LewisWineReview.com

I bought two bottles of the Antinori Peppoli 206 Chianti Classico for three reasons:

1. The bottle that get me appreciating wine again was a Chianti and it’s been a while since I tried one
2. The bottle received a 90 point rating recently
3. The bottle was on sale for $14.99 (down from $21.99)

Look
The Antinori Peppoli 206 Chianti Classico has a great ruby color with a slight edge of pink. I thought that the color of the wine was a very nice change from the deep purple wines I’ve been drinking lately.

Aroma
The initial aroma is wonderful on the nose with soft blackberry and raspberry as well as highlights of floral, wood and mineral.

Taste
The wine has a very smooth entry into the mouth and doesn’t overpower with too much alcohol or acid. It’s a medium to full body (which surprises due to the lighter aroma) and fills the mouth nicely. It’s a silky smooth wine with ample amounts of flavour. Long to medium finish.

Summary
I would allow this one to breath about 15 minutes before you have your first taste. I’m the type of person that likes to have a try right when the bottle opens so I can experience the change. If that’s you as well, go for it. You’ll be happy either way.

Lewis Wine Rating: 90 points

The Sebeka 2007 Cabernet Pinotage is a very unique wine that gives a distinctively different flavour than a Cabernet Sauvignon bottle. Selling for less than $12 a bottle, this was a suprisingly smooth wine that gave an enjoyable drink.

The wine is a very dark purple/crimson color that gives a sense of boldness in the glass. It is a fruit forward wine that instantly shows great dark berries and chocolate/caramel along with subtle oak and light red fruits. One comment that came from the group was “saltwater taffy!” which could have been a combination of the crisp earthy and sweet combination. The flavour held a thick cassis and slightly oaked mouth but was smooth to taste and held a nice finish.

Rating: 87 points

Visit the Sebeka Winery website

I purchased the Mt. Boucherie 2006 Summit Reserve Pinot Noir on my trip to the Okanagan Valley in June 2009. I read that this is an award winning wine so I was excited to have a better try than the 2 ozs I received at the winery.

Look
The color is a very light pink/auburn color. It’s a beautifully light wine that leaves a nice rim on the glass, distorting the inside wonderfully.

Aroma
There is a refreshing fruit forward aroma in the glass. I can smell some light watermellon, cassis and almost a choke cherry or subtle dark berries. Although the bottle suggests that there should be chocolate somewhere in there, I haven’t been able to find it - maybe in an hour or so.

Taste
The initial flavour is light on the tongue but not overpowering. With three years in the bottle and cask I’m happy with how this Pinot Noir has developed. It smooths out on the finish and holds a great fruit flavour in the mouth.

I really liked drinking this wine. I added it to a light pasta tortellini filled with Brie cheese and topped with tomato sauce. Neither overpowered the other and both added flavours. I really enjoyed the combination.

My rating: 88 points

It’s a great buy especially knowing that it’s grown just up the road from Quail’s Gate and the Mission Hill winery.

Ever since I began drinking wine in the mid 1990’s, the Cave Spring cellars has been a favorite of mine. It may be because while working at the restaurant I was able to successfully recommend the wine more often than not!

Although I’ll admit, I was a little green towards the Gamay varietal, I was also very interested in sharing a bottle of this wine.

Look
The Cave Spring 2006 Gamay displayed a red-brown/blackberry color combination but it was clearly a very light wine. The swirl indicated a spotty rim but I didn’t expect a lighter wine to hold as well.

Aroma
My first reaction to this Gamay was, “Interesting.” I caught a charred wood and light smoky smell followed by a unique aroma of sawdust. After a few moments there was also clearly a light fruit and cherry to it as well. I thought that it had a great character only because I had never smelled some of these aromas in wine before!

Mouth
The taste was a little strange mainly because I found very little initial flavour and very little tannin at all. The wine is light bodied with a peppery, fruity taste in the mouth. Being new to Gamay, it was interesting that the first idea that came to mind when drinking this was of the popping candy I ate as a kid. This wine seemed to be bubbly in the mouth and the more I drank the more I liked it.

I was caught off guard by the color and the aroma. Not being used to drinking Gamay I clearly didn’t know what I was getting into when I started drinking this one. That being said, I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it and learn a little more about the varietal.

Lewis Wine Rating: 87 points

Some other information:
Description
Two thirds of the cuvée was barrel aged for 7 months in 75% older, and 25% new French and Hungarian oak barrels.

Type: Red Wine
Vintage: 2006
Winery: Cave Springs Cellars
Varietal: Gamay
Alcohol (Volume): 12.50%
Region: Canada > Ontario > Niagara Peninsula

Before you begin, please read Quails’ Gate winery and vineyard tour - part 1!!!

The Wines

After the tour I had an opportunity to taste a number of the wines they had for sale. As part of the tour you get to sample (and I mean slightly) three different wines. The offered the Quails’ Gate 2008 Rose, 2007 Chenin Blanc (the Obama wine) and the 2006 Merlot.

After the tour, my wife and I also tasted the premium flight including the Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay, Reserve Pinot Noir (and the QG Pinot Noir to compare) and the Old Vines Foch Reserve. All great wines but all three didn’t grab me the way I thought the would. Obviously, the reserve Pinot Noir had much more fruit and depth than the QG variety but we didn’t grab a bottle on this stop.

Anyone for Old Vines Foch?

If you’re looking for an interesting bottle to try then I would recommend the Quails’ Gate Reserve 2006 Old Vines Foch. It is a real rugged flavour that carries those hints of chocolate, blackberry jam, smoke and spice. Of course, with so much meat to it I would think that it’s a great choice for real strong meats such as Elk or Bison or hard cheeses.

To fee or not to fee?

One thing I did not like about the Quails’ Gate tasting is that they do not refund your tasting fee when you buy the wine. I understand it’s only $5 but hey, I’d rather it be my $5 than theirs! I completely understand the need to charge an up-front fee to bus loads of wine tourists but with no transportation costs why not give back the money back with purchase. Isn’t selling a bottle (or two) the whole point? I guarantee that I would have walked out with more wine knowing that I was going to get a slight “discount.”

Final Thoughts

Quails’ Gate is definitely one of the most beautiful that I encountered and, with the views from the Old Vines Restaurant, a perfect place to dine out. Although it does not compare in pure magnitude to some other large vineyards in the region, it is a more relaxed and personal winery that still has a great international reputation.

Read Quails’ Gate Winery review Part 1 here