Canada’s only certified Master of Wine, Toronto based Sommelier, Journalist and wine critic John Szabo gave the nod to Creekside in his recent Ontario Wine Report at WineAlign.com. Szabo included four Creekside wines in his Top 50 Ontario Wines list, including awarding the 2004 Lost Barrel the highest rating of any red in the report.

Scoring an unmatched 93/100 points, Lost Barrel’s nomination to the head of the Top 50 reaffirms its status as what other critics have already described as “…one of the most dramatic Niagara reds ever…” (Christopher Waters, VINES Magazine July/August 2009) and “[t]he ultimate in Niagara ‘wow’ wine” (Rick Van Sickle, St. Catharines Standard, July 10th, 2009).  Says Szabo:

“Really nicely evolved, wet clay, mature fruit, moving into the blue spectrum, with some volatile notes and floral elements. Great complexity. The palate is still big and firm, but burly tannins are beginning to integrate; alcohol is generous. Finish is long. An impressive wine with abundant power and much appeal. Drink 2010-2016+”

Not to be outdone, three of Lost Barrel’s siblings also earned top honours:

2006 Broken Press Shiraz — 92 Pts.  “Really fine, elegant, exotically spiced shiraz, with some North African influence, earthy but not dirty. The palate has some dried red currant and white pepper flavours and light but firm tannins, vibrant acidity and precisely etched flavour profile. Long finish. Needs another 3-5 years to come around.”

2006 Undercurrent “Headless” Shiraz — 91 Pts. “Fermented in a demi-muid with 3% Viognier, half-pressed. Big, rich, ripe almost jammy-oaky example, with plenty of spent coffee grounds, vanilla extract and dark/black fruit. Palate is precisely etched and tightly wound, with a long and savoury finish. Drink now-2015.”

2007 Reserve Viognier — 90 Pts. “Mostly St. David’s fruit. Barrel fermented in old oak, with a small percentage of stainless steel, from free-run juice. Loads of peach/violet essence, full bodied, generous alcohol, long finish with a touch of heat. Well-proportioned, with sufficient acidity to keep it all together. Nice fruit quality.”

There are only limited quantities of each of these wines remaining, so we encourage you to grab a bottle and give them a try for yourself.  Let us know what you think!