The very first vintage of this CF failed VQA testing because it was such a new and completely different wine for the tasting panel to understand. This flagship wine is most closely associated with the Amarone style with 100% of the fruit dried for 103 days and then aged in oak for 24 months in 100% new French barrels. It's a knockout from sniff to swallow. The nose delivers concentrated cherry-kirsch, saddle leather, Espresso, raisins, cassis, lavish sweet spices and cocoa. It is thick and powerful on the palate, showing Port-like texture and grip, rich, ripe