Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2018 Wine Review

Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2018

Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada

Community Score:91/100

Community Reviews: 5

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Price: $47.95

Drink: 2019-2027

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 12%

Sweetness: Medium

Wine Type: White Wine

Winery: Henry of Pelham

Agent: Henry of Pelham Family Est. Winery

Natalie's Score: 93/100

Produced from Pelham's oldest estate vineyards (1988) Speck Family Reserve Riesling is ripe with peach, fresh apple, pear, lime zest and mineral flavours. Heavy clay soils and 30-year-old vines both contribute to incredible depth, flavour and complexity in this vibrant Niagara Riesling. Pair with grilled pork chops.

Riesling food pairings: briny shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams are great with this wine, roast pork as well as pasta with white sauce.

Sensational Shellfish Wine

This Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2018 was reviewed on November 14, 2020 by Natalie MacLean

More Vintages: 2022 2020 2019 2016 2013

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Pricing & Stock Information

LCBO
643361
$47.95
309 bottles

Store

Stock

Front & Division

Edward & Talisman

Blair & Ogilvie

Bathurst & Centre

Leslie & Wellington

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Reviews and Ratings

Daniel O'Keefe rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Fresh cut green apple dominates the nose with lemon and peach blossom. Green apple and lemon dominate the palate with a hint of peach and a suggestion of honey. Light, crisp, and dry, racy acidity more than offsetting a small amount of residual sugar.
The finish is like chewing on a perfectly crisp and ripe Granny Smith apple. Expect a little minerality in that splendid finish as well. Seared scallops wrapped with bacon or applesauce pork chops would be flattering pairings.

Greg Hughes rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

It's great to start the encounter more 2018 vintage - a season full of exciting promise. The weather was quite good and the season was long and hot.
This is excellent Niagara Riesling from a well established producer.
This Riesling is pretty approachable already. It's quite pale and dry (less than 12g/l would be a decent guess).
Very evocative lime, white peach, and green pear. Less obvious florality that comes out when it has a chance to breathe.
Lots of minerality and acid here keep it very fresh.
Henry of Pelham's top tier wines often come from their vast quantity of older vines. These wines usually make it into their 'Reserve' and 'Speck Family Reserve' lines. They're also the only producer to use the VQA Short Hills Bench appellation.

Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright CWM rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

Beautiful classic Riesling flavours of terpenes, a whiff of diesel, layered with fresh lime cordial, and hints of smoke with a touch of bacon fat. Excellently complex. Light in alcohol at 10.5% , this wine is delicate while being powerful at the same time. Would be nice to revisit this wine with some age. Try with baked Camembert cheese with garlic oil. @wrightwineblog

Molly Amoli Shinhat reviewed this wine as follows:

This is an intricate, delicious VQA off-dry Riesling that combines tropical and citrus flavours with crisp acidity in a medium-bodied wine that finishes long.

A gorgeous pale-lemon with shades of gold, on the nose it gives acacia, fresh cut yellow apple, pineapple, lemon, and a note of freshly cut tennis balls. On the palate, it translates well as largely pineapple, yellow apple, and ripe pear, joined by lemon peel and lime zest. This wine flaunts a crispy acidity, in a medium body, with low alcohol at 10.5% a.b.v. and 14.9 g/l residual sugar. Altogether, it makes a delicious sipper!

It hails from the oldest of Henry of Pelham vineyards on Short Hills Bench in Niagara. Carefully selected by hand, the grapes were bunch-selected, and gently pressed, it was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks.

Henry of Pelham is one of 12 wineries Sustainable Winemaking Ontario (SWO) certified. The program now involves third-party ongoing verification. Look for the green leaf and certification notice on the back label.

Pairs beautifully with grilled calamari and Asian dishes.

From the Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment Wine Region, Henry Of Pelham Speck Family 2018 Riesling Reserve has aromas of aromas of lime zest and lemongrass. The yield is kept low for these Riesling wine grapes from 30 plus year old vines, to two tons per acre to concentrate flavours in the wine. Speck Family Reserve 2016 Riesling is medium-bodied with lime-lemon zest, spiced-honey and mineral flavours on the palate.

If you liked the Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2018, you might also like these wines:

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Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Riesling 2018 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 93/100

Pricing & Stock Information