2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Thursday, Nov 12th, 2009

2008 Sauvignon Blanc:

Crafting aromatic white wines requires good fruit, patience and above all temperature control!  In small wineries like ours we aren’t afforded the luxury of temperature-controlled tanks to aid in maintaining the ideal fermentation conditions.   Instead, my barrels of 2008 Sauv Blanc went on a merry-go-round tour of our barn for about a month until ferment was over.  First outside to settle after pressing, then inside to warm for yeast inoculation, quickly into the cold room as the the ferment really starts to rock, back out of the cold room to finish-up as yeast start to become stressed, finally back into cold room at 4 Celsius to stop ferment at the desired sugar-acid balance.

I decided to use a yeast called X5 for this wine because it boasts to “help reveal varietal aromas rich in citrus, boxtree and tropical fruit while contributing light fresh floral notes”.  In the early stages it was apparent that X5 was the right choice.   I was impressed with the  lychee and pineapple aromatics that got stronger with each successive day.  There was still some classic cool-climate Sauv Blanc citrus (lime zest) detectable as well, with hints of vanilla, fig and flint.  The use of older French oak barrels was most evident on the palate, softening the edges of this zesty wine. Bottled on September 14th, 2009.

Cases: 64                   Alcohol:  12.0%              Price: $25/bottle

A Great View

Friday, Oct 09th, 2009

 

Lead up to harvest is a time of frayed nerves and long hours.  In many cases you are playing a game of chicken with the weather, and usually I’m the first one to flinch.  I get so tied up worrying about making the right decision that I rarely stop to enjoy the moment.  That would soon change.

Earlier this week we harvested our first fruit of the year, and as I stood awaiting a load of fruit atop the bins of the receival truck, I was struck by the view.  From this vantage point I was overwhelmed by imagery and memories.  The stress of harvest suddenly melted away and the bigger picture came into focus.  The green rows of vines looked resplendent contrasted against the fall colours adorning the trees.  A harvester slowly chugged its way down a row of Sauvignon Blanc, driven by one of my early childhood heroes – “Big Ernie”.  When I was just old enough to remember, Ernie let me ride with him on the big harvester, a memory I will forever cherish.  I also suddenly recalled the time my Grandfather fell from the exact position I currently stood, landing hard on the road below.  Miraculously he wasn’t seriously hurt.  I made a point be extra careful negotiating the narrow bins for the rest of the day!

Huddled around a thermos of coffee were my father and “ever-ready-with-baked-goods” mother, Rob the Creekside winemaker, John our truck driver, and Henry the tote bin driver.  It really put my stress and worries in perspective to see the interaction of these people who had been through so many vintages together.  They laughed and exchanged stories from the old days of Ventura’s and Concord’s, then debated some of the more heated issues facing our industry today.  Their collective experience both humbled and inspired me.  At the root of our farm and it’s history are people like them…people like me.  Crops come and go, weather is always going to be a problem, wine will be made and sold, but the tradition and land lives on.  From my perch I smiled and wished some moments could last forever.

Better Late than Never

Monday, Sep 14th, 2009

Just when you thought mother nature had rendered 2009 a complete write-off…she goes and TOTALLY redeems herself!  The last couple of weeks could not have been more ideal for ripening grapes.  We are by no means out of the woods yet in our task of ripening later varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, but things are definitely looking up.

Sugar samples that I conducted today confirmed what I’ve been tasting for the last few days, the early varieties are sweet and ripening in a hurry!  Pinot Gris leads the way at 20.1 degrees Brix, while the Pinot Noir are sitting at 18.7 and the Sauvignon Blanc at 18.0.  That puts us roughly two to three weeks away from the commencement of harvest, should the weather hold.

I want to take an opportunity to thank both Glen Hunt and Randy Hemphill of Hunter Bottling and the good folks at Creekside for helping us bottle our 2008 whites this past Saturday.  Glenn and Randy provided the mobile line while Creekside lent us their facility and some elbow grease.  Our wines went into bottle without a hitch and should be ready for release in a couple of weeks.  Thanks to all for a job well done!

