In early November, I attended the 10th Anniversary invitation to the Scheuermann Vineyard & Winery for a tasting of several wines and charcuterie being served to thank customers and residents around the Westport area for their patronage.
As I approached the winery, Francois Scheuermann was pumping the just harvested Chardonnay must (juice) into large tanks. His wife Allison and son Chase were tending to the tasting bar and preparation of the charcuterie for guests.
The family has been in Westport for just over 10 years and they now have firmly established grape varietals that include Vidal, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They have brought in Niagara Cabernet Franc in the past, and when I reviewed the winery a few years ago, it was fabulous! The 5 kids have all grown up since I reviewed the winery when it opened, and Chase did a wonderful tutored tasting for we few early guests. He was quite knowledgeable about every varietal and vintage! Too bad I was early as the charcuterie bites were not yet out, otherwise I could say that they were great because we have attended their summer feast al fresca where they also serve great pizza in their own big outdoor oven. Francois is a trained Swiss chef too if memory serves me!
On offer that day were several vintages of Vidal and I tasted (in this order of lightest to more body and range of flavours) the 2021, 2022, 2020, 2024.
2021 Vidal: clear, thin (it was a wet summer), quite dry with green apple and crisp fruit acidity; citrus and apple on the palate with a relatively short and clean finish.
2022 Vidal: pale yellow, yellow stone fruit nose with light lemon aromas and taste. The palate also displayed some tropical fruit notes and had a cleansing finish reflecting the Dolomite limestone soil giving a minerality to the taste profile.
2020 Vidal: This vintage was great for many wineries across North America and Europe. The wine was pale yellow and clear with light citrus and pear aromas and palate, again with a supporting minerality and stone fruit acidity palate with a refreshing finish.
2024 Golden Vidal: This version was ‘fermented on the skins’ for several weeks to impart more colour/tannin/structure to the wine, and it also has a bit of a cloudy appearance which is to be expected by what other wineries call an ‘orange’ wine. Coming in at 12.8%abv, the mineral and citrus nose was present but this version was softer than the 2021 and 2022 vintages with more integrated fruit profile and a light citrus, fresh acidity backbone that balanced the wine nicely.
Then I tried a couple of Chardonnays, also unfiltered as were all the Vidals. I started with the 2023 which had the expected lightly oaked Chardonnay aroma and taste profile consisting of light lemon/citrus, green apple and some tropical fruit notes, but also with an emphasis on the minerality from the estate terroir; well balanced with a clean finish of fruit replay on the palate.
The 2022 Chardonnay was medium bodied with medium acidity offering notes of Meyer lemon (a sweet and less tart taste), some floral notes, with soft apple, vanilla and herbs. It was aged for 8 months in French oak barrels and was fully rounded in the mouth. This one was very good as I like barrel aged versions of Chardonnay that give you that vanilla and touch of oak spice. It was made with a combination of Niagara and Estate Chardonnay.
I purchased a bottle of the Cuvee Pinot Noir which came in at about 11%abv and I plan to serve that with our Christmas turkey supper, along with a nice refreshing Riesling for the white wine fans! This red wine offers notes of strawberry and dark cherry and is well rounded with a soft finish, barrel aged in French oak for about 8 months. It offers the richness of the Dolomite limestone minerality imparted from the estate terroir and the colour hue displays red raspberry with low tannins and a light-medium body. It has a medium length red fruit finish. ‘Cuvee’ means a non-specific vintage since it is a blend of the 2022 and 2023 vintages.
Until next year, stay happy and healthy. Cheers!
Brian Preston – The Travelling Sommelier
brianpreston@hotmail.com
613.272.3129
The Travelling Sommelier column is a regular feature in our print/digital edition.
