05
Nov
2025
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(Jan. 10, 2025) … This is the day we tasted a whole bunch of wines in the white and sweet range: Barsac, Sauternes and les Blanc Sec.
I used a three star system for these wines – as I did with all wines on my Bordeaux adventure – seemed the easiest way to deal with all the wines I tasted (think of it as Good/Better/Best). I also only made a tasting note on wines two-stars and above.
Les Vins Sec (The Dry Stuff) …
Two Stars
Chateau Climens 2023 Asphodele
Better than previous vintage tried at the estate - this one showed a little more life and flavour profile that at least excited the mouth to a level of interest.
Chateau Climens 2023 Lilium
Again, better than the previous vintage - same reason 
Chateau Doisy-Daene 2023 Blanc Sec
Bright and fresh with a nice minerality
Chateau Sigalas Rabaud 2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec (Semillon)
Nice salinity action here - acidity creeps up and bites you
One Star
Chateau Climens 2023 Petit Lily
Chateau Coutet 2023 Opalie de Chateau Coutet
Chateau D'Arche 2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2023 Chevalier de Vedrines
Chateau Guiraud 2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2023 Grand Vin Blanc Sec
Chateau Lamothe-Guignard 2023 Clos de Hez
Rayne Vigneau 2022 Le Sec de Rayne Vigneau
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Les Vins Doux (The Sweet Stuff)
Two Stars
Chateau Broustet 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Bright, fresh and sweet; there might be the slightest hint of VA lingering on the backend - but it might be adding a lift here - it's a fine line.
Chateau Climens 2022 Barsac (1st Growth)
Tropical fruit, pure and salty, long finish, floral and honey-apricots 
Chateau de Rayne Vigneau 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
The coca-cola trick has worked: the wine ends with a bitterness and a salinity that seems to overshadow the sweet entry.
Chateau Doisy Dubroca 2022 Barsac (2nd Growth)
Nice kick of minerality among the sweet apricot-honey-peach and pear notes
Chateau Doisy-Daene 2022 Barsac (2nd Growth)
Purity of sweet fruits and acidity - clean finish - very sippable
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Sweet acidity - seems counter-intuitive, but there is something here on the long finish that kicks acidity into overdrive and mkaes this a sweet-pleasantry
Chateau La Tour Blanche 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
Pretty and honeyed - bitterness keeps the sweetness at bay on the finish.
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
Nice seam of acidity balances the wine out but keeps those sweet honeyed fruits intact.
Chateau Lamothe-Guignard 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
There's a bitterness that seems to sweet in the backend making this sweet wine come across as dry.
Chateau Rabaud-Promis 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
This wines promises sweetness right up fron and delivers it in spades. But in a pretty way.
Chateau Romer du Hayot 2022 Le 2 de Romer du Hoyot (2nd Wines)
Salinity and acidity cut right through the sweetness - making this something super pleasant to sip on
One Star
Chateau Caillou 2022 Barsac (2nd Growth)
Chateau Coutet 2022 Barsac (1st Growth)
Chateau D'Arche 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Chateau D'Arche 2022 Soleil D'Arche (2nd Wine)
Chateau Doisy-Vedrines 2022 Chateau Petit Vedrines (2nd Wine)
Chateau Guiraud 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey 2022 La Chapelle de Lafaurie-Peyraguey (2nd Wine)
Chateau Myrat 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Chateau Romer du Hayot 2022 Sauternes (2nd Growth)
Chateau Sigalas Rabaud 2022 Sauternes (1st Growth)
04
Nov
2025
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(May 2025) ... Recently, I posted my top wines from Cuvée. A month later, Taste Ontario happened. This is where the Ontario wine producers take over a venue and pour a number of their their wines.
This year, it was held at The Quay in Toronto. While I appreciate the opportunity to taste as many Ontario wines as possible, they secured a venue that was a little confusing. There was a primary room that housed the majority of wines from Lake Erie North Shore, Prince Edward County, and the Bench. But Niagara-on-the-Lake got short-shrifted into a room down a hall and past some sitting area. Plus, not all of them were in there. When I left and boarded my train back home, only then did I realize that anything S and beyond was missing from my tasting notes.
Next year, if the venue remains the same, better signage is a must.
Here is a list of the best wines from Taste Ontario.
THE TOP WINES ...
