Gold-medal winner in the Semi-Dry Riesling category at this year’s Ontario Wine Awards. An explosive bouquet of peach, honey, mandarin, bergamot, lime and mineral beguiles. The crisp acidity is held in check by some residual sugar, but for all intents and purposes, it comes across as a dry wine. All I kept thinking about when drinking this wine was a huge plate of sushi and sashimi.
A fairly weighty wine with black cherry, subtle floral and savoury herb scents, rounded dark and red fruit in the mouth with a splash of dark chocolate, firm dry tannins and slightly aggressive acidity.
Dense purple colour with a malty, blackberry nose lifted with vanilla oak; full-bodied, dry, earthy, Christmas-cake flavours that fill the palate.
Chalky, marl soils, steep slopes, and an elevation of close to 500 metres all contribute to this mineral, salty, fresh, linear wine with a long length and slightly ripe fruit flavours. The wine still maintains an electric racy acidity which is in line with the producers’ description of 2015 as a warm vintage, but in which acidity was maintained. Sudsteiermark is located in southeastern Austria along the Slovenian border and is characterized by plentiful hills and steep slopes. Sauvignon Blanc is the most important grape variety in the area.
Raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant with subtle pinch of cinnamon and clove on the nose, with thick blackberry and blackcurrant leading off on the palate and raspberry in a secondary role. Acidity is still somewhat aggressive and tannins a little stiff at the moment. A solid, well-made wine that will reward keeping for 3+ years in the cellar.
Delicate floral, grapefruit and lightly herbal aromatics lead the way for zesty citrus, stone fruit and dry mineral on the palate. Lively and very clean, it finishes with a nicely balanced touch of residual sweetness.
Tollgate is a mid-range label from Stratus. This 14.9% Merlot is dolled up in lots of new oak and will appeal to those who like woodier attributes. Full-bodied, there is considerable concentration and lots of mocha, smoke, plum, cherry, spice and hints of herbs. There is decent length, but the tannins are assertive, so my suggestion is to drink over the next 5 years with a juicy cut of prime meat.