New Release Update

Tuesday, Aug 25th, 2009

 

With harvest approaching quicker than I’d like, the pressure is on to clear the tanks and make room for the 2009’s.  I can now report that our 2008 Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris will be bottled on September 14th, making the tentative release date around September 28th. Generally, I like to let the wines adjust to life in bottle for a couple of weeks prior to release, just to make sure they get all their kicking and screaming out.

In related news, we’re down to the last few cases of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, so the timing of this release should work out just about right.  After 18 long months spent maturing in bottle, our 2005 Cab Sauv is drinking well and ready to debut alongside the 2008 whites.

It occurs to me that we’ve never really had a “Grand Opening” for our winery, and I guess that’s just not our style.  Instead, we’ve decided to celebrate our new release with all the people who have generously supported us since our inception.  We’ll be emailing the details of this intimate event to those on our mailing list in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on your inbox!

Lucy patiently awaits the New Release…

 

A New Place to Taste

Thursday, Jul 30th, 2009

 

We are thrilled to announce that two of our wines (2004 Cabernet Sauvignon & 2007 Sauvignon Blanc) are now available at The Stone Road Grille in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  “Rest” is a great supporter of local wines and consistently spoils its patrons with the finest of culinary delights to pair with them.  In fact, some of my most memorable dining experiences were enjoyed at the Grille.

On a bittersweet note, we are now sold out of our 2007 Pinot Gris.  A winemaker knows (hopes!)  this day will come, but it always feels a little sad to know that this lot is gone for good.  A business like ours doesn’t allow you to get sentimental though,  as the next vintage is never too far away.

www.stoneroadgrille.com

Bottling Quandry

Tuesday, Jun 09th, 2009

 

One large hurdle that a small winery must overcome is figuring out the best way to bottle their wine.  The simple act of getting the wine into the bottle can frustrate even the most seasoned of winemakers.  Larger wineries can usually  justify purchasing a bottling line based on their projected cash flow and volume of wine produced.  For us, however, this is a bit of a grey area that thankfully presents a few options.

In the midst of this busy vineyard season, bottling wine is about the last thing I want think about.  My initial plan was to bottle our 2008 whites late in the summer, but due to the popularity of our 2007 Pinot Gris (only 12 cases left) we are mulling over the “good” problem of having to move that date up a bit.  In the past, our bottling runs were done by the seat of our pants in conjunction with the good folks at Creekside.  Once my wines were ready I was able to white-knuckle them over the QEW in the back of our truck to the “trusty” old Creekside bottling line.  Held together with enough duct tape to make even Red Green jealous, that line bore witness to its fair share of tears, shonks and damn good wine before being retired last year.

Another option we are looking into is the mobile bottling line, essentially everything you need in the back of a semi-trailer.  Hook up your hose to one end of the trailer and packaged wine magically appears from the other end.  Convenience aside, I’m still not convinced that this is the most cost effective method for small runs like ours (50-100 cases). It would be ideal if all our wines, white and red, were ready at the same time and I could hire the mobile line to bottle them in one day, but that will likely never be the case.

Due to the success of our unfiltered 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, I plan to experiment with more unfiltered products in future releases.  It’s risky, but I think a few unfiltered cases of each wine is doable.  As long as our customers bear with us, I’m willing to give it a shot.  Given this, I suppose it’s possible to manually bottle small amounts of wine the old fashion way.  Wouldn’t that be fun?  No one says you have to bottle your wine all at once.  You could call in your order in the morning and I would bottle it fresh from the barrel that afternoon.  The next day you wake up and it’s on your front step,  just like the milk man!  Perhaps a little pie in the sky but you never know…

David Lawrason Review

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

 

We are very humbled to have David Lawrason review our wines.  He is a very prominent Canadian wine writer whose opinions are held in the highest regard within our industry.  Here is what David had to say about our wines:

Five Rows Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
89 points
Only two barrels were produced of this inaugural wine – 45 cases, which sold
out quickly. Lowrey Vineyards has been farmed for five generations, but this
is the first wine; and a dandy.  It is a light cabernet sauvignon but very
tasty and savoury with lifted, well integrated aromas of red currant,
raspberry, tea, mocha and spice. It’s very supple, smooth and juicy on the
palate with very soft tannin and excellent length.

