Review: Mike Weir Estate Winery
2006 Pinot Noir
2006 Pinot Gris
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

Since sampling our first offering from the Mike Weir Estate Winery, we at London Ontario Golf have made Weir’s wines some of our favourites. We’re not alone. In fact, the young winery (launched in April 2005), nestled in the heart of wine country at Niagara-on-the-Lake (our favourite vacation spot), has already won numerous awards and accolades. 

Enter two more fabulous wines from Canada’s favourite pro on the links: Mike Weir Estate Winery 2006 Pinot Noir; and 2006 Pinot Gris – like Weir, both winners in our book.

2006 Pinot Noir

Mike Weir Estate Winery’s 2006 Pinot Noir features a bright, aromatic bouquet of black cherry, beetroot and raspberry with hints of toasted spice including cinnamon, vanilla and clove. Your palate will be pleased with this smooth offering, as the wine’s palate is rich and savoury with a silky mouth feel and flavours of raspberry, floral notes and vanilla accented by tannin and balanced acidity.

Crafted in the structured, elegant style similar to previous vintages, Weir’s 2006 Pinot Noir will age gracefully for several more years thanks to excellent length and structure. Our tasting paired this wine with aged cheese, followed by venison, and the result was a memorable evening.

The Pinot Noir fruit was sourced from the Weir vineyard on the St. David’s Bench, as well as the Maroudas vineyard in the Four Mile Creek sub appellation. A dry summer with a cool fall resulted in excellent ripeness, giving the grapes very good fruit concentration and colour. Fruit was hand-harvested with careful bunch selection in late-September, avoiding rainfalls that occurred in October.

Bottled September 12, 2007, Weir’s 2006 Pinot Noir underwent full Malolactic fermentation in barrel, with periodic stirring of the lees, and aged in barrel for 12 months. It will continue to develop for three to five years.

The 2006 Pinot Noir from Mike Weir Estate Winery is priced at $22.20, yet delivers a style well beyond its price. We highly recommend this wine for a variety of meals and occasions.

2006 Pinot Noir, from Mike Weir Estate Winery
$22.20
750 mL
100% Pinot Noir VQA
Released April 2008, 851 cased produced
Sugar 0 (Dry)
13% Alcohol
pH 3.60
TA 7.40g/L

2006 Pinot Gris

Enjoyed with a variety of hors d’oeuvres, Mike Weir Estate Winery’s 2006 Pinot Gris proved to be an admirable accompaniment to our family function. Sharp and sophisticated, this Pinot Gris is tasty, complex and satisfying – a great effort from Weir’s winery in their inaugural Pinot Gris.

A complex nose of honeysuckle, cantaloupe and pear fruit provides a cornucopia of delights, offering a full and detailed palate, with hints of apricot, melon and honey. The finish of this Pinot Gris features a balanced acidity. Fruit was harvested between September 17 and October 7 from several Ontario vineyards. The wine was fermented at cool temperatures averaging 12° C to preserve fruit character in a combination of 80% stainless steel tank and 20% French Oak barrels. 

The result? A blend of barrel fermented, barrel aged and stainless steel. Mike Weir Estate Winery defines this Pinot Gris as “reminiscent of the classic French style” from being continuously stirred on the lees during aging for added mouth-feel and complexity.

This is a wine which stands admirably on its own, or paired with your favourite food offering. Thumbs up to the 2006 Pinot Gris’s sharp, sophisticated taste.

Mike Weir Estate Winery 2006 Pinot Gris
$15.15
750 mL
100% Pinot Gris VQA Ontario VQA
Released August 2007, Bottled July 3, 2007, 1,855 cases made
Sugar 0 (Dry)
12% Alcohol
pH 3.39
TA: 8.33g/L

In 2004, the Mike Weir Foundation was created to support children in need. To encourage this effort, 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of Mike Weir Estate Winery wines are donated to the Foundation. 

Visit the Mike Weir Foundation online at www.themikeweirfoundation.com. Check out all of the offerings from the Mike Weir Estate Winery at www.weirwines.com.