This 2007 Cab from Colio comes with a "Lake Erie North Shore" appellation. $19.95 at the Colio retail outlet. Natural particle-cork closure.
Tasted after one day in the open bottle.
12.5% alc./vol. Garnet colour of medium intensity. Aromas of oak and juicy currant fruit (some blackcurrant but mainly redcurrant) and just a faint hint of green pepper. Dry and tart on the entry; light- to medium-bodied for a Cab. Dry and chewy with very pleasant chalky tannins. Fine balance on the mid-palate. Oak spice along the mid-palate and into the finish. Not much fruit in it at all, but the texture is very pleasing.
I rarely try Ontario Cabs - mainly because I believe that the Bordeaux grapes aren't the ideal match to our climate. In warm years, however, I do try them - mainly to challenge my beliefs (which I tend, however, to reconfirm...), but also to see where the genre is heading.
This wine is actually pretty good, and at $20, I think it's a fair price. I probably would not be quite as enthusiastic about it in a lower-quality vintage, and would prefer something else - a Foch or a Zweigelt, for instance.