The last (and first) time we were at Angel’s Gate Winery, we landed in the midst of a French festival of sorts, and just so happened to arrive on a day where they were offering Boursin garlic cheese as a pairing for one of their wines (a Gewürtz if memory serves). We bellied up to the tasting bar, excited to finally be trying out some of the smaller vineyards in the Beamsville and Grimsby area.

The wine tasting lists were presented to us by a very friendly woman sporting a black beret and a red handkerchief tied jauntily around her neck, who smiled broadly and proclaimed that if you were going to celebrate France, you might as well go all out. Angel’s Gate was off to a fantastic start, and we hadn’t even tasted the wines yet.

On with the show:

• Want a solid Ontario Riesling? You should, it’s a grape we do well, and Angel’s Gate makes a pretty good one. The 2005 Riesling was, following our wretched experience with the Wolfblass was ‘petrol done right’ according to our notes. The familiar crispness and excitable zest of citrus made this slightly-sweet-when-first-you-meet wine show its edgy nature.
• Off again with the Chardonnay’s, Michelle’s pick was the 2005 Emerald Shore. A little sweet, but balanced with a nice, dry finish, this smooth drinker reminded her, quite simply, of summer and strolls along a forest path. As for myself, I found it a little too sugary for my liking.
• I preferred the 2004 vintage Chardonnay personally, but as often happens when I let Michelle take the tasting notes, there is a mysterious absense of this wine in the book. I do know that it was stainless steel fermented followed by a second malolactic fermentation on the lees, making it more along the rolling caramel-y lines that I can’t resist.
• Cabernet Francs are something we both are developing a strong like of, and the 2004 vintage here was absolutely gorgeous. Aged for 13 months in French oak, it was a deeper and more complex Franc than others we had tasted, though the berry character of the varietal was still noticeably present. The nose was very intriguing, presenting a strong scent of dried tea leaves complimented superbly by the soft floral notes of violets. Look for a review on this one at some point, we bought a bottle.

If you’re ever in the Beamsville Bench area and looking for a smaller vineyard to hit up for some quality wines that can be difficult to get off-site, Angel’s Gate is a definite must. Good wines, good folks, good atmosphere. A recommended Ontario stop from us here at Grape Juice.