Michael Stickings

Thirty Bench Red 2012, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula

Château Canteloup 2010, Ac Médoc

Powerful and complex nose of petrol, tar, and pine leading to cassis, ripe dark fruit, and spice; less body than one would wish for, but still deep, rich, and rewarding, with bold but unobtrusive oaky tannins; perhaps could have used another few years in the cellar, but solid overall and outstanding value for such a serious, sophisticated wine.

Hidden Bench Estate Riesling 2013, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula

This is a well put together and quite vivacious Niagara Riesling. It offers aromas of green apple, pear, pineapple, slate, and wet stone, but it's all about the zippy acidity after that, lemon tartness and lingering minerality. It's mostly on the drier and less juicy side of things, but the flavours hollow out mid-palate, followed by bitterness, and there isn't nearly enough non-citrus fruit to carry it. It's good to go now, particularly with food, but it could use a bit of aging to calm the acidity down and bring greater flavour depth and balance overall.

Borgogno Langhe Freisa 2012, Doc

The nose on this Piedmontese Freisa, yet another uncommon Italian grape deserving of much wider attention and recognition, is just do distinctively Italian, and so gorgeously complex, with light, sweet strawberry, tart raspberry and cherry, berry leaf, dried herbs, and dusty earth, more savoury than sweet but very nicely balanced. It's dusty and acidic on the palate, and quite dry, with the flavours not nearly as compelling as the aromas, and it lacks depth, but it's wonderfully food-friendly in that typically Italian way.

Cave Spring Estate Bottled Gewurztraminer 2012, Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula

The wine that first got me into wine many years ago, Cave Spring's Gewürztraminer is a brilliant example of what the varietal can achieve in Ontario and a world-class example of the varietal in its own right. There's lychee, of course, though it seems toned down from previous vintages, along with peach, pear, and touches of spice. Luscious and silky in the mouth, the sweetness kept in check with some citrusy bitterness towards the finish and some refreshing dryness as well, this is a gorgeously sexy wine that remains elegantly balanced and under control even as it arouses the senses.

Lealtanza Reserva 2009, Doca Rioja

Bodegas Altanza is about balance, and this excellent '09 Reserva is a fine example of what this outstanding producer can achieve. It's restrained yet expressive, complex yet accessible, pointing both to the past and to the future, earthy barnyard and leather aromas giving way to layers of flavour including cherry, raspberry, currant, and dried fruit, surrounded by herbs and with a core of rocky minerality, the many sweet/sour and fruity/savoury notes mingling nicely, the tannins nicely integrated. It's a bit closed, maybe too restrained, but with time the expert balance shines through.

Santa Carolina Specialties Dry Farming Carignan 2010, Cauquenes Valley

This is very different and very good, showing what can be done when this under-respected and oft-maligned varietal is treated with the utmost respect and allowed to shine on its own. While unapologetically rough, with bruising tannins, it displays appealingly fragrant notes of blackberry, blueberry, earth, and herbs, with green olive, strawberry, and minerals coming later, the rich fruit and savoury earthiness balanced by surprising lemon-currant sourness on the palate, leading to a long finish. It lacks some complexity, and the sourness is a bit too much, but it's a tasty showcase, to be sure.

Argentiera Poggio Ai Ginepri 2011, Doc Bolgheri

Smelling like a stale, dusty attic when opened, this well-priced Super Tuscan is indeed quite closed at first and takes quite some time to get moving. When it does, it plays very much like an Italian version of left-bank Bordeaux, which is pretty much what it is (Cab-Merlot, with Syrah), and it does so decently with cassis, dark cherry, graphite, and oak atop a solid structure. But it never quite gets there, never opens up enough, and while there's potential for aging, the fruit seems limited, and overall it just seems to lack charm and character. It's fine for what it is, but that's about it.

Ontañón Crianza 2010, Doca Rioja

This good, solid Rioja Crianza (at a great price) is all about potential. Right now, it has a lovely nose of sweet vanilla, woodsy oak, and luscious fruit (raspberry, blueberry, cherry), but it falters somewhat thereafter, exposing hollowness mid-palate, succumbing to tartness in place of fruit depth, and coming across as way too acidic for its own good. But therein lies its potential, and given its acid-tannin-fruit structure it's likely that additional aging will soften the edges and allow the deeper flavours to shine. It may never be a great wine, but it could develop to just short of that.

Baron De Ley Varietales Graciano 2010, Doca Rioja

Like vanilla-coconut pudding served with toasty oak shavings. It's nice to see the re-emergence of an under-appreciated varietal like Graciano, but this expression hides the grape in way too much wood. There's body and depth, the tannins are quite soft, and there are pleasant aromas and flavours of ripe blackberry and raspberry as well as leather and floral violet, and there's refreshing pomegranate acidity on the palate, but the wood-based elements are too much to overcome. Extensive decanting helps, and it's better by the second day, but the Graciano grape remains unfortunately overwhelmed.