Monday, October 13, 2014

EastDell Estates 2013 Black Cab, VQA Ontario


We became acquainted EastDell Black Cab during a trip to their winery in Ontario a couple years ago. We sampled the wine and couldn’t believe the low price of this unique and flavorful wine.
On a recent visit to Pelee Point Provincial Park in Ontario recently, Black Cab again caught my eye in an LCBO store. I snagged a bottle to see what the new vintage tastes like.
There may be some others, but this is the only Cabernet Sauvignon and Baco Noir blend I’ve every seen. Baco Noir is a French-American hybrid grape that grows well in New York state and flourishes in Ontario.
Black Cab is dark as midnight. The Baco Noir imparts luscious fruit into the blend. The blend is 42% Baco Noir, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Cabernet Franc. Although Ontario Cabernet is not highly tannic, the Baco smoothes the Black Cab blend into a silken texture.
On the palate there is a hint of smoke and flavor notes of dark fruit, cherries and cranberry. On my first sip I got a bit of green pepper, due not doubt to the Cab Franc, but that flavor soon dissipated. This is an easy drinking wine that’s high in enjoyment and low in complexity.
The price for Black Cab, which sports a nice graphic of a Great Blue Heron, is only $13.95 Canadian. A magnum and double magnum are also available at the cost of $19.95 and $49.95 respectively. These large formats are very affordable and would be a great party purchase.
Black Cab is not a connoisseur's wine, but it is certainly a wine lover’s wine.  The only flaw with this wine is that I expect you can only buy it in Canada.
Rating: 2.5 of 5  Value: 4.5 of 5

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