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2009 Riesling Icewine, Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard
2009 Riesling Icewine
Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard | VQA — St David's Bench$65.00 375mL Bottle | $780 Case
Paul Bosc's Winemaker's Notes
We pick our Icewine at -10°C or colder to make sure every ounce of water left in the grapes is completely frozen. We don’t want to dilute this incredible wine in any way. Once in the Harvest Room we press the frozen bunches of grapes at up to 100 psi just to extract a few trickles of the thick and sweet juice. Because the juice is so cold and sweet we have to use aggressive yeast to start and maintain fermentation, which can take several months. The wine is sweet but is finely balanced with fruit flavours and a strong backbone of acidity. Riesling is one of the great white grape varieties with excellent aging potential. This wine is a terrific example.
Miguel Fontalvo’s vineyard manager’s Notes
Riesling can be challenging in the vineyard. Too much moisture can cause the grapes to break down prematurely. We have to watch it very carefully, constantly. Unfortunately we can’t make this Riesling Icewine every year. The conditions aren’t right each vintage. We grow this wine in one block at the front of the Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard in a pocket of silty soil. This one location that has given us this award-wining wine. We are disappointed in the years we can’t make it but when we do, it’s worth the wait.
DOWNLOAD TASTING NOTES PDF
Pairing Icewine with food can be a bit tricky but my failsafe approach is to make sure the food is as sweet as the wine. Remember, chocolate is not sweet enough. With this Riesling Icewine I love anything with salted caramel, like New York style cheesecake with a shortbread crust. If you really want to impress your friends try serving Icewine as an appetizer with foie gras.
| Cheese: | Le Blue |
| Milk Source: | Sheep |
| Producer: | La Moutonnière |
| Province: | Quebec |
Canadian Wine Awards, 2011– Bronze
“Liquid Ambrosia! This vintage offers superb concentration and sweetness, and is balanced by the tangy acidity. It is full bodied with the peach and apricot preserves, honey, pineapple, apple sauce, mineral and lime lingering forever on the finale. Forget the notion of dessert, just pour yourself a glass and enjoy this majestic tipple. 94 pts.”
– Evan Saviolitis, www.winesavvy.com, March, 2012
“Gorgeous concentration with peach-marmalade preserves and a honeyed apricot finish. Lovely as dessert on its own or with biscotti or fruit- or nut-based desserts. 92 pts.”
– Natalie MacLean, NatalieMaclean.com, January, 2012
“This 2009 is stunning - the best of all 2009’s tasted to date. It is rich, viscous and yet balanced with terrific acidity. It has intense, sweet, complex, caramel-tinged, ripe apple puree flavours that go on and on. ***+ Classic. Rich, Sweet, Complex. Recommended. Best Buy.”
– Michael Vaughan, Vintage Assessments, January, 2012
“Wow, what a beautiful Icewine. The nose is killer with sweet wild honey, apricot, peach and quince that comes at you in waves. It’s thick, unctuous on the palate with sweet, concentrated fruits, honey goodness and balancing acidity. The Top Sweet and Sparkling Wines of 2011. 94 pts.”
– Rick Van Sickle, winesinniagara.com, December, 2011
“Really classy, elegant, fresh and fragrant, excellent complexity. Brilliant balance: freshness and sweetness. Long, fragrant finish. An Icewine classic. 94 pts.”
– John Szabo, WineAlign.com, December, 2011
“Coming from their estate vineyard in the St. David's Bench sub-appellation, this Icewine is only made in years when conditions are ideal. It has a very forward nose, with ripe tree fruit (apricot), spice and citrus. It is medium-bodied, not too thick or cloying and has medium length. Well-balanced. This wine won a bronze medal at the Wine Access 2011 Canadian Wine Awards. 87 pts.”
– Craig Pinhey, Wine Access National Tasting Panel, October, 2011
| HARVEST DATE | December 29, 2009 |
| ALCOHOL | 9.5% |
| BRIX AT HARVEST | 42.0 |
| PH | 3.36 |
| TOTAL ACIDITY | 9.6 |
| CASES PRODUCED | 717 |
| SUGAR CODE | 23 |
| LCBO # | 413724 |