Five Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2007
91 points
Only 47 cases were produced from a vineyard but this is very much worth
mentioning for the quality that has been rendered by grower Wes Lowrey’s
first vintage. These grapes have also supplied Creekside’s successful
sauvignons. Fermented in old French oak this  has an almost impeccably
smooth, creamy yet not the least fat texture. The nose is ripe, fresh, light
spicy and semi-tropical (I thought immediately of Cloudy Bay) with
lemon-lime, green melon and vaguely minty notes. Very focused on the finish
with excellent length. Very classy wine.

Five Rows Pinot Gris 2007
88 points
From fully ripened grapes this a mellow, mild, richly textured pinot gris
with fruit aromas in the realm of green fig, green banana and ripe pear.
It’s full bodied, very smooth and satiny on the palate with a warm, slightly
sweet ambiance. Very good length.

www.davidlawrason.com

Summer Hours

Saturday, Apr 25th, 2009

 

Along with my parents, I would like to announce that our barn will be open to customers for weekends this summer starting Saturday, May 2nd.  One of us will be there to serve you on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-5pm (or thereabouts) until the end of August.   The odd time you may have to come and find us somewhere on the farm, but I assure you we will be more than happy heading back into the cool barn to take you through a tasting of our wines!  During the week it is still best to call ahead before you stop by to make sure we are available.

I look forward to your visit!

Experience our wine

Tuesday, Mar 31st, 2009

 

A number of you have asked where you can experience our wines. The list of places to taste by the glass is now a little longer as we are pleased to announce the following establishments are selling Five Rows:

The Charles Inn – 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

Treadwell’s / Snobs Wine Bar – 2007 Pinot Gris by the glass

Jamie Kennedy’s Wine Bar– 2004 Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon

Please support these friends of Five Rows and remember to write down your bottle numbers to enter into our bottle registry.

Kudos to Creek

Thursday, Mar 12th, 2009

 

Like many other trades, most winemakers get to where they are by learning from colleagues who have “been there and done that” many times before.  I am no exception.  I’ve been extremely lucky through the years to learn what I know from two of the best in the Ontario wine business.

Rob Power and Craig MacDonald have won so many awards for Creekside Estate Winery that I’m beginning to lose count.  They are obviously skilled craftsmen in the cellar, but what I admire most in these two is their genuine nature, patience and teaching ability.  In fact, it is no surprise to me when I open the St. Catharines Standard to read that they had captured four more trophies at Cuveé 2009.  They’ve managed to surround themselves with an excellent winemaking team, who would think nothing of bogging out the nastiest of red fermenters at their behest.  Now that’s loyalty!

Ever since our initial handshake agreement with Owner Peter Jensen in 1999, my parents and I have felt pride supplying grapes to Creekside and watching as Rob and Craig crafted one great wine after another.  As original Creekside grape growers, our fortunes have been tied to theirs for ten years now, and we wouldn’t have been able to start our winery without their continuing help.

It is even sweeter to note that their latest wins at Cuveé really demonstrate the potential for the St. David’s Bench Appellation.  All four winning wines contained a majority of fruit sourced at vineyards located in St. Davids.  The terroir and micro-climate of this small area really helps ripen later varietals like Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier.  These wines tend to be distinctly full-bodied with great structure and ageing potential.  Ravine Vineyard and Coyote’s Run are two other exciting wineries that are showcasing the best St. David’s Bench has to offer.

Good on ya, boys!