(with notes)
Divergence Wines NV MV Brut One 
Lincoln Lakeshore - $ 33.00
Chardonnay (42%) and Pinot Noir (58%) from the 2021/2020 vintage - spending 28 months on lees: lovely complexity and acidty and a fantastic finish - lots of biscuits and toasty sensations. (**** ½)
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Bachelder 2022 Chardonnay Les Villages Bench
Niagara Escarpment - $ 34.95
Tropical fruits like pineapple meet pear and nice minerality, here the acidity slaps. (****+)
Creekside Estate Winery 2022 Iconoclast Syrah
St David's Bench - $ 30.00
20 months in oak helps produce a smoky-raspberry wine with lots of pepper - this one is pure Syrah at its core. (****+)
Domaine Queylus 2023 Chardonnay Signature
Niagara Peninsula - $ 26.00
Pretty floral with notes of apple, pear and tropical fruit. (****+)
Kern & Co. 2018 Rapanaro Vineyard Cabernet Franc
Creek Shores - $ 49.00
Nice ripeness of fruit from the mediocre 2018 vintage: smooth and silky across the palate, this one hits the sweep spot for good Franc; best of all, it’s ready to drink. (****+)
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Black Bank Hill 2021 Égalité
Lincoln Lakeshore - $ 40.00
Equal part Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Cabernet Franc - it's from the 2021 vintage, so I expected a light wine. But this one has a surprising fruit driven core. A lovely expression of a wine that had the potential to be so much worse, and yet has turned into something so lovely. It’s an eye-opener as to how good a wine can be in a poor vintage if care is taken – the acidity just takes it up another notch. (****)
Closson Chase Vineyards 2023 Brock Chardonnay
Niagara River - $ 24.95
Good crispness with plenty of apple and pear. (****)
Cloudsley Cellars 2021 Pinot Noir, Hanck Vineyard 
Twenty Mile Bench - $ 53.00
Earthy and fruity, spicy with great, and surprising, licorice notes; finishes pretty and floral. (****)
Cloudsley Cellars 2023 Chardonnay, Twenty Mile Bench
Twenty Mile Bench - $ 36.93
Creamy pineapple puree with apples and spice. (****)
Creekside Estate Winery 2024 Backyard Block Sauvignon Blanc
Creek Shores - $ 24.95
Really zippy and fresh with a lively grapefruit punch. (****)
Hidden Bench Estate Winery 2022 Chardonnay
Beamsville Bench - $ 31.95
Creamy but also has a smoky character; you’ll also find peach and pear fruit with a long finish. (****)
Huff Estates Winery 2023 Huff's Corners Pinot Noir
Prince Edward County - $ 40.00
70% of the wine spends time in neutral oak, keeping the fruitiness, but also adding texture: earthy, cran-cherry- rhubarb and spicy. (****)
Inniskillin Winery 2022 Reserve Cabernet Franc
Niagara Peninsula - $ 19.95
Lovely fruit forward nature with good smoky content. (****)
Kern & Co. 2018 Foxcroft Vineyard Chardonnay
Twenty Mile Bench - $ 42.00
Super pretty wine. Spends time in new oak (25%), has great acid punch; drinks well now, but is on the cusp of old; a little creamed corn and peachy on the finish. I’d drink this now-2026. (****)
Meldville Wines 2023 Sauvignon Blanc
Lincoln Lakeshore - $ 20.00
Vibrant and fresh - lovely and peachy. A good expression of Ontario Savvy B. (****)
Rosehall Run Vineyards 2022 JCR Chardonnay
Prince Edward County - $ 36.00
Nicely balanced fruit core with apple leading the charge. Spends time in 100% barrel French for a mere 6 months, of which 25% is new - nice finish. (****)
Rosehall Run Vineyards 2022 JCR Pinot Noir
Prince Edward County - $ 45.00
Mineral and stony. A solid offering with good acidity, and cranberry-cherry fruit. This one spends 18 months in French oak, of which 25% is new. (****)
The Grange Of Prince Edward 2023 Estate Series Chardonnay
Prince Edward County - $ 34.10
Spicy with a lovely mouthfeel: apple, slightly musque-like, and a long finish. (****)
Trail Estate Winery 2020 Cabernet Franc 
Twenty Mile Bench - $ 58.00
19 months in oak, fruit comes from the Foxcroft vineyard in Niagara: spicy, and fruit forward with notes of blueberry, black cherry and black raspberry. (****)
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THREE-AND-A-HALF PLUS
Bachelder 2022 Pinot Noir Les Villages - Niagara Escarpment ($34.95)
Black Bank Hill 2022 Cabernet Franc - Lincoln Lakeshore ($50.00)
Closson Chase Vineyards 2022 South Clos Chardonnay - Prince Edward County ($50.00)
Divergence Wines 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Brut - Niagara Peninsula ($20.00)
Domaine Queylus 2020 Mountainview Pinot Noir - Lincoln Lakeshore ($80.00)
Drea's Wine Co. 2022 Cabernet Franc - Niagara Peninsula ($36.50)
Henry Of Pelham 2023 The Shadow Rock Estate Sauvignon Blanc - Short Hills Bench ($21.61)
Henry Of Pelham 2023 Three Hills Estate Chardonnay - Short Hills Bench ($20.48)
Inniskillin Winery 2022 Reserve Chardonnay - Niagara Peninsula ($19.95)
Inniskillin Winery 2023 Discovery Series Blanc De Franc - Niagara Peninsula ($23.19)
Redstone Winery 2021 Estate Syrah - Lincoln Lakeshore ($40.95)
The Grange Of Prince Edward 2023 Estate Series Cabernet Franc - Prince Edward County ($36.36)
Westcott Vineyards 2022 Block 76 Chardonnay - Vinemount Ridge ($50.00)
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THREE-AND-A-HALF
Broken Stone Winery 2021 Amour Traditional Method Sparkling - Prince Edward County ($44.95)
Icellars Estate Winery 2024 Cervus - Niagara-on-the-Lake ($25.00)
MW Cellars 2023 Pinot Blanc - Niagara-on-the-Lake ($21.00)
MW Cellars 2024 Sauvignon Blanc - Niagara-on-the-Lake ($21.00)
