vintage |
Zweigelt vinification / notes at bottling |
reviews / awards | aging notes |
| 2000 | tasting notes
at bottling raspberry jam on the nose with subtle hints of vanilla and tobacco...The palate shows rich flavours of red berries, cream and spcie. Cedar soft tannins carry the flavours to a good, long finish. |
Another favoured
Niagara red is Lailey Vineyard 2000 Zweigelt, which tastes to me like
the benchmark for this black grape variety. Spicy, with a good core of
fruit, this is a straightforward wine with some peppery notes that add
complexity. Chris Waters, The St. Catharines Standard. Dec. 2001 |
| 2001 | grapes were hand-harvested
in good condition on October 8th and 9th / grapes then crushed and fermented
in small batches using three different yeast strains / the cap was punched
down 3-4 times daily during fermentation / the wine was pressed on October
21st after settling, the wine was racked into small American oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation / the wine was aged in oak for eight months and lightly filtered before bottling tasting notes at bottling dark purple colour/ medium-bodied / rich red fruit aromas of raspberry and blackberry along with hints of white pepper and clove / aromas carry through to the palate where the tannins are soft, making this wine very drinkable in its youth |
Purple colour: smoky,
vanilla and blackberry with a floral top note; fruity blackberry-blueberry
flavour, well-extracted, medium-bodied with tannin lift on the finish.
Wine of the Week. Oct. 7, 2002. Tony Aspler, The Wine Guy (www.tonyaspler.com) Oct. 7, 2002 |
| 2002 | grapes hand-harvested
in good condition on September 28, 2002/ fermentation took place in small
bins with yeasts selected to enhance fruit characteristics/ the grapes
were pressed immediately after fermentation to keep the tannins soft and
the fruit focused/ malolactic fermenation took place in the bottle/ the
wine was aged for 6 months in American oak/ the wine was filtered lightly
prior to bottling tasting notes at bottling cherry, raspberry and chocolate on the nose with sweet vanilla notes dark cherry jam flavours on the palate with a peppery spice on the finish the wine is medium-bodied with a delicious and long finish |
4.5 out of 5 stars
One of my favourite Niagara reds is better than it has ever been. Lailey's
Zweigelt is a hidden gem, an inexpensive, medium-bodied red wine from a
little known grape variety is an amazing value. The 2002 shows off the impressive
ripeness of the vintage, with loads of delicious berry fruit flavours and
only the slightest moderating affect of oak. The fruit is more exuberant
than Lailey's previous two vintages, making this a no-brainer when it comes
to summer entertaining. I'm planning an addition to my basement in order
to stock sufficient quantities of this impressive wine. Chris Waters, The St. Catharines Standard. July 12, 2003 |
| 2003 | tasting notes
at bottling A vibrant, peppery, light to medium-bodied red that has become a summer favourite at the winery. With all of its lovely fresh fruit, floral notes and savoury spice, it also has great intensity on the palate and some surprising, lingering richness. This vintage expresses all the delicate complexities that this variety produces through attentive viticulture and winemaking. |
Zweigelt is an Austrian grape showing some success in Niagara in making
medium-bodied, pinot noir-like reds. This shows good colour. Fairly spicy,
floral nose with beetish- raspberry fruit and campfire ash.. Medium weight,
with decent raspberry fruit on the palate. Quite tannic and tart, and not
ready for prime time. Best 2006 to 2008. David Lawrason, Winery to Home. July 2004 Colour: dense ruby Nose: peppery, black cherry, plum Taste: lively mouth feel, fresh, blackberry-black cherry, fruity; Beaujolais style with a tannic finish Drinkability: Hold (Short Term) Tony Aspler, Winery to Home. July 2004 |