vintage |
Cabernet Franc vinification / notes at bottling |
reviews / awards |
aging notes |
| 2000 | hand-harvested in good condition on November 1, 2000 tasting notes at bottling fresh raspberries and cream with some purple flower scents and typical herbal aromas. The palate is mid-weight with sweet red fruit flavours, and sweet pepper and vanilla on the finish. This wine has very good length |
BRONZE: All Canadian Wine Championships 2001 |
tasted Saturday March 27, 2004 This vintage was so underrated at the time of harvest by the critics because of the cool wet conditions throughout the growing season, this wine is now beginning to show its complexity and elegance and is evolving nicely in the bottle. It is still showing plum, and blueberry fruit on the nose and some herbal and tobacco notes also. The palate is complex - dark fruit and smoky vanilla with a creamy richness, great finish with the tannins now beginning to soften. Drinking really well but will still benefit from 2-4 more years in the cellar. Derek Barnett, winemaker |
| 2001 | grapes were cold soaked for 5 days / selected yeast was added, fermented in small lots with the cap punched down 2-3 times daily pressing took place as cap started to fall / wine was put into barrel and malolactic culture was introduced / wine was aged for 12 months and bottled unfiltered tasting notes at bottling deep , dark ruby colour aromas of black cherry, cassis and vanilla with floral notes, dry and full-bodied with flavours of dark berries, chocolate, hints of herbs and tobacco tannins are well-rounded and velvety the wine has good balance and length |
Dark ruby/purple. Aromas of ripe dark berries (cassis, black cherry) and leather. Dry, full-bodied, rich with flavours of bitter chocolate, berries, earth, thyme and tobacco. Round velvety tannins and good balance. Long finish. Has mid-term aging potential. Classics Catalogue Winter 2003 Score: 91. This is a real charmer, with deep colour and soaring, complex aromas of mocha, licorice, leather and caraway atop fully ripe berry fruit. Great acid and fine, even tannin centres a soft, lush texture. Excellent length. Best 2004 to 2008. David Lawrason, First-in-Line, Wine Access. Feb. 3, 2003 4 1/2 out of 5 stars... This intense, full-bodied Cabernet from a dedicated Niagara producer more than justifies the investment thanks to its impressive complexity, balance and aging potential. Careful work in the vineyard resulted in an intense, deeply concentrated wine that is bold and rich, featuring dark chocolate, currant, spice and licorice flavours. Chris Waters, The St. Catharines Standard. Feb. 22, 2003 ..behaves more like a Cabernet Sauvignon, with stirring aromas of smoke, cedar, cracked black pepper, blackberries, toast and mocha. This wine has detailed, plump flavours of espresso, toast, cigar box, cedar, and dark chocolate. The tannins are ripe and polished, although it needs a bit of time to really figure itself out, it is a tour-de-force. Judy Atchison and Alex Good, Vine Lines, The Beacon Herald. July 17, 2003 ...as good as it gets with this vibrant grape. Wine that combines richness with vitality and charm. A great dinner companion. Billy Munnelly, Billy's Best Bottles. Early Summer 2003 A dry, hot vintage in 2001 lead to more herbal characteristics in this Cab Franc. Green pepper, tea and mint mingle with cherry flavours. Soft acids and supple tannins make for an approachable red. VINES Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine. Third Edition. 4 out of 5 stars Brillian garnet colour with a profound nose of cigar tobacco, cedar, herbs, spice, iodine, oak, and French fry fat. Great depth and complexity with lean texture, lush flavours of plums, blackberries, and chocolate, and balanced, soft tannins. Drink 2006-2014 Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McCellland and Stewart. 2005 BEST CABERNET FRANC: Canadian Wine Awards 2003 SILVER - The Ontario Wine Awards 2003 |
Our library stock is too small to conduct many tastings, so we are holding off. If you have tasting notes on this one from a recent tasting, please send us an email and tell us about it, info at laileyvineyard.com |
| 2002 | grapes were cold soaked for 5 days / selected yeast was added, fermented in small lots with the cap punched down 2-3 times daily pressing took place as cap started to fall / wine was put into barrel and malolactic culture was introduced / wine was aged for 12 months and bottled unfiltered tasting notes at bottling dark ruby colour with aromas of raspberry, ripe cherry and hints of purple flowers, the palate is rich with flavours of raspberry, blackberry, mocha and spice a very elegant wine with great balance and a long finish estimated cellaring - 8 to 10 years |
Dark cherry colour with a nose of pain grille, tobacco, blackcurrant, raspberries, coffee and herbs. Medium to full-bodied with liquorice, vanilla and weedy notes on the palate adding complexity. Rating: 88 Evan Saviolidis, Wine Savvy Consultants, www.winesavy.ca April 2004 4 out of 5 stars There's a rich and radiant fruit character that makes this wine extremely appealing even in its youth. Plump fruit flavours, particularly raspberry and blackberry, mix it up with some nice spice and coffee notes. There's a lithe suppleness to this elegant offering that makes the most of itsbright acidity and complex herbaceous character. Christopher Waters, The Standard.April 24, 2004 Dark black fruit, Bordeaux tobacco-cedar complexity plus some grassy herbaceousness. Dean Tudor. June 4, 2004. 4.5 out of 5 stars Colour: dense purple-ruby Nose: meaty, minerally, blackberry with an oaky note Taste: richly extracted, blackberry flavour with a lively acidic spine and well integrated oak; soft tannins Drinkability: Hold (Short Term) Tony Aspler, Winery to Home. July, 2004 3.5 out of 5 stars Lailey Vineyard's polished Cab Franc offers nice rich berry flavours gaining added interest from background notes of spice and coffee. The texture is appealingly supple and the structure is full-bodied with real finesse, but panelists were divided by the wine's complex herbaceous character. VINES. Sept. / Oct. 2004 Lailey Vineyard's polished Cab Franc offers nice rich berry flavours which gained added interest from background notes of spice and coffee. The texture is appealingly supple and the structure is full-bodied with real finesse, but panelists were divided by the wine's complex herbaceous character. VINES Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine. Fourth Edition. 2005 4 out of 5 stars Deep garnet colour with smoky, charred oak notes and rich black-fruit aromas. Very complex with layers of lovely fruit, nut and wood flavours that last and last. Long-lived. Drink 2006-2018. Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McCellland and Stewart. 2005 BRONZE: Canadian Wine Awards 2004 |
As is usually the case, this wine is drinking beautifully now with al of its lovely floral notes decorating the bright sweet fruit and the herbal notes chiming in from time to time. I love the wine right now with medium rare lamb chops on the barbecue and a salad of local greens - throw in some generously buttered and salted roasted potatoes and there you have it. Of course, waiting another two years will invite a texture and elegance that is only hinted at for now. Tonya Lailey, June 23, 2005 |