At MOCOOL, in Ann Arbor, MI this past weekend, I presented a mini-horizontal (mostly) of local (mostly) wines from the Niagara area. The theme was Meritage and 2010 was an excellent year for Bordeaux varieties in the area (2012 should rival it). My announcement to the 100+ folks in attendance did not gather nearly as much enthusiasm as the Bordeaux or high-end CA tables, so I did not get much feedback. Here are my notes:
Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 Wild Boar Doe (Long Island) – Solid Bordeaux-like, tannic with medium finish - nice.
Megalomaniac 2010 Grounded (Niagara Peninsula) – Deep color, cedar, tobacco, long tannic finish – very nice.
Freedom Run 2010 Meritage (Niagara Escarpment, NY) – Good color, oak, medium tannic finish – nice.
Arrowhead Springs 2010 Reserve Meritage (Niagara Escarpment, NY) – Deep color, cedar, leather, long finish – very nice.
Leonard Oakes 2010 Meritage (Niagara Escarpment, NY) – Deep color, oak, long tannic finish – very nice.
Hart Wine Cellar 2010 Bordertown Red (Niagara Escarpment, & Niagara Peninsula) – Good color (slight bricking) a touch of leather and tobacco on the nose, medium-long finish. I made this and felt that stood up to the other wines nicely, even though there was no Cab Sauv in the blend.
Freedom Run 2011 Meritage Appassimento (Niagara Escarpment, NY) – The only 2011, so it wasn’t officially part of the horizontal. Deep color, intense fruit and tannin, long finish – very nice and distinctive.