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Wine Review – 2016 Vineland Estate Winery Elevation Cabernet

Vineland Estates Winery's 2016 Elevation Cabernet wine bottle with a wine glass.

The 2016 edition of Vineland’s Elevation Cabernet is another classic Cabernet blend from one of our favourite wineries in Niagara…

Name: Elevation Cabernet Bo-Teek Vineyard

Vintage: 2016

Producer: Vineland Estates Winery

Region/Country: Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada

Grape Varietal(s): Cabernet Franc (77%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (23%)

Alcohol Level: 14% abv.

Consumed: At home

Recommended By: Purchased it at the winery during a great tasting

Cost: $28 CAD

For the more detailed wine review, read on…

Bottle Presentation

A clean, classy label with some artistic flair. On that note, we couldn’t tell if a physician or an artist penned the name of the estate. Either way, it works.

Appearance

Pale garnet.

Nose

Clean, medium(+) intensity nose, with notes of red cherries, cranberries, ripe strawberries, blackberries, blackcurrant leaf, tomato leaf, forest floor, violets, iron, red licorice, charred wood, vanilla, and a hint of leather. We would consider this a youthful wine on the verge of developing.

Palate

Dry, medium body, with high acidity, medium (though still noticeable) tannins, and high alcohol. The palate generally followed the nose, offering notes of sour red cherries, cranberries, cherry medicine, blackcurrant leaf, graphite, violets, white pepper, lavender, cedar, and charred wood.

Finish

Medium finish, with an enduring cherry medicine note.

Overall Impressions

We have long been fans of Vineland Estate Wines, not only because of their wines but because of the outstanding hospitality they offer their guests. This 2016 Elevation Cabernet from their Bo-Teek vineyard impressed us with its red fruit and acidity. Saying that, the alcohol left a bit of a burn, which soured the overall experience. On the balance, we’d consider this a good wine.

We poured this red blend on a Friday night with a honey and goat cheese Margherita pizza, as well as with an apple, balsamic vinegar and prosciutto pizza. For us, the 2016 Elevation Cabernet paired much better with the former. With the latter, it turned more herbal.

As it still has plenty of red fruit, this wine is definitely ready to drink now. We’re also willing to cellar it for 2-3 years to see how it develops in bottle, especially to see if it can develop some balsamic vinegar, fig, or prune notes, which could pair well with our second pizza. We wouldn’t wait much longer than 2-3 years, though, so as to not lose too much of the fruity notes, which we quite enjoyed.

As an aside, if you haven’t been to Vineland Estates Winery, do yourself a favour and visit the picturesque property, as well as their outstanding restaurant.

Ratings

Overall Rating: 88/100.

E-Wine rating: 3/5. We would purchase two bottles, one to enjoy now and one to cellar for 2-3 years.

Value: 3/5. At $28 CAD, we’d consider this wine to be of good value.

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