By Rick VanSickle
Shockwaves reverberated throughout the Niagara Fallsview Casino on Feb. 19, 2010, when the big winner at Cuvee WASN’T the Creekside Broken Press Shiraz 2007.
The annual Cuvee awards were always a highlight for Niagara wineries, with the winning wines chosen by their peers and announced Oscar style at a glitzy evening out. It was the biggest party of the year for wine glitterati in Ontario.
The powerful winemaking team of Craig McDonald (now a top Peller executive) and Rob Power (winemaker at Creekside) cleaned up yet again at the 2010 Cuvee, with five awards for wines made at Creekside and Wayne Gretzky Estates (the brand owned by Creekside at the time). But, in a shocking twist, their highly decorated Broken Press Shiraz 2007, which had won top accolades every year since its inception, was dethroned by Fielding Estate’s Syrah 2007 and Jackson-Triggs’ Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Syrah 2007. There were more than a few gasps from the crowd when the award was announced at the gala.
It was a brief break after a long winning streak for Creekside’s Syrahs (called Shiraz in the early years). To date, the Syrahs have been awarded over 50 medals, including 1 platinum, 15 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals spread over several styles and competitions. But it has always been the Broken Press (with a bit of Viognier blended in) and Unbroken Press (no Viognier), that has led the way for Power and now assistant winemaker Yvonne Irvine (who also has her own brand called Maenad Wine Co.)
Creekside has enjoyed a long history with Syrah. It was aggressively planted in Niagara in the late 1990s and the winery has been a champion of the Rhone variety ever since. Thirty-plus years later, it is the red grape Creekside is best known for, made in myriad styles and price points across the portfolio.
Creekside opened in 1997 after a group of industry veterans came together, led by Power and McDonald. Decidedly unconventional, irreverent and just a little eccentric, the team at Creekside has always done things, well, just a little bit differently. Making Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc their signature red and white grapes from the get-go, was viewed as a bit risky. Even though Sauvignon Blanc is easy to grow, it is considered an unusual grape for the Niagara region due its sensitivity to winter cold. Nevertheless, the early successes with this variety spurred further investment in the vineyard and cellar and today Creekside considers Sauvignon Blanc as one of the flagship wines of the winery.
But it is the Syrah that has really received the greatest recognition from consumers, with Broken Press and Unbroken Press both reaching cult status in Ontario and Iconoclast not far behind.
The Broken Press is a blend of Syrah and Viognier, a white grape variety known for its fragrance, that has been made since 2004 after the winery’s little basket press broke down with some juicy Viognier skins still in it. The winemakers decided to try co-fermenting the skins with the Syrah. That happy accident turned out so well that the tradition continues year after year. The mix of peppery and plummy fruit flavours from the Syrah and the floral and apricot aromas of the small addition of Viognier make this an alluring and complex red in Niagara and something completely different from the region.
Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits, which owns Creekside, sold its sister winery, Queenston Mile Vineyards in St. Davids to a local restaurant group earlier this year. The deal between Diamond Estates, Ontario’s 5th largest producer of VQA wines (behind, in order, Arterra, Andrew Peller Ltd., Henry of Pelam and Pelee Island), and 43North Restaurant Group was finalized last February.
Both winemakers, Power and Irvine, now concentrate their efforts solely on the Creekside portfolio, which should be great news for consumers. I must admit, it has been a few years since I’ve tasted at Creekside, not because I didn’t want to but rather there have been so many changes over the years it just became difficult to arrange something. I was happy to make it back after a few years and to taste once again with Power and Irvine in familiar surroundings.
Here’s what I can recommend following an afternoon of tasting on The Deck at Creekside.
Note: I also tasted Irvine’s new Cabernet Franc from her Maenad Wine Co. label and will have a review of that wine coming up in an upcoming post.
The white wines
Creekside Pinot Gris 2023 ($28, 90 points) — The Gris is sourced from the estate’s Creekside Estate Vineyard. A little aging in neutral oak is employed. It’s quite expressive on the nose with notes of melon, apricot, Meyer lemon, apple, and a hint of white flowers and spice. It’s a touch creamy, textured and rounded on the palate with ripe pear, lemon tart, apricot and touch of spice with a soft, elegant finish.
Creekside Viognier Reserve 2023 ($30, 92 points) — This Vio from the Queenston Road Vineyard is aged in a combination of neutral French oak and acacia barrels for nine months. The exotic nose shows a heady combination of dried apricots, honeysuckle, nectarine, apple skin, white pepper, spice and saline freshness. It has a rounded, silky texture on the palate with some weight to go with ripe apricots, poached pear, orange zest, flinty/peppery notes, and a long, luxurious finish.
