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Plum, bramble berry and dried fruits including cherry and apricot on the nose. A soft and creamy palate with a dash of tannin and acidity exhibits flavours of red cherry, blueberry, raspberry, black licorice and roasted coffee bean. Surprisingly robust body and length for this variety.
Winemaker's Notes:
The 2006 growing season, although long and warm, sunshine hours were lower than normal. The weeks of harvest were cool and damp.
The grapes were hand harvested on the 10th of October at 21.5 brix, then hand sorted, destemmed and crushed for a 4 day pre fermentation cold soak. Fermentation was followed by one year of ageing in both French and American oak barrels. Only eight barrels were selected for bottling.
Named after one of its early stewards, “Courtney”, this 1.8 acre sustainably farmed vineyard on the Beamsville Bench was planted to gamay clones 509 and 565 in 1998 and 1999 averaging 1450 vines per acre. Crop thinning to 15 clusters per vine produced dark, ripe fruit.
Food Pairings:
Well-done lambchops or rack of lamb with seasoned Dijon or other grainy mustard.
Reviews:
"The Courtney vineyard is a special spot. As Moira, Martin Malivoire's wife explains "Courtney Estate is owned and farmed by Malivoire. By way of background. Courtney is the name of the lady we bought this particular piece of property from (the property was adjacent to the estate and is now part of it). The significance of the Courtney property is this lady was very elderly, was widowed and living in very sad circumstances. For whatever reason, she liked and trusted Martin and agreed to sell the property to us. She was a collector of trees and had an amazing number of trees on he property, overgrown when we met her. We moved a lot of those trees to Moira Vineyard and the Estate property and donated one particular willow tree to Willow Heights when they were first starting up. To make a long story short, Martin (& I) and our lawyer helped her at the end of her life. Even after we bought the property, Martin built a Mrs Courtney bench where she would come and sit amongst her trees and commune with the flora and fauna. Unfortunately she died within several months. So Courtney is a bittersweet name for us, it not only pays respect to Mrs. Courtney, it also reminds us of the dire straits the elderly can find themselves in when they have do not have supports". Complex and rich with blueberries and black cherries, mineral, spice, game and tobacco notes. Medium bodied with fresh acidity and soft tannins. A juicy and very tasty wine with a long finish. 200 cases made only. Let this wine stand as a tribute to Mrs. Courtney!" 4 + stars out of 5. (Zoltan Szabo, August, 2008)
"This 100% Gamay has terrific style and depth. Aged a year in French and American barrels, it has big flavours that are dense and complex, and a seam of balancing acidity that's broad and fresh. It all holds together very well, and it makes a great partner for grilled lamb." 4 Stars (Rod Phillips, August 2008)
Last Updated: Aug-08
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