Monday night I had the pleasure of being at friends’ in Toronto when they opened this special bottle of wine from their wine rack…not only was it Canada’s 2008 Pinot Noir of the Year and from the 2010-2011 Canadian Winery of the Year, Tawse Winery, but it’s made of grapes from their cousin Tom Lauritzen’s Lauritzen Vineyard in the Niagara Peninsula.

2008 Tawse Lauritzen Vineyard Pinot Noir  

Grape Variety: Pinot Noir

Aroma: Ripe red strawberry and cherry with slight spice.

Taste: Full of strawberry, ripe cherry and hint of cinnamon.

Price: $45 (2,998 bottles produced and sold out)

My thoughts: This wine is an excellent example of Pinot Noir. Very approachable with strawberry, cherry and cinnamon. Great pairing with cheeses or grilled pork.

The Niagara Peninsula’s 2008 summer was long and cool creating the perfect conditions for Pinot, Riesling and Chardonnay. Lauritzen’s grape grew in a limestone terrior giving it mineral notes. The wine is organic and biodynamic as Tawse Winery is a certified producer of these wines using no pesticides, fungicides or chemical fertilizers.

This fabulous wine won 2008 Pinot of the Year from The Canadian Wine Awards and was a Gold Medal winner in the 2010 Canadian Wine Awards and Intervin Wine Awards.

While this wine is sold out, I would highly recommend seeking out Tawse Winery on the Niagara Escarpment along Ontario’s popular Wine Route. They were named Canadian Winery of the Year by The Canadian Wine Awards in 2010 and 2011, a  stringent international-calibre competition with blind tasting by wine experts held annually  since 2000 by Wine Access Magazine.  This is the first time an Ontario winery has won this distinction two years in a row.  Also in 2011 Winemaker, Paul Pender, was named Winemaker of the Year at the Ontario Wine Awards.

Cheers to Lauritzen Vineyard and Tawse Winery![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]