Brett happens

VQA Prince Edward County 2011, Cabernet Franc, Select, Grange of Prince Edward ($24.95, 12711168)
100% Cabernet Franc. Made from selected lots. More wine-making information when/if I can find some. Reducing sugar: 1.9 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Bambara Selection.
Sourberry with hints of roasted beet, “cloved orange” and, eventually, slate and cedar but none of the herbaceous aromas some people object to. Medium-bodied and fundamentally supple. The fruit is just ripe enough, the tannins lacy, the acidity clean and bright. Spice overtones the mid-palate, turned earth and herbs the caressing finish. Lovely, balanced, digeste. Impressed many around the table, including me, and supports my contention that Cab Franc is the red variety that Ontario does best. (Buy again? Yes.)

VQA Niagara Peninsula 2013, Gamay Noir, 13th Street Winery ($22.95, 12705631)
100% Gamay Noir. Manually harvested. The various lots were vinified separately. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. The crushed and destemmed grapes were fermented for three weeks, then pressed. The must was returned to tanks for around five months for malolactic fermentation and maturation. The lots were then blended and bottled. Reducing sugar: 2.1 g/l. 13% ABV. Goes for $19.95 at the LCBO (177824). Quebec agent: Les vins Alain Bélanger.
Striking nose: funk, dried leaves, sour cherry. Smooth and, for a Gamay, dense on the palate, a seamless package delivering admirably pure fruit, soft acidity, supple tannins and, alas, a vanilla-chocolate finish (surprisingly, the winery says the wine is unoaked). Not bad though a little overambitious, the fruit riper and the oak-like flavours heavier than need be. I cannot fathom why some critics and bloggers have said this would make a good ringer in a Beaujolais tasting – it seems another kind of beast. (Buy again? Maybe, especially at the Ontario price.)

MWG October 8th tasting: flight 3 of 7