Aroma: One senses a firm and tight wine lacking fruit effusiveness. Pardon any reference to Gogol’s short story “The Nose” but you need to deeply nose about to detect black cherry, black currant, strawberry jam and those Peek Freen cookies with a blob of red goo in the centre. Overshadowed by oak, perhaps too much so. The good news though is that trying on day two the oak backs off somewhat and the fruit rears its head. Decant my friend for at least an hour.
Palate: The tightness continues obfuscating the fruit. Tannic. Black cherry, cranberry and faint strawberry with a short finish. Like the fruit is lurking in the background.
Personality: Extremely shy and far from a fruit flasher. Decanting transforms me from introvert status to being shy. I would like you to think of me as complex and difficult to define.
Food Match: A tomato based Bachalau would suit this wine or perhaps some of the other 299 Portuguese recipes for this dish.
Cellarbility: Could a miracle be waiting over the next five years? Perhaps. You are paying a high price for such a temporal risk.
Price: $40 CDN.
RKS 2026 Ontario Wine Rating: 84/100.
(Drea’s 2022 Small Batch Cabernet Franc, VQA Niagara Peninsula, 750 mL, 13%).
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