Creekside Estate Winery
Creekside Estate Winery opened in 1997 in small-town Jordan, Ontario. The Winery is run by a passionate (some say fanatical) group of industry veterans who have decades of experience in their respective fields. The team of self-described cork dorks love what they do, and have fun doing it.
Early on the darlings of the Creekside portfolio were, like the people who created them, a little outside of the mainstream fold; Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah are the signature wines. Creekside has also developed a cult following for its Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon blend and Ontario’s award winning Broken Press Syrah.
Despite being considered viticulturally off-kilter for the region these 2 grapes showed promise and the early successes spurred further investment in the vineyard and cellar.
| Country | Canada |
|---|---|
| Province | Ontario |
| Region | Niagara Peninsula |
From this Producer
Nine months in barrel (mostly older French and Hungarian oak) before bottling. 2019 was a cooler year in Niagara, so we are definitely at the Syrah end of the spectrum here. You’ll get red raspberry fruit on the nose, with all kinds of savoury notes: salami charcuterie, black pepper, teriyaki umami and an earthy undertone. On the palate, the raspberries turn black. That savoury character carries through over a mid-bodied frame with pleasing acidity on a long finish.
Right from the start Sauvignon Blanc has been front-and-center as Creekside’s flagship white grape. We do it up unoaked, oaked, single-vineyard, pan-Peninsula blend, bubbly... just about every which way because we love it. Sauvignon Blanc carries its fresh energy and cornucopia of flavours wherever it goes, never failing to invigorate, refresh, and beguile. However, “savvie” does cost Rob years of life expectancy trying to get the pick date just right.
You can almost smell the warm harvest days in the glass. Sweet notes of cedar, tart black cherry and summer sage vault forward on the nose priming your palate for the flavour bomb to come. Cinnamon bark and sandalwood set the tone on the palate while a resin-like kirsch note lingers on the finish.
“What makes Icewine so special” you may ask? It’s the risk that a farmer takes when they decide to hang their precious grapes for an indeterminately long time outside, butt-naked and unprotected from the winter elements. It’s the passionate people that go out into freezing cold winter’s night to pick these grapes and then immediately press them to extract what equates to one drop of sweet luscious juice from each grape. It’s the winemakers that patiently and carefully baby the ferment and coax it along to find the perfect balance between sweetness, alcohol and acidity. And ultimately, it’s YOU who appreciate and enjoy the hedonistic experience of drinking an Icewine and savouring all the intensely interesting flavours and luscious texture that it brings to your palate.
Broken Press is one of Creekside’s most revered bottlings. Because of that reputation, we are very protective of our flagship product line, and aren’t afraid to declassify and skip a vintage if the wine doesn’t have the stuffing. Hot and dry 2016, on the other hand, was a no-doubter from Labour Day onwards, as both flavour and phenolic ripeness came around very early in the game. We resisted the temptation to go for dizzying sugar (and alcohol) levels, picked when we liked what we tasted, and managed to maintain the delicate fruit and elegant frame that Broken Press is renowned for.