The Preamble
I love to support local wineries and Thirty Bench has been on my radar for over 10 years now. I’ve visited the winery a few times and it may be time to go again, especially after tasting this last bottle.
One thing about Ontario (red wine), in general, has struggled (maybe even more so – perceived to struggle) with growing and producing great reds because of cooler nights and a shorter growing season (than some places). By some accounts, 2010 was warmer than usual and it may have influenced this vintage (like other “good” years in the Thirty Bench Red history). That’s up for debate.
Anyway, this red is a blend of 57% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot. It’s available at the winery and right now at Vintages 320986. It has 13.6% alcohol/volume, its sugar content is 5 g/L, and it’s considered a dry red wine.
The Review
In the glass – it had a deep reddish, purply almost black colour to it.
In the nose – it had hidden dark berry overtones, a hint of vanilla and a touch of oak.
In the mouth – it was smooth, nicely balanced and those dark berry fruits come through. I found it to have a dry, but not too dry finish with medium length.
It does break my $20 Maginot Line of what I like to spend on a bottle of wine for a weekday, but for a bottle that you can lay down for 5-10 years – $24 is a steal!
I can easily recommend this wine and rate it 3.5.
Grape Stains by Jimmy 