Wine Tour: Angels Gate

Second on our long list of wineries to visit was Angels Gate. The winery is situated with a lovely view north down the slope to Lake Ontario . . . when the weather is clear. We could barely make out the next field in that direction.

This was a return visit for both Brendan and me, so we were able to concentrate on tasting wines that we'd missed the last time around:

• 2002 Single-Vineyard Merlot VQA ($26.00): Green pepper and shoe leather on the nose, with some jammy raspberry and red licorice flavours developing as it warmed up and aired out. I wasn't too keen, but Bren really liked this one.
• 2002 Cabernet VQA ($16.95): Stable straw and cedar on the nose, with plenty of green herbs showing on the palate (bay and oregano in particular). Short-to-medium finish. This is starting to fade, so drink it this year.
• 2002 Cabernet Franc VQA ($18.95): Very cedary nose, with bell pepper and leather notes. Good fruit on the palate with a long finish.
• 2002 Angels III VQA ($35.00): This is the flagship Meritage blend (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon). Violet flowers on the nose. Still very tannic — give this one a couple of years to come into its prime. Long finish with cinnamon notes at the end. Favourite wine.