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vintage
Cabernet Sauvignon
vinification / notes at bottling


reviews


aging notes
2000 grapes were hand harvested in good condition on Oct. 27, 2000

tasting notes at bottling

made from low-yielding vines, this is a very intense wine with rich aromas of plums, blackberry, cedar and coffee beans. The flavours are well-integrated with rich dark red fruit flavours. The tannins are firm and showing a good balance between fruit and oak.
A big, bold Cabernet with all the stuffing-cassis fruit, cedar smoke, vanilla and plush tannins. Fans of big reds should take note: there's deep spicy character to this wine, along with the more herbal spectrum of flavours one expects from a cooler vintage.
Vines Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine Second Edition 2002

SILVER: All-Canadian Wine Championships 2001
lasted tasted February 2004 in a blind tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world: intense earthiness - coffee, chocolate, tobacco, olive along with some hints of currant fruit
a definite barynard-like presence, that is more plant than animal like

we have discovered that this is a fantastic food wine - serve it with a hearty spaghetti dish, a roast leg of lamb, or mushroom risotto
Tonya Lailey
2001 prior to fermentation the grapes were cold soaked for 7 days / selected yeast was added / fermentation took place in small fermenters and caps were punched down 3-4 times daily the wine was pressed and put in barrel late november / malolactic culture was added in barrel / the wine was aged for 12 months and bottled unfiltered

tasting notes at bottling

dark ruby colour, aromas of black raspberry, cedar, black currant and hints of blackcurrant leaf the wine is full bodied with ripe strawberry, black cherry and spice flavours

long finish with hints of olive and tobacco leaf, this wine has great balance a great wine for the cellar: 5 to 7 years
Another success for Lailey in 2001 but not quite the major surprise shown in the cab franc and merlot. Deep colour. The nose is a bit reserved but complex, with ripe almost plummy fruit, dill and smoky oak; plus a fair whack of leathery, horsy character. Medium-full bodied, with fine texture and density, but just a bit too green on the finish. Fairly tannic. Best 2005 to 2010.
David Lawrason, First in Line, Wine Access. Feb.3, 2003

…rivals any great Bordeaux chateau red, with dark brooding complex intensity.
Gordon Stimmell, The Toronto Star. Jun.12, 2002

A good cellar bet! Black cherry colour with a bouquet of pain grille, bell pepper, vanilla and cassis. Medium to full-boded with solid tannins and very good length. From 2004 to 2013.Score: 88
Evan Saviolidis, Wine Tidings. Mar. 2003

Several marvelous Canadian wines to recommend this week: from Lailey Vineyards in Niagara, a dynamite 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon (C$35): as structured, deep and rich as a classic Bordeaux, worth every penny.
Natalie MacLean, Nat. Decants. Mar.13, 2003

…rivals any Canadian Cabernet Sauvignon ever made. It is just thrilling on the nose, with sumptuous notes of graphite, blackcurrant, toast, and cassis. It is a behemoth on the palate, oozing with extract and richness, fanning out to reveal flavours of mocha, toast, and pencil shavings. A never-ending finish has some serious tanning that clamps down a bit, so cellaring or decanting is required. Rating: 95.
Judy Atchison and Alex Good, Vine Lines. The Beacon Herald. July 17, 2003

…is quite firm but closed at this stage. Should do well in time.
Billy Munnelly, Billy's Best Bottles. Early Summer 2003

drinkability: hold (short term) appearance: dense ruby purple / nose: cedar, black fruits / taste: firmly structured, well-extracted, blackcurrant and red currant with nutmeg, lively acidity, needs time to soften the tannic finish
Tony Aspler, Winery to Home. July 2003 A heavyweight Cabernet stuffed full of black currant and blackberry fruit, smoke, smoked meat and leafy/herbal notes. The concentrated and complex wine is made in an obvious big and brawny Old World style that divided the panel. Some loved the intensity of flavour, others were looking for riper fruit flavours. Fans of individual wines should keep an eye out for this. It will cellar to 2008.
VINES Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine. Third Edition. 2003

4 out of 5 stars
Powerful textbook nose and lush palate with flavours of plum and black currant. Drink 2006-2016.
Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McClelland and Stewart. 2005

BRONZE: The Ontario Wine Awards 2003

BRONZE: Canadian Wine Awards 2003

lasted tasted February 2004 in a blind tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon from around the world:

Showing a little funkiness at this stage, with a hint of barnyard that was not evident in its youth. Underneath and with decanting, you will find a wealth of complexity that is taking its time to evolve - purple fruit/flowers, olive, pepper, tobacco, coffee, chocolate. We highly recommend that you keep this at least another year and better yet, 2 or 3 more years s if you can. The wine will reward you. If you are to open it now, decant an hour before serving - if you visit the decanter from time to time, you can smell it unfold. Tonya Lailey
 2002  prior to fermentation the grapes were cold soaked for 8 days / selected yeast was added / fermentation took place in small fermenters and caps were punched down 3-4 times daily the wine was pressed and put in barrel late november / malolactic culture was added in barrel / the wine was aged for 12 months

before bottling the wine was fined with egg whites tasting notes at bottling

dark ruby colour, with aromas of cassis, plum, mint and vanilla the palate is well-balanced with rich, sweet fruits, licorice and cedar

estimated cellaring: 8 to 10 years
...intense black currant nose and aromatics followed by lifted fruit on the palate, nice balance, for the long haul
Dean Tudor, June 4, 2004

Derek Barnett’s best red of the vintage. Deep black ruby colour, with high gloss. Shows a lovely, ripe cherry-blackberry nose with underlying cabernet green bean, plus spices and white chocolate from the barrel. Medium-full bodied, initially sweet then fairly tannic with some sourness on the finish. Very good to excellent length. Best 2007 to 2012. David Lawrason, Winery to Home. July 2004

Colour: dense purple
Nose: vanilla, tobacco, cedar, blackcurrant
Taste: frisky blackberry-blueberry flavour with a floral top note; well integrated oak, good balance.
Drinkability: Hold (Long Term)
Tony Aspler, Winery to Home. July 2004
4.5 out of 5 stars
www.tonyaspler.com

Tired of chewing through all thos big, chunky Cabernet Sauvignons coming out of Chile and Australia? May we suggest you seek out this precison styled wine that takes the noble grape in the other direction. Elegant in design and structure, it opens with notes of Black currant and cinnamon. Although its tannins are firm, a deft hand with oak gives a soft core. A medium-bodied Cab, with bright red berry fruit, this is a good match for white meat dishes.
VINES Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine. Fourth Edition. 2005

4 out of 5 stars
Deep garnet hue with a concentrated and complex nose of caramel, licorice, herbs, spice and mint. Thick, rich texture, solid structure, with perfect balance of flesh to bones. Drink 2008 to 2020.
Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McClelland and Stewart. 2005
 

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