Appearance: Medium ruby with pinkish rim

Nose: Cherry, red currant, confectioners sugar, nutmeg and pickling spices, toast and fall leaves.

Palate: Dry with medium-to-low acidity, medium tannins of a soft feel, medium alcohol and medium body. Flavours of prune, dark fruit and there was a lingering note of herbs and leaves. The finish was short but still pleasant.

Overall, the wine was judged as good to very good based on the variety of the scents and flavours. Good balance. The wine represents the characters of cooler climate Pinot noir. Good value at $25.

This was a unique opportunity to compare two vintages of the same wine among the group. Some had tasted the younger vintage and others tasted the older vintage (Ideally, it would have been best to have everyone taste both wines, but lately it’s been tough to get together.)  We created a collective tasting note for both wines:

Appearance: 2019 had a medium intensity, lemon colour with a lemon-green rim, compared to the 2016 which was paler and lacked the lemon-green hue.

Nose: Although each wine seemed equally intense (medium) the 2019 showed notes of green apple, fresh peach, butter, cream, and baguette. The 2016, by comparison, lacked the green apple and had notes of pear, cantaloupe, banana among the backdrop of the butter, cream and baguette. The older vintage had an undertone of oak which was not present in the 2019.

Palate: For mouthfeel, both wines are dry, with a perception of a touch of sweetness owing to the fruit. Each wine had medium acidity, medium-high alcohol, and medium-to-light body. Melon and green apple came through for 2019s flavours along with vanilla and oak, while 2016 was still very tropical, just as it smelled. The length was short-to-medium and pleasant.

Overall, both wines were judged as ‘good’ as they each had a decent variety of flavours and scents, and their textures felt balanced. In regards to value, some were inclined to judge these wines as ‘very good’ because they represent good value with the $18 price point.