Rick VanSickle - 95 Points - Wines In Niagara

All roads at Southbrook lead to the top tier Poetica Red and White wines in any given vintage. It is here that the top barrels from the top blocks in the estate vintage are singled out for Poetica in only the best vintages. The Poetica wine program began as a Cabernet Merlot labeled blend in 2007, but became known as “Red” in 2010 with the addition of Petit Verdot. These are generally legendary wines that age beautifully for 20 years or more. I feel the 2016 might even go further than that. The blend is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot all from the hot 2016 vintage that produced some remarkable Bordeaux variety wines in Niagara, especially from Niagara-on-the-Lake. Count the Poetica Red 2016 among the best. The wine spends 24 months in French oak barriques, 50% of the oak is new with further bottle aging for two years. The expressive nose shows a concentration of ripe blackberries, black currants, dark cherries, elegant oak spices and mocha. Such a soulful wine on the palate with an enticing array of ripe black currants, cassis, kirsch and blackberries that marry perfectly to the woodsy spices, ripe tannic structure, mocha and toasted vanilla notes. The fruit echos on the finish for minutes with enough juicy acidity to keep it balanced and poised for many years to come. Do yourself a favour and grab a couple and put them away for further integration. One of Ontario’s top reds of the vintage.