December 2, 2010

Jackson Triggs Proprietors' Grand Reserve 2006 White Meritage

 

(Re-Tasted December 2010) ... The question here is:  when does a White Meritage get too old?  Now granted this is only 4 years from vintage date, but it's still a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (87%), which is considered a "drink now" kinda wine and Semillon (13%), a grape (at the time) still relatively new to the Ontario climate.  

The first thing I noticed about this wine is the colour, more golden then yellow; as white wines get older they tend to darken, where as red wines lighten.  The nose was a mish-mash of aromas: Bartlett pear, over-ripe pineapple, a slight hint of grassiness, honey notes and some strange ash-like smells too, that weren't off-putting just funny to be found there.  Thankfully about 20-25 minutes later there was a really nice smell of white grapefruit that started to emerge.  The palate was hit and miss with some of that over-ripe pineapple coming out, grass and peach pit notes.  It also seemed that the acidity was playing possum, sometimes it was there and in subsequent sips it was not.  Strange wine after all this time, but I still managed to finish the glass, and enjoyed it.

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