Château des Charmes ‘Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard – Equuleus’ 2007
VQA St. David’s Bench $40.00 (319525) 14.0% alcohol
This ultra-premium blend—50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot—is made only in great years. Dark, dusty, alluring aromas—black berry fruit, exotic spice with hints of mint, mocha and licorice—are followed by a balanced, complex, mouthful of flavour coating the palate with black plum, cassis and ripe, juicy Bing cherry. It’s medium-full bodied with a generous mouth feel adorned by a lingering finish that’s bone dry and absolutely delicious—needing time to resolve the tannin. High praise—it was difficult to spit. Drink 2014 – 2020. (Vic Harradine)


Henry of Pelham Family Estate Cabernet-Merlot 1999
VQA Niagara Peninsula $50.00 13.5% alcohol
Here’s a great opportunity to taste an eleven-year-old, carefully cellared, Ontario red. Perfumed on the nose with a red berry fruit, tapenade and earthy, toasty note bouquet, this delivers a well-paced and persistent, racy stream of flavour throughout with pie cherry, ripe cranberry and pomegranate predominant. It’s mid weight and nicely textured with good structure and fresh liveliness on the crisp and dry finish. Buy at the winery or order by the case for daily home or office delivery from Henry of Pelham. (Vic Harradine)

Hidden Bench - Estate fruit, hand picked, hand sorted, gently whole bunch pressed coupled with sustainable agriculture and low-yield practices coalesce with the passion of owner/vigneron Harald Thiel to produce premium and ultra-premium wine with a definite sense of place. Terroir-driven and artisanal, their wine is out of the ordinary.


Hidden Bench ‘Roman’s Block – Rosomel Vineyard’ Riesling 2008
VQA Beamsville Bench $34.20 10.9% alcohol
Riesling lovers, don’t miss out on this—from the famous 21-B Weiss clone, (producing Canada’s Best Riesling 6 times) this tiny 3-acre block of 34-year-old vines was hand picked, hand sorted, then whole-bunched pressed, and fermented using wild yeasts. Slate, mineral and lemon-lime citrus aromas trumpet a river of crisp, racy flavours on the palate—Granny Smith apple, key lime and mineral-infused ripe grapefruit galore. It’s full of nerve and verve with ageing potential and a refreshing, mouth-watering aftertaste. Order for daily home or office delivery by the case of six—mix or match—from Hidden Bench. (Vic Harradine)


Hidden Bench ‘Nuit Blanche – Rosomel Vineyard’ 2008
VQA Beamsville Bench $40.20 12.8% alcohol
Blending of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is common in Bordeaux and Australia. This is predominantly Sauvignon Blanc dishing up a gorgeous nose of passion fruit and slate alongside a salad bowl of tropical fruit aromas. There’s a very generous mouth feel—barrel fermented, extended lees stirring—bolstered by complex flavours of green apple, mango and toasty, nutty notes. Beautifully balanced, well structured with a lengthy finish, this pours well with pan-seared almond-crusted fresh water fish. Order for daily home or office delivery by the case of six—mix or match—from Hidden Bench. (Vic Harradine)


Hidden Bench ‘Tête de Cuvée’ Chardonnay 2007
VQA Beamsville Bench $45.20 13.9% alcohol
This unfined, unfiltered beauty, from the near-perfect ‘07 vintage, blossoms with tropical fruit, slate/mineral notes and toasty char aromas—aged 15 months in French oak. Only ten meticulously selected barrels—240 cases—were produced. It’s hugely textured, complex and well structured with time needed to knit together. Palate-coating flavours of green, crisp apple, racy citrus and honeyed white peach abound. It finishes incredibly lengthy, delectable and full of promise. Order for daily home or office delivery by the case of six—mix or match—from Hidden Bench. (Vic Harradine)


Hidden Bench ‘Locust Lane’ Pinot Noir 2007
VQA Beamsville Bench $65.20 13.8% alcohol
This is quite an amazing wine from young, 3-year-old, densely planted vines with a profit-destroying yield of approx. one ton per acre. It barrels from the glass with lifted aromas of dark, spicy, berry fruit and espresso roast. Waves of flavour ride on a silky-textured mouth feel with black, brambly berry, Bing cherry and spiced red currant to the fore. It’s balanced, complex and nicely structured—supple tannin is perceptible—with a lingering delicious aftertaste. Order for daily home or office delivery by the case of six—mix or match—from Hidden Bench. (Vic Harradine)

Pillitteri Estates Winery - The ‘Exclamation’ series denotes flagship, top drawer and extra special. These ultra-premium wines are packaged in a stunning bottle with a silver-coloured, thick medallion on the front (or is it the back?) depicting a series of stainless-steel chairs commissioned by winery founders Gary and Lena Pillitteri. The chairs represent and tell a fascinating story of the Pillitteri family. The back label (or is it the front?) lists the grape and technical information of the wine. Front or back, it’s what’s inside that matters and these wines are every bit as stunning as the packaging. For now, available only at the winery and they won’t last long.


Pillitteri ‘Exclamation’ Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2006
VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake $23.00 12.5% alcohol
Perfumed and golden-hued, this sports an array of alluring aromas—sweet vanilla, toasty oak and ripe, baked apple. Incredibly textured and rich on the palate, there are silky smooth flavours of pineapple and pear with hints of melon. It’s complex, nicely structured and delicious. The balanced, mouth-watering aftertaste dishes up crisp and refreshing citrus adorned with notes of slate and mineral. Order online for daily home or office delivery from Pillitteri. (Vic Harradine)


Pillitteri ‘Exclamation’ Merlot 2007
VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake $30.00 12.9% alcohol
There are aromas and flavours of fine Bordeaux here. It’s earthy, gamey, dark berry fruit and leather on the nose bathing the palate with juicy, tangy and chewy flavours—pomegranate, blueberry, red cherry mingling with mocha and spice box. Mid weight, nicely textured with a mid-length, fruity and perceptible tannin aftertaste, it’s still a bit tight, but has the stuffing to go the distance. Decant three hours or drink 2012 to 2018. Order online for daily home or office delivery from Pillitteri. (Vic Harradine)