Château Des Charmes Old Vines Cabernet/Merlot 2012, VQA Niagara On The Lake
Critic Reviews (3)
A robust, hearty Bordeaux blend, generous, quite rich and savoury. The 2012 hot, dry vintage produced some very...
By 'old vines' the reference is to the estate's oldest blocks in the Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard, planted in 1983/84 by...
Nicely evolved at this stage, this has turned succulent and savoury, with a classic range of red and black berry...
Community Reviews (4)
The 2012 Château des Charmes ‘Old Vines’ Cabernet/Merlot, made with both Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon as well as Merlot and aged in French Oak for 9 months; has expressive aromas of toasted oak, smoke, prune, plum and light vanilla in the glass and toasted oak, vanilla and dates-red-currant-black-cherry trio in the mouth. It is a medium bodied, extra-dry, fruity wine; with crisp acidity, dusty tannins and a long finish. It is made well to be compatible with food or simply enjoyed on its own; though it would benefit from further cellaring for a year or two (evolution potential +1), it is ready to drink now and will be to 2018/20 (cork enclosure). My impression: NICE to BEAUTIFUL, 89 (+1 EP) pts – recommended for both, quality and value. Tasted in Nov/14.
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While still very much a cool climate red, the (relatively) Old Vines Cab Merlot exhibits none of the greenness that mare many Niagara reds. Certainly the warm dry vintage helped as I am sure the many years of experience and wisdom at CdC. More in the Euro savoury style, this does a great job of mimicking a good right bank Bordeaux, but at substantially less $$. Good fruit, hints of herbs, fine tannin, and pleasant tartness on the finish. Seems to be in a fine drinking pace now and should hold for a few more years. Impressive. Tasted April 2017.