Coyote's Run 2005 Cabernet Franc

Click here to read the original review from May 22, 2007 Weekly Wine Note

(Re-Tasted November 2009) ... There are those who swear by screw cap wines and other who swear at them - I am one who is all for the screw cap as long as the results are good after some aging occurs, because I like to age and re-taste my wines.  So if you give me a moment I am going to check out what I said back in May 2007 about this wine.

Seems that back then I was talking about a lot of black fruit coming thru on this one, but some 5 years from vintage date it looks like a lot of that fruit has dropped out and instead is giving off aromas of green pepper, red current and graphite.  The palate also has plenty of green pepper, regular black pepper and a lot of non-descript flavours, yet is soft and smooth with a good long finish.  The wine isn't great, nor is it unpleasant, it's perfectly suitable to drink and enjoy, just not something you would stand up and take notice of.  In the end I give this wine a pass because it is drinkable, and after all isn't that what we look for in our wines.

 

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Lakeview Cellars 2005 Merlot

 

Click here to read the original review from June 19, 2007 Weekly Wine Note

(Re-Tasted November 2010) ... I don't want to waste too much of your time reading this because to much time was wasted already on this bottle.  I wasted too much time trying to drink it and come up with something nice to say about it (I really can't), and I hope Lakeview wasted a whole bunch of sleepless hours trying to decide on the closer of this wine, because they really ruined a perfectly good bottle of wine with what they chose.  I took this over to a friend's house to watch a little Monday Night Football, eat some wings and, in general, have a good evening.  One of the attendees is a big fan of Ontario wine so I was looking forward to sharing it with him.  Off came the capsule and staring at me was a plastic cork.  But can't let that influence you because it's what's in the bottle that counts.  At first there was a big smell of black cherry and I breathed a sigh of relief ... but it took only 10 minutes before the wine was undrinkable, oxidized, woody and sour.  My Ontario-fan friend said, "it tastes like it's been in a decanter for about an hour too long."  I couldn't have put it better myself.  I have two more bottle of this wine which I will try to locate and taste to see if the same thing occurs with each.

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Fielding Estate Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc

 

Found November 2010

Five years on and this wine still has so much stuffing left in it, not surprising considering 2005 was a very good year here in Ontario.  The nose is spicy and peppery with dark fruit and cassis aromas.  Flavours are all over the map starting with biting tannins, pepper, blackberry, cassis and sharp acidity.  This wine has some great drinkability when enough air is put through it, plus it has an enjoyably long finish.  There's lots of life left in the bottle and it's worth keeping it in the cellar a few more years to let those tannins mellow and that fruit start to emerge more fully.  Time will tell if it balances out, but I have faith in this one.  Lost & Found Rating:  Treasure

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