(April 25, 2015) … Tonight we’re invited to a get together with friends Jeff and Kim, and because they have an affiliation with a certain winery (one works for and the other is married to the guy who works for) I brought along a few bottles of older wines from said winery.
Alright the guessing game is over, or it should have been just by looking at the title of this post … Here we’re trying 3 old Stoney Ridge wines, a sparkling and two Francs. You always start with bubbles, and as it turns out it is one of Kim’s favourite styles of wine (and I can not find fault in that what-so-ever), 2005 Proprietor’s Reserve Brut Sparkling Wine – I don’t know how many times Stoney Ridge made bubbles but I do know this was their first, and it was such a great bottle of bubbles back when it was released … Fast forward ten years from vintage date and the question is, was would it still hold up? Answer: surprisingly well. Nose is apple and lemon while the palate was also lovely and fresh with apple, and a touch of lemon pith, the only drawback was the waning acidity … But the color barely showed a hint of age – maybe light lemon (if you care about those kind of things) – all I know is not a drop was left. What a great way to start the evening.
Next up is a hot vintage comparison between the 2002 and 2005 Wismer Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Franc. Now the last time I had the 2005 was with my father-in-law when I brought a bottle to Michigan back in September (read that rave reviews here) … As for the 2002 it was an interesting aged version. Nose came across meaty, and port-like, while the palate shows a touch of cedar, along with dried cherries, cassis, meaty notes and smoky characteristics – it softens quickly but still retains great acidity. These wines really show the beauty of aged Ontario wines in a hot vintage..
My original Stoney Ridge reviews:
2005 Proprietor’s Reserve Brut Sparkling Wine
2005 Wismer Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Franc
2002 Wismer Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Franc (no previous review)