In Part 1 of this article, I covered the comments and insights of wine makers and hands-on owners in BC, Ontario, and Germany on the heartbreak and backache from growing and making wine from the Riesling and Pinot Noir grapes. In Part 2, I have my tasting notes on the wines from these winery principals.
Our Featured Wines
Haywire
Narrative Riesling 2015
Free Form Red 2015
Sperling Vineyards
Old Vines Riesling 2011
Vin Gris 2014
Tantalus Vineyards
Old Vines Riesling 2009
Pinot Noir 2011
Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery
Felseck Riesling 2013
Estate Pinot Noir 2011
Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof
Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spätlese Riesling 2007
Pinot Noir 2015
My Tasting Notes
Riesling
Haywire Narrative Riesling 2015, BC (~$22.90) – Bright lemon colour. Light petrol, floral and honey aromas. High acidity and slightly off-dry. Apples, sweet citrus and stone fruits and petrol on the palate. Long length with a mix of tart and sweet flavours on the finish. Some chalky minerality. 
Tantalus Vineyards Old Vines Riesling 2009, BC (~$39.04) – Deep golden in the glass. Medium plus aromas with petrol, ripe apples and stone fruits on the nose. Medium plus body, quite round with medium plus acidity. Petrolly with apples behind. Tart and bitterness/almond pits, on the finish. 
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Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery Felseck Riesling 2013, Ontario – Lighter lemon colour with a greenish tint. Deep rich fruit nose, along with lemon and matchstick. Medium minus body, dry and round, with citrus, honey and light petrol. There is a hint of sweetness that dries up nicely with the acidity on the finished. Very balanced between sugar and acid. -
Sperling Vineyards Old Vines Riesling 2011, BC (~$27.89) – Deep golden colour. Medium plus intensity nose, with petrol and apples behind. The aroma has depth. Minerality is very prominent on the palate. Medium plus body, very round with apples, citrus and petrol, along with some honey. Medium acidity. Longer length. Wonderfully balanced; fruit, sugar, acid. 
Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof Leiwener Laurentiuslay Spatlese Riesling 2007, Germany (~$87.99) – Really deep and bright lemon colour. Wonderful honey, flowers, and ripe stone fruit aromas, and a hint of petrol. Medium body, acidity, and sweetness; a rich mouth feel. Honey and marmalade flavours. The acidity nicely balances the sweetness in the wine.
Pinot Noir
Sperling Vineyards Vin Gris 2014, BC (~$34.99) – What is Vin Gris? In French it means, “Grey Wine”, but it is much more than this. Vin Gris is a “white” wine made with red grapes; Pinot Noir in this case. The grapes are pressed for their juice, but there is no skin contact, so you do not end up with a rose wine. A Blanc de Noir Champagne is another example of a vin gris BTW. This wine had a lighter pear skin colour. It had a bruised apple aroma. Slightly fino sherry type flavour, together with lees, bruised apples, tartness and pepper. Hints of flowers and sweet spice. A geeky, interesting wine.
Haywire Free Form Red 2014, BC (~$54.90) – What is “Free Form”? The wine is given this moniker as it is produced without any commercial yeasts or other interventions. The wine is also fermented in clay amphora. So you may say it is a “natural wine”. This wine has a medium garnet colour; a slightly darker core, but still translucent. Lifted fruits and violets on the nose. Dry, medium body, angular on the palate. It is more mouth feel than fruit to me, although there is toned down red fruit and some floral notes. Chalky and astringent components as well. Another geeky wine.
Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery Estate Pinot Noir 2011, Ontario – Medium plus garnet with visible legs on the sides on the glass. Medium intensity, beautiful nose with aromas of cedar, cranberries, red cherries and vanilla. Medium body, soft and dry. Red fruit with hints of floral and vanilla. Fine tannins. Medium acidity in the wine balances the fruit and tannins. Some oak toward the finish. A very beautiful, delicate, feminine wine. I like!
Tantalus Vineyards Pinot Noir 2011, BC (~$32.96) – As you may remember from Part 1 this wine is a blend of French and German Pinot Noir clones. Later vintages are French clones only. This wine is deep, almost opaque garnet. Medium minus nose, with dark raspberry aroma. Medium plus body, dry and not round. Dark cherries with some floral behind. Firmer tannins. Very tart and tannic finish. It was recommended that this wine needs another 5 years of aging till it comes into its own.
Nik Weiss St. Urbans-Hof Pinot Noir 2015, Germany (~$69.99) – The notes from this wine are from a barrel sample. It may change with some aging before it is filtered and bottled. Medium garnet in the glass. Nice aromatics, with a mix of red fruit, cedar, sweet spice and a savory herbal edge on the nose. Medium body, roundish, with a lighter mouth feel. Red fruit, some herbal and violet notes. Fine tannins. Tart cherries on the finish. A complex, pretty wine. This wine should be available for purchase in BC in September. First ever release!
