Wine Wednesday
Cheers to an benchmark and budget-friendly Niagara cabernet franc
Family owned and operated Fielding Estate Winery celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. The Beamsville-based winery has become a model of consistency since Richie Roberts took over the cellar in 2007, thanks in part to his strong grasp of Niagara’s core varieties: riesling, chardonnay and cabernet franc.
I have always considered Roberts’ cabernet francs to be some of the finest in the region. Their accessible yet age-worthy styles are captivating. These wines offer honest expressions of both the grape and the place, avoiding the temptation to push for excessively ripe grapes and extended aging in new oak barrels.
An example of this is the winery’s affordable white label release from the 2023 vintage. Fielding reserves, made from estate grown grapes, are bottled with black labels, while the conventional labels are made from a blend of estate and purchased fruit.
Fielding Estate Cabernet Franc 2023
Niagara Peninsula $22.95 (fieldingwines.com)
Grapes from three vineyards, a barrel selection aged for one year in French oak, blended and aged for four months in tank before bottling. Unfined and unfiltered.
This juicy and ripe red wine offers the telltale cabernet franc character with cherry, plum and black berry fruit flavours enhanced by savoury and herbal notes. It’s a great value Niagara wine that reveals impressive balance and vibrancy, with polished tannins and a lingering finish. With structure and freshness, this dry and distinctive red has potential to mature in bottle. This has 13.9 per cent ABV and 2 g/litre rs. Drink now to 2030. Available direct, fieldingwines.com (90/100)
March Cellar Collection Releases
Lismore The Age of Grace Viognier 2023
Coastal Region, South Africa $47 (047740)
Owned by Californian native Samantha O’Keefe, Lismore has been producing wine from a ranch called Riviersonderend in Greyton, which is part of the Overberg region, since 2008. She farms chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, viognier, roussanne, syrah and pinot noir. The Age of Grace Viognier is as expressive as one would expect from the variety, with textbook notes of peach and citrus fruit, along with some phenolic bitterness that adds focus and grip to the finish. This delicious white fully embraces the richness of its varietal character, making it a seriously textured and refined option. I believe it will age well, but it’s just too good to resist enjoying right now. This has 13.5 per cent ABV and 2 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2028. Available direct, vintagesshoponline.com, March 5 Cellar Release (93/100)
Radford Dale The Freedom Pinot Noir 2023
Elgin, South Africa $48 (032657)
Winery founder Alex Dale is passionate about Burgundy and has worked diligently to discover exceptional vineyard sites in South Africa for cultivating pinot noir. The Freedom Pinot Noir blend is produced from an organically certified estate vineyard in Elgin, incorporating fruit from five blocks. The grapes are hand-harvested at dawn, carefully sorted by hand, and gently processed. This wine is unmistakably pinot on both the nose and palate, displaying red and dark fruit flavours with hints of earthiness and mushroom notes. The result is a red wine with a wealth of charm and complexity. This has 12.5 per cent ABV and 2 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2033. Available direct, vintagesshoponline.com, March 5 Cellar Release, various prices in Alberta, $48.75 in Quebec (2024 vintage) (93/100)
Torbreck The Factor 2021
Barossa Valley, South Australia $175 (020347)
Winemaker Ian Hongell has been overseeing the cellars at Torbreck since 2017, bringing a new focus and freshness to the brand’s renowned full-flavoured wine style. When it comes to The Factor, a 100 per cent Barossa shiraz sourced from top vineyards in Krondorf, Marananga and other locations, big is indeed beautiful. It’s also balanced, with incredible integration between ripe fruit and the complexities that come from aging in oak barrels. While the concentrated character makes it approachable now, its price suggests that it may be best enjoyed at a later date, perhaps for a special occasion of your choosing. This has 15 per cent ABV and 3 g/litre r.s. Drink now t0 2050. Available at the above price direct, vintagesshoponline, March 5 Cellar Release. various prices in Alberta. (98/100)
Grape Days Ahead
In the future, every grape variety will be famous for 24 hours. March offers the chance to celebrate riesling, which is loved by members of the wine trade and overlooked by pretty much everyone else. If every there was a grape variety that needs a parade in its honour, it’s riesling.
March 13 | International Riesling Day
March 21 | World Vermouth Day
Fielding’s Unoaked Chard is one I recommend the most for a thoroughly enjoyable wine drinkable for all occasions. I haven’t had the Cab Franc in a while… will have to rectify that promptly.