March 20, 2008

Mike Weir 2002 Cabernet Merlot


(Re-Tasted March 2008) With all the celebrities coming to Niagara (and other parts of Ontario) to get involved in the wine industry, you would expect quality and diversity to suffer for more consumer friendly (read: bland) wines. Luckily, Mike Weir has bucked that trend from day one and even now remains a consistently good label. Of course, that could be because of the winemaking team behind the brand (Creekside’s). This inaugural Cab-Merlot could have been a quick cash cow for Weir Wines, but instead quality was paramount. Not sure I approve of the plastic cork (as Konrad Edjbich once called this kind: “looks like sponge surrounded by mac-tac”), but it seems to service the wine well. The business end of the cork is black as pitch, while the wine in the glass still shows good dark colouring. The nose still holds quite a bit of dark fruit with a touch of vanilla. In the mouth, it’s even better: blackberries soaked in vanilla and nutmeg, with a smooth silky and luscious creamy dark chocolate finish – and there’s still a bit of tannin left. I would say drink this one now thru 2009 or 10.

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