Oh my oh my. Just amazing. All the richness of ice wine, plus a wonderful sparkling spritz that seems to accentuate the flavors. Pure delight. Very very limited. Wine Spectator rating 89 points: "Sweet and fizzy, this will combine the best of both worlds for some. Aromas and flavors of honey and golden raisins, with an apricot accent, are balanced by a medium-bodied frame and lively acidity. Drink now." (BS)
Detailed Info, Previous Vintage Notes, Reviews:
From the winery: "Fine elegant bubbles with pure focused northern fruit aromas, of fresh apricot, nectarine and peach. These wonderfully enlightened flavours both enchant and delight your palate offering incredible length, finesse and balance."
Inniskillin took the 'high road' by waiting a long time during the late
winter for the proper temperatures to produce its exquisite Icewines.
Although volume was less than what we aimed for, quality is superb
from the 2001 Icewine vintage. In the past, we have experienced
our share of challenges with each Icewine harvest, but nothing
compares to the difficulty of the 2001 vintage. Depending on the
location and the site in the Niagara Peninsula, temperatures of
-9.0?C or -10.0?C were so infrequent and forecasts so wrong that
many times the harvest had to be called off during the middle of the
night and the people had to be sent home. There was not a single
daytime cold enough, only nighttime's to pick Icewine. Even in these
cases only a few nights provided a few hours of cold, which
extended our harvest period from December 27th, 2001 to March
5th, 2002. Truly an exhausting vintage for all our production team.
Luckily during all this time we had seven presses available to press
the grapes swiftly in the few hours available.
VINIFICATION
The harvest occurs at the pinnacle of Canada's crisp winter.
Exceptional grapes, naturally frozen on the vine, are delicately handpicked
and carefully pressed throughout the night. Grapes, picked
frozen solid from the vines, were manually loaded into the presses
without de-stemming or crushing, and were pressed at an ambient
temperature of -10?C or colder. This technique yields only a fraction
of the normal yield (approximately 10 - 20%) as most of the natural
water portion of the juice remains in the press in the form of ice
crystals. During the pressing the water in the grapes remains frozen
as ice crystals, and is easily extracted from the juice. What remains
are a few precious drops of silky sweet unadulterated liquid. Once
guided through our arduous fermentation, the resulting wine can only
be hailed as 'Nectar of the Gods'. This very unique sparkling wine
has been crafted by using Icewine as a cuv?e, and produced in the
Charmat Method. During fermentation, the naturally occurring carbon
dioxide is trapped in the stainless steel tank, and dissolves into the
wine. Aromas of nectarines and apricots dominate the nose, with a
hint of lychee nut in the background. On the palate, this wine shows
a very delicate but lively effervescence, which is balanced beautifully
by the generous natural acidity.
TASTING NOTES
Fine elegant bubbles with pure focused northern fruit aromas, of fresh
apricot, nectarine and peach. These wonderfully enlightened flavours
both enchant and delight your palate offering incredible length, finesse
and balance.
Food Pairing Suggestions: Fruit based desserts, foie gras - pan seared
or terrine, and spiced asian cuisine and a wide variety of cheeses.
Longevity: Enjoy now through 2010. Serving Temperature: 5 - 9?C.
- Maria Moessner, Inniskillin Estate Sommelier
This wine was wonderful. My husband and I went on a wine tour at Inniskillin Winery where we had the pleasure of sampling this unique sparkling wine. I... more...
