentation the fruit was pumped over twice daily and was left to mature on the skins for a total of three weeks before another brief period in stainless steel to allow the juice to naturally settle. The wine was then racked into a blend of 60% second fill and 40% first fill 265L French Oak barrels and left to age for a total of 16 months in our underground barrel cellar. In February 2023 the wine was moved back into stainless steel for an extra month, then lightly filtered and bottled in March 2023.
Cabernet Franc Reserve, Hillier, PEC 2020
Almost opaque in color with ruby glints, find deep notes of concentrated blackberry and cassis fruits on the nose with vanilla and stewed fruit notes. Having spent twenty-four months in new and older French oak barrels, the wine has developed a distinct richness, its initial lush tones leading into accents of cocoa and spice. Oak and spice give way to blackcurrants with a dry, plush, lingering finish.
Pair with grilled tenderloin, game meats, lamb, roast turkey, saucy ribs.
$26.95 at the winery or online at www.casadeaestates.com
Three Dog Winery “Estate” Cabernet Franc, Sophiasburgh, PEC 2022
Aged for 18 months in new and second-fill French oak, the fruit is hand-harvested and sourced from 25-year-old vines on the estate. On the nose, black raspberries, blackcurrant, and plum veritably leap from the glass, cradled in a rich and spicy, juicy, brambly mouthful of goodness. Finishes long with grippy tannins, echoing the black raspberry fruit with a hint of spicy black pepper.
Sophiasburgh is a very unique terroir, producing wines of great elegance, most with a distinct raspberry character typical of the subregion.
Pair with grilled meats, barbeque, pizza, pasta a la checca, lamb burgers, aged cheeses.
$40 available only at the winery or online at www.threedogwine.com
Casa Dea Estates Casa Dolce, Hillier, PEC 2021
Casa Dolce is a fortified red wine with aromas of licorice and jammy red fruit. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months, it offers a rich sweet palate that leads into a long, rich, and persistent finish with notes of brown sugar, hazelnuts, and a kiss of sweet black cherry on the back.
Made from 100% estate-grown cabernet franc and finished in wood like a late-bottled vintage port, the wine is fortified with a spirit (in this case, barrel-aged rum) to stop the fermentation at the desired sweetness.
An excellent choice to serve as an aperitif or with dessert. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Pairing suggestions: dried fruit, nuts, chocolate desserts, pecan pie, cherry pie, ice cream.
500 mL $39.95
Available only at the winery or online at www.casadeaestates.com
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