Trail Estate Winery
We were proud to feature Trail Estate Winery in October 2019.
We let nature guide the winemaking process at our Prince Edward County winery. Winemaker Mackenzie Brisbois aims for honesty inside the bottle—whether it be our Skin-Ferment Riesling, Orange Wine, Pét Nat Sparkling, soulfully complex Unfiltered Chardonnay, or barrel-aged varietals. We use wild ferments (indigenous yeasts) and leave many of our artisanal wines whole and unfiltered without the use of additional enzymes or tannins. Each wine tells the story of site and vintage with unabashed honesty and is never the same year-to-year (nor should it be). Each wine should be surprising, textural and soulful; not predictable. We take this credo to heart and hold back a large ratio of past vintages in our library. As each wine ages, the artisanal nature of each wine becomes apparent.
Tasting Notes
UNFILTERED CHARDONNAY, 2017
Trail Estate Winery, Prince Edward County Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: VQA Prince Edward County
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vineyard: Trail Estate vineyard
Alcohol: 11.7%
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 225
Appearance: Pale lemon in colour.
Nose: Smoky, minerally, citrus nose with toasty oak notes.
Palate: Very Burgundian in style; medium-bodied, dry, lightly reductive, lemon and green apple flavours; beautifully balanced with a lovely mouth-feel with green pineapple and green peach flavours.
Quality: Outstanding. Drink now or hold 2 – 3 years.
Critic Rating: 92 points – Tony Aspler
Awards:
Food Pairing: Steamed halibut with watercress and orange sauce, creamy lobster linguine, turkey and roasted red pepper aioli panini, lemon chicken with grilled bok choy, and Ahi poké with black rice and heirloom tomatoes.
BACO NOIR - UNFILTERED, 2017
Trail Estate Winery, Prince Edward County Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: VQA Ontario
Varietal: Baco Noir
Vineyard: Trail Estate Vineyard
Alcohol: 11.8%
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 165
Appearance: Opaque, glass-staining purple-ruby in colour.
Nose: Spicy, blackberry bouquet with vanilla oak notes.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, fruity, plum and sour cherry flavours carried on zesty acidity. A well-balanced. wine.
Quality: Very Good+. Drink now or hold 1 – 2 years.
Critic Rating: 89 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Braised boar shanks with sweet soy and star anise, beef meatballs in plum sauce, bison burgers with blue cheese, grilled lamb skewers with couscous tabbouleh, and brie and eggplant pizza.
OAK AGED GEWÜRZTRAMINER, 2016
Trail Estate Winery, Prince Edward County Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: VQA Ontario
Varietal: Gewürztraminer
Vineyard: Lakeview Vineyard
Alcohol: 12%
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 130
Appearance: Pale golden straw colour.
Nose: Fragrant, lychee and rose petal nose.
Palate: Light to medium-bodied, dry, cardamom and lychee flavours with refreshing acidity. Rich and full on the palate.
Quality: Outstanding. Drink now or hold 2 – 3 years.
Critic Rating: 90 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Coriander-chili chicken wings, ginger pork with mango sauce, sweet potato and goats cheese ravioli, Singapore noodles with prawns, and Thai beef and stir-fry with peppers.
WINGFIELD CABERNET FRANC, 2016
Trail Estate Winery, Prince Edward County Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: Wingfield Vineyard, Niagara Peninsula
Alcohol: 14.2%
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 158
Appearance: Deep ruby colour.
Nose: Cedary, brambleberry and dark chocolate nose with a light floral top note.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, richly extracted, mulberry flavour rounded out with oak spice. Rich and full on the palate, well-structured with a firm but ripe tannic finish.
Quality: Outstanding. Drink now or hold 3 – 4 years.
Critic Rating: 90 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Tomato and olive-stuffed portobello mushrooms, pork chops with mint julep glaze, anchovy and rosemary lamb roast, French onion soup, and garden vegetable lasagna.
SKIN FERMENT RIESLING, 2017
Trail Estate Winery, Prince Edward County Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
Varietal: Riesling
Vineyard: Hughes Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore
Alcohol: 9.4%
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 150
Appearance: Bright, pale straw colour.
Nose: Lightly floral, petrol nose of grapefruit.
Palate: Light-bodied, crisply dry, lime flavour with a long, lingering finish.
Quality: Very Good+. Drink now, but will also cellar for several years.
Critic Rating: 89 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Pulled pork sliders with apple slaw, turmeric roasted duck with plum sauce, bacon-wrapped asparagus with spicy aioli, shrimp teriyaki rice bowl, and spicy eggplant with black beans and garlic.
PÉT NAT RED, 2018
Trail Estate Winery, Prince Edward County Buy this wineTasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: Prince Edward County
Varietal: Baco Noir (55%) & Cabernet Franc (45%)
Vineyard: Trail Estate Vineyard
Alcohol: 9.5%
Volume: 750mL
Cases Produced: 44
Appearance: Hazy, light ruby colour.
Nose: Slightly reductive nose of red berries.
Palate: Light-bodied, effervescent, dry, raspberry and cranberry flavours with just a touch of sweetness kept in check by lively acidity. Bottled partway through a wild yeast ferment to retain bubbles.
Quality: Very Good+. Chill and drink now. (Note: open the crown cap slowly in stages and allow air to escape very gradually.)
Critic Rating: 89 points – Tony Aspler
Food Pairing: Sautéed shrimp in garlic butter, fried egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce, spinach dip in a pumpernickel bowl, chicken schnitzel with fried capers, and foie gras and apricot terrine.