It is time to accept that fall is upon us. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it is truly arriving, shown by the turning of the leaves and cooler temperatures. For some this is the most joyous time of year, but I have to say I will not be happy to see the next season arrive, which shall remain nameless. With fall comes a change in our eating habits, and associated is our drinking habits. I have seen a switch in what I am looking for in a glass of wine from sweet and crisp whites, to light and refreshing reds, and whites with body and weight. 

Fall means thanksgiving, and when I was at Taste Ontario last week I decided that it was an ideal opportunity to sample some of the best Pinot noir that we have to offer. Turkey and Pinot, I think this is just perfect, and my choice was backed up by a winery friend who tweeted that it is the season for Pinot and chardonnay. I guess I’m learning. I also tasted a few cab franc’s at the tasting, and feel some of these might be suited to our purpose here, as well.

13^th Street, 13^th Series Pinot Noir

This is the restaurant only line from one of my favourites, but will only help if you happen to be out for dinner this fall, and see it on the list. I have to mention it, because this Pinot is a classic, and very food friendly, with a really nice clean finish. Highly recommend ordering a bottle, and if they don’t have it at your favourite restaurant have them get some in. www.13thstreetwinery.com

2027 Cellars, Queenston Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 $35

2027 is a virtual winery, which means that they do not own a physical building in which they make wine, but rather borrow space. A great concept to help up and coming winemakers get product out to the public. I have tasted a couple of Kevin’s wines in the past, and enjoy them. His wild fermented Pinot was bright with a nice dry finish, and would be drinkable now but I would like to see this one develop www.2027cellars.ca

Angels Gate Winery, Pinot Noir 2008 $14.95

I laugh sometimes when I look back at notes I make while tasting wines, because I am far from an expert and often have a hard time describing what I am tasting. For this value priced Pinot I wrote “sharp, spiky finish” whatever that means. Hah. Well, I have had success with wines from AG in the past, but mostly their whites. Still, this might be worth picking up. Also, they have their Rennie Estate Wines, what were new to me, and I tried the 2010 vintage of their Paradox Pinot, which had won an award at Intervin this past year. At $40 this might be out of your price range, but I did enjoy it, so would say to pick it up if the price doesn’t frighten you off. Remember, you get what you pay for, and this is a premium wine. www.angelsgatewinery.com 

Cave Spring Cellars, Pinot Noir Dolomite 2010 & Cabernet Franc Estate 2007

This is another winery that I enjoy their whites, but was not to familiar with the reds. I was not overly impressed with either of these, but the Pinot is light and fresh, but  a little unrefined for my tastes, and I felt it to be quite basic. The CF was just flat, and didn’t have much to it. In my opinion, I’d skip these, and stick with what they do best, and buy a bottle of the Riesling. www.cavespringcellars.com 

Charles Baker Wines

Speaking of Rieslings, CB makes some of the best in Ontario. Charles’ Riesling project has garnered him a tremendous amount of popularity, and I had to fight the crowd to just say hello. If you aren’t done with Riesling for the year, and no reason you should be, you need to get your hands on some of this. I particularly enjoy the Picone Vineyard 2009, for it’s sublime expression of this varietal. If you can find it, get your hands on a bottle, but right now he is shipping the 2010, which is also a fantastic vintage. www.charlesbaker.ca 

Fielding Estates Winery, Cabernet Franc 2010 $22.15

Who is The Grape King, you ask? Why Curtis Fielding, proprietor of this Beamsville Bench winery, known for its floral whites, and refined reds. Curtis won the honour at this years Grape and Wine festival in Niagara. Perfect for our discussion here. Fieldings Cab Franc comes to us from the St. David’s Bench appellation, and after spending a year in barrel comes to us as very approachable and food friendly. I liked this one. www.fieldingwines.com

Flat Rock Cellars, Gravity Pinot Noir 2010 $30.15

This is a really a robust Pinot, which matches the personality of Ed, the wineries owner. With a silky and velvety finish, this Pinot is a great introductory example that is if the price point doesn’t scare you away. For $10 less you can buy their regular Pinot, but it was not available for tasting at the event. www.flatrockcellars.com

The Good Earth, Pinot Noir 2009 $25

Slowly The Good Earth is becoming one of my favourite wineries. They have a great, passionate, and dedicated team, and offer some good eats also. Their 2009 Pinot is a good deal, and is really smoky and fruit forward with a medium finish. Really enjoyed this one. www.goodearthfoodandwine.com

Kacaba Vineyards and Winery, Pinot Noir 2009 $22.95

I wasn’t too sure about this one when I smelled it, and questioned Holly from Kacaba. “It smells really funky on the nose”, but she assured me to try it. Funny, no funk on the palate, it is quite clean, and you get a bit of a fungus or truffle note, but it is lush and rich. www.kacaba.com

Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009 $45 & Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 Price not listed, but the ’09 vintage was $30)

When people think of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir a lot of the think of Le Clos as being one of the go-to wineries. Well, I have to say that I’m not so sure. I enjoy their wines, but am not always impressed as I expect to be. So is the case with the LCJ Vineyard Pinot, that I found had both a funky nose and palate, and was quite tight. Obviously this needed more time before it is to be enjoyed. The Village Reserve, on the other hand, was jammy with a dry finish, and in my opinion a better one to be enjoying now, but would also do well with some age. www.leclosjordanne.com

Malivoire Wine Company, Pinot Noir 2009 $29.95

I have always been a fan of the reds that are produced at Malivoire, and with a name like Shiraz, how could you not make great red wine? Their limited edition Alive Pinot is soft, silky, spicy, and has nice notes of cherry and vanilla. This wine is very approachable, and would be ideal for turkey I believe. www.malivoire.com

Rosewood Estates Winery Pinot Noir 2010 $20.20

I am a big fan of Rosewood, from the people, to the property, and of course the wines. I have become good friends with the Roman family, and am proud to have them among my supporters in life, and reciprocate wholeheartedly. Their 2010 Pinot was pucker dry, clean, and bright. I did enjoy this, but Krystina pulled out a bottle from under the table that impressed me even more, and that was their 2011 Mertitage. Wow. What a gorgeous wine, you really should pick some of this up. I’m not certain of the price on this, but I am going to be buying some. Oh, and be sure to check out this great article on their website about cellaring wine, some good info in there. www.rosewoodwine.com

Chateau des Charmes, Cabernet Franc, St. David’s Bench Vineyard 2010 $25.95

They say it themselves on their website, that Cab Franc is one of Niagara’s signature grape varieties. Agree or disagree? Well, this Cab Franc is bright, with a really nice level of acidity, but needs about 6 months to loosen up a bit still. St. David’s Bench produces some great reds, including Cab Francs, so this one should turn into a real gem. www.chateaudescharmes.com

Coyote’s Run Estate, Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010 & Red Paw Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010

We talk about terroir a lot when we talk of wine, and Coyotes Run is a great example of the expression of terroir.  From their website: “Terroir is a French term used to denote the combination of soil, climate, and exposure to the sun- anything that Mother Nature may contribute to the vineyard – that makes each vineyard and region unique” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Most winemakers are in search of true expressions of this in their wines, and the soil that Coyote’s is blessed with is a good start, where both of their vineyards have different clay. Their Pinot is a blend of grapes grown in both vineyards and the other Pinot a single vineyard expression. Both are affordable and approachable. Don’t have pricing on these yet, but they should be about $25 and $35 respectively. www.coyotesrunwinery.com

Closson Chase, CCV Pinot Noir 2010

Let’s switch gears a bit and head east of Toronto, about two and a half hours, to a land of modern pioneers in food and wine. Here we find many wineries doing sun things, and we find the ’10 vintage of Closson Chase’s Pinot Noir, with its bold fruit, smoke, and a dry but juicy expression of Pinot. Pricing was not available on their website, but I picture this being about $40, so you should head out to explore PEC, and stop in to say hi and taste for yourself. Their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay await. www.clossonchase.com

Norman Hardie Winery, County Pinot Noir $35 & Niagara Pinot Noir Unfiltered 2010

Arguably the king of PEC wines, this winemaker and his team manage vineyards in both PEC and Niagara, which is a great opportunity to compare Pinto Noir grown on opposite ends of the province, in very different conditions. I had the pleasure of visiting the folks at Norms place on Labour Day weekend, and had a fantastic tasting. I couldn’t get anywhere near his table at Taste Ontario, which speaks to his popularity. What I remember from my visit to the winery is that there is good value in these wines for the aficionado and collector. Norms wines are not for those slim of pocket, but are always impressive, well structured, and refined. www.normanhardie.com       

Rosehall Run, Pinot Noir JCR Rosehall Vineyard 2010

My visit with the crew at Norms place took too long, and I didn’t get a chance to see Sully at Rosehall Run, but will have to go visit next time. Never have enough time when I am out in PEC. I have always loved the wines that they make at Rosehall, and this Pinot was no exception. Tight but fresh, it is a strong county offering in the Pinot category. www.rosehallrun.com

CREW, Cabernet Franc 2008 $22           

To cover more than just the traditional wine regions we are used to, being Niagara and PEC, I have to mention this lovely Cab Franc that I tasted from Colchester Ridge Estate Winery, that I had never even heard of before. This 2008 Cab Franc from the emerging region of Lake Erie North Shore (known as LENS), was a really interesting expression of terroir, different from any of the other Ontario CF’s that I tasted in recent memory. The only down side here, this is not available at the LCBO. More info: www.colchesterridge.com