• Order the following wines by the case for daily home, office or restaurant delivery directly online from Kacaba Vineyards, by phone at 1 866 522-2228 or 1 905 562-5625, or pick up a bottle or case from the winery at 3550 King Street in Vineland ON. 

  
Kacaba Vineyards ‘Oak Aged’ Chardonnay 2014
VQA Niagara Escarpment $24.95 12.5% alcohol
Fruit was fermented in stainless steel tank then transferred to second-fill barrels for malolactic conversion and aging. Green apple, caramel and exotic spice aromas abound. It rushes over the palate with a solid line of racy tang—crisp Granny Smith apple and lemon curd—balanced nicely with ripe pear and pineapple. It’s mid-weight with good mouth feel and a mid-length aftertaste of grapefruit pith and wisps of oak. Better in six or so months, but quite nice now poured with supermarket, rotisserie chicken and roast potatoes. (Vic Harradine)

• The following three Syrah wines from Kacaba are all from estate-grown fruit with unique characteristics. A brief look at those individual characteristics are offered prior to each review:

Proprietor’s Block – sitting the furthest west on a fairly flat block of land, these Syrah vines are the most recent planted. They were six-years old when harvested for this wine. This block sometimes ripens earlier than others possibly due to the flat topography and higher loam content. This 2013 vintage is the first year this fruit was bottled as a single-vineyard offering.

  
Kacaba Vineyards ‘Proprietor’s Block’ Syrah 2013
VQA Niagara Escarpment $29.95 13.0% alcohol
Campfire smoke, peppery spice and dark cherry/berry aromas unleash a dazzling balanced and satin-smooth wash of red cherry, ripe red bramble berry and strawberry jam with notions of grilled herbs. It’s mid-full bodied with good mouth feel and lengthy aftertaste. This young red spent 12 months in American and French oak barrel and now carries itself with poise and elegance well beyond its age; it’s quite mellow and harmonious, very good value, well integrated and delicious throughout. (Vic Harradine)

Terraced Vineyard – is one of two of the oldest blocks of Syrah planted in1998 along with some fruit from vines planted in 2007. Vines are planted in a north-to-south-running ravine and needed to be terraced—as a result they receive maximum exposure to the sun.

    
Kacaba Vineyards ‘Terraced Vineyard’ Syrah 2013
VQA Niagara Escarpment $29.95 12.6% alcohol
Roasted herbs, sandalwood and red berry fruit aromas on the nose, this dishes up a fruit-forward river of sweet, ripe mulberry and red cherry mingling with soft spice and wisps of chalky/minerality on the palate and infusing the lingering aftertaste. Medium bodied and nicely textured, it has good structure from ripe, fine-grained tannin, persistent fruit, balance of a prima ballerina, interest, complexity and charm. Kudos to winemaker John Tummon who consistently crafts a line up of stars, this eked out a narrow ‘best’ this time and was certainly the hardest to spit. (Vic Harradine)

Silver Bridge Vineyard – it can be seen from the silver Bailey bridge on the property consisting of vines planted in 1998 with its quality of fruit arguably being the best each vintage. It consistently achieves higher sugar levels and flavour concentration, it’s the block that’s least affected by cold winters and ripens last many years.

  
Kacaba Vineyards ‘Silver Bridge Vineyard’ Syrah 2013
VQA Niagara Escarpment $29.95 12.8% alcohol
Subtle aromas of cedar, mixed spice and mocha drift easily from this polished, well-paced Syrah. It caresses the palate with a balanced wash of pie cherry and ripe blueberry robed in excellent acidity with lip-smacking tang and wisps of peppery spice. This red is marked by purity of fruit, creamy-smooth texture, deft balance, absolutely no rough edges and mouth-watering aftertaste—what’s not to like? Pour with grilled rack of lamb. (Vic Harradine)