Heather scored this wine: 95/100
What makes a wine truly memorable? I’ve experienced a handful of remarkable wines and they all have the same common denominators: Company, location, time, food, and - of course - ambiance.
About last night: It was positively balmy for December, but harsh winds were howling outside. Safe indoors, we dined by candlelight aside a twelve-foot, aromatic Balsam Fir in all its twinkling splendour.
Our entrée, roast beef, was a perfect medium-rare and begged for a red wine that would respect it’s weight class. Some earthy qualities would be perfect for the mushroom risotto side dish.
Of course, I brought a Reif Estate First-Growth Merlot 2016 VQA Niagara River. A winery-only marque, this hundred-dollar vintage offered a beautiful deep ruby colour with thick, slow legs on the glass for a silky smooth, warm, alcoholic finish. The aromas were like ten Lords-a-leaping - ripe plum, cherry, chocolate, fresh red berries, blueberry, leather, baking spices, earthy, and cigar.
This merlot was beautiful after decanting for an hour; though, it became memorable after ninety minutes! It paired perfectly with both roast and risotto for an elevated meal befitting the season.
This is a wine - and an evening - for the books!