Bordeaux Blend Beckons
Bordeaux Blend Beckons
The expression Bordeaux Blend refers to producing a wine that is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The ancestral home of these grape varieties is none other than France’s premium wine region, Bordeaux. New World winemakers have duplicated this wine style successfully by growing the aforementioned varieties in their local vineyards. Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, based in the Niagara Peninsula, is one of Canada’s original estate wineries. Cabernets and Merlot have been part of their offering since its founding. “The School House” wording is prominently included on the bottle’s front label. It refers to an old building on the winery site that served as a school house generations ago. Also, the winery founders, Paul and Bobbi Speck, ran a small private school in Toronto prior to getting into the wine business.
Deep ruby in colour, the bouquet is dominated with black currant aromas, followed by oak and pepper notes. On the palate, we encounter balance and structure with underpinning tannins and dark fruit nuances. Decanting before serving would allow additional aeration of the wine, enhancing its complexity and enjoyment. A Terriyaki steak matching would bring out the complexities of the wine even more. The 2024 Canadian National Wine Awards gave this wine 90 points.