The rosé
Creekside Syrah Viognier Rosé 2023 ($30, 92 points) — This baby “Broken Press Rosé” is a blend of blend of 84% Syrah and 16% Viognier that was crushed together into the press, soaked on the skins for 12 hours before pressing and fermented and aged in barrel (mostly oak but a portion in acacia) for seven months before bottling. The nose is profoundly rich and juicy with raspberries, black cherries, earthy/savoury notes, floral accents and a touch of pepper. The palate is somewhat structured from the light tannins, but it is more elegant than over the top with lovely red and dark berries, some savoury spices, watermelon and citrus and a lifted, fresh finish. Very interesting rosé. Might even cellar with interesting results for a year or so.
The bubbly
Creekside The Trad Reserve 2019 ($45, 93 points) — This traditionally made bubbly is a 50-50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Queenston Road Vineyard that spent 46 months in bottle on its lees before being disgorged. Such a beguiling nose of toasty brioche, lemon biscuit, fresh apple, salinity, pear and a vigorous bubble in the glass. Those elegant, persistent bubbles continue on the palate and bolster the fresh orchard fruits, Meyer lemon, baked bread, toasted almonds and rousing finesse on the finish. Would love to age this for a couple of years to see how it develops.
The Syrahs
Creekside Iconoclast Syrah 2020 ($30, winery, 92 points) — The Iconoclast is one step below the “reserve” Broken Press Syrahs. The fruit is fermented in stainless steel tanks and individual fruit bins then aged in oak for 19 months. The older, neutral oak is mostly French with a bit of Hungarian and American barrels. The nose is pure and open knit from the get-go with meaty dark berries, sweet dark cherries, anise, dried tobacco, black peppercorns and fine oak spices. It has firm structure on the palate with black currants, anise, macerated cherries, dried tobacco leaf and herbs, black pepper, spice rack and a long, lifted finish. Attractive right now but can age 5+ years.
Creekside Broken Press Syrah Reserve 2020 ($55, 95 points) — The Broken Press Syrah has been an integral part of Niagara wine lore since the first vintage in 2004. It has been fawned over, debated, sought after and found its way into many cellars since that first vintage. And then … along comes 2020, debatably the finest vintage for red wines ever in the history of the modern wine industry in Ontario, and the debates will be hotly contested all over again. Does the 2020 Broken Press Syrah have the potential to be the best ever? If you ask Power and Irvine, they both prefer the cooler vintages for Broken Press, which, of course, 2020 was not. If you lean in the direction of bigger is better in red wines, the 2020 version will be your jam, even if you do have to hide it in the cellar for five or 10 years. I love a big, bold red with layers of pleasure that will improve with time, and by that measure, this 2020 is the highest score I’ve attached to this wine since I have rated it beginning with the 2007 vintage. Here’s why I liked it:
The blend is about 3-4% Viognier and the rest Syrah that spends 22 months in older (neutral), mostly French barriques with the alcohol clocking in at 14.5%. The nose is a highly fragrant array of black currants, anise, kirsch, black raspberries, saddle leather, bacon fat, smoky cedar notes, eucalypt, black peppercorns, toasted vanilla, spice and a subtle floral lift. On the palate, this blockbuster is shrouded in firm tannic structure and will need either time in the cellar or lots of decanting if you are opening soon. Swirling, swishing and returning to this Syrah will show you layer upon layer of rich and ripe dark berries, black licorice, peppery spices, dried herbs, gamey/smoky notes and blueberry pie that all leads to a long, long finish with racy acidity that will reward with 10-15 years in the cellar.
Creekside Unbroken Press Reserve 2020 ($55, 94 points) — The UNBroken part of this wine refers to the fact that, while the Broken Press features a bit of co-fermented Viognier for complexity, the UNBroken is 100% Syrah from the Queenston Road Vineyard. What’s the difference? I’ll let Creekside explain: “Without gentle, sweet Viognier to soothe its fevered brow, Syrah’s inherent brooding power rages unchecked, untamed and yes UNBroken. Take a ride on this bucking’ bronco and catch the spirit.” The 100% Syrah is sourced from the west block of Queenston vineyard, and the wine spends 20 months in oak, two Hungarian barrels and the other four French barrels. Without the taming attributes of the Viognier, this version of the Broken series is much more of a wild and untethered ride with umami, grilled meats, more earth and more spice than the Broken Press on the nose with black currants, smoke, sweet cedar, kirsch, graphite, and peppery spices. It’s weighty, concentrated and bold on the palate with dense dark berries, cherry/raspberry compote, brambly/savoury/gamey notes and rousing black pepper, to go with firm, ripe tannins that will all together need time to soften and integrate. This is one of the attractions of Creekside’s top Syrahs; how well they age and come together with time. Both fabulous wines and worthy of your cellar.
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