Baco to Baco !

Tonight we bring you a new challenge. We're trying two new Back Noirs (generally mine & A's favourite grape) at different price points. The first is from Henry of Pelham Family Estate and at $24.95 it's the more expensive of the two and the most expensive of the VQA's available at the LCBO. Our other wine is at the other end of the spectrum and at $9.95 it is the cheapest Baco Noir VQA available.

On to the reviews!

More expensive:
Henry of Pelham Family Estate - Baco Noir 2010 Reserve VQA Ontario
A- it's very woody smelling, this is not what i think of when I think of Baco, more like a Merlot. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels, it's a really dark wine. If you like oak-y then it's probably for you. I think if you let it breath you get more fruit, maybe it just needs to sit for a bit before you enjoy it to get all the flavours. It tastes like dried fruit-cranberries, or cherry maybe.

L-more mineraly, still a bit of the smokey finish, maybe like a Cab Franc. I would sip it on it's own. I get more black cherry, especially good with fried zucchini and chili grilled chicken with chipolté mayo.

M-Whoa, rather strong, initially more vinegar-y than I would have thought for a $25 bottle. It has a really dry finish. Honestly I find it overpowering and not for me. I tried it again after eating a bit and trying the cheaper wine, and I find it tastes like walnuts and oak. In the end I think it's drinkable but not something I would go out of my way to find, it just sort of rubs me the wrong way but that might be my deep rooted cheapness shining through.

Less expensive: 20 Bees 2009 Baco Noir
L-that's the Baco fruit with a little bit of honey I'd expect. Overall it's too sweet for me.

A-smells really plumy with black cherry and honey suckle. I find it naturally sweet but not too sweet. While the ladies prefer a good wood, I prefer something a little sweeter.

M-oh yeah, that's more my kind of Baco. It's a deep mouthful, but not too much. I paired it with brie and crackers and it was really nice. It has the taste of spice and cherry, a mouthful but not overwhelming like the other Baco.

Final verdict: A prefers the cheap one, L prefers the expensive, and I prefer the cheap but we all agree that a mid-range is a better call all around.

The lesson here is sometimes class doesn't equal taste. I think you need to know your grapes and know your winery. We weren't worried about the 20 Bees wine because we know it to be a solid winery but we also know we like Baco so the Henry of Pelham was only a gamble because it was so much more expensive than our usual choices. We also think it's important to know whether you like lots of wood or just a little bit of wood.