2017 Arinna
2017 was one of those oddball years in Ontario, where summer never seemed to want to show its face, and when it finally did it was September; but then it hung around for a couple of months helping to ripen the grapes fully and saving what looked like a disastrous vintage. The 2017 Arinna follows in the footsteps of the previous vintage, using Merlot (47%), Cabernet Sauvignon (26%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Malbec (7%) and achieving an alcohol level of 14.5% - there’s also an element of American oak to round out some of those harsh flavours and give the wine some smoothness. Subtle and silky with fruits of blackberry, black cherry in the foreground and spicy notes that hang on from beginning to end. This is a wine with time on its side. Rating: ****+
2017 was one of those oddball years in Ontario, where summer never seemed to want to show its face, and when it finally did it was September; but then it hung around for a couple of months helping to ripen the grapes fully and saving what looked like a disastrous vintage. The 2017 Arinna follows in the footsteps of the previous vintage, using Merlot (47%), Cabernet Sauvignon (26%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Malbec (7%) and achieving an alcohol level of 14.5% - there’s also an element of American oak to round out some of those harsh flavours and give the wine some smoothness. Subtle and silky with fruits of blackberry, black cherry in the foreground and spicy notes that hang on from beginning to end. This is a wine with time on its side. Rating: ****+
2017 was one of those oddball years in Ontario, where summer never seemed to want to show its face, and when it finally did it was September; but then it hung around for a couple of months helping to ripen the grapes fully and saving what looked like a disastrous vintage. The 2017 Arinna follows in the footsteps of the previous vintage, using Merlot (47%), Cabernet Sauvignon (26%), Cabernet Franc (20%) and Malbec (7%) and achieving an alcohol level of 14.5% - there’s also an element of American oak to round out some of those harsh flavours and give the wine some smoothness. Subtle and silky with fruits of blackberry, black cherry in the foreground and spicy notes that hang on from beginning to end. This is a wine with time on its side. Rating: ****+
