(Re-Tasted August 2009) ... Tonight was my mother's 71st birthday - it you've met my mother
then you will not believe that last statement, but it is true. So tonight I thought 'let's try something special'; I scoured my wine rack in search of something old yet with the possibility of being wonderful. Marynissen has been making good reds since the very beginning, in fact these may be some of the oldest red grape vines in Ontario (vinifera I mean). John Marynissen passed earlier this year and in many of his bios you would have read about what a pioneer he was to the industry, planting Cabernet Sauvignon in 1978 when eveyone else thought it foolhardy. I remember trying this wine for the first time and being blown away by it's power and hopeful longevity - 2002, after all, was a very good vintage here in Ontario, paling now to the 2005 and monster 2007 vintage. Tonight I also tried my first experiment with a little aeration device called Vinturi.
The wine when poured directly from the bottle was a little on the harsh side, the Vinturi seemed to soften it ... something that time did on it's own (3 hours open in a glass on the counter) but the Vinturi did it in half the time and by the glass. Now back to the wine itself. The nose had pronounced forest floor, vanilla oak, dried sour cherries and dried blackberries aromas. The taste was of cedar and dried blackberry but very smooth (3 hours later and when Vinturied) ... there was also bits of grit and lots of sediment, so I should have used a filter. All-in-all a very impressive wine and an impressive first use of the Vinturi ... but I have to give the full nod to the wine - the gadget can only make a good wine better, it cannot improve a crappy wine; John Marynissen gave me that opportunity by producing something of excellent and long lived quality. He will be missed.
then you will not believe that last statement, but it is true. So tonight I thought 'let's try something special'; I scoured my wine rack in search of something old yet with the possibility of being wonderful. Marynissen has been making good reds since the very beginning, in fact these may be some of the oldest red grape vines in Ontario (vinifera I mean). John Marynissen passed earlier this year and in many of his bios you would have read about what a pioneer he was to the industry, planting Cabernet Sauvignon in 1978 when eveyone else thought it foolhardy. I remember trying this wine for the first time and being blown away by it's power and hopeful longevity - 2002, after all, was a very good vintage here in Ontario, paling now to the 2005 and monster 2007 vintage. Tonight I also tried my first experiment with a little aeration device called Vinturi.The wine when poured directly from the bottle was a little on the harsh side, the Vinturi seemed to soften it ... something that time did on it's own (3 hours open in a glass on the counter) but the Vinturi did it in half the time and by the glass. Now back to the wine itself. The nose had pronounced forest floor, vanilla oak, dried sour cherries and dried blackberries aromas. The taste was of cedar and dried blackberry but very smooth (3 hours later and when Vinturied) ... there was also bits of grit and lots of sediment, so I should have used a filter. All-in-all a very impressive wine and an impressive first use of the Vinturi ... but I have to give the full nod to the wine - the gadget can only make a good wine better, it cannot improve a crappy wine; John Marynissen gave me that opportunity by producing something of excellent and long lived quality. He will be missed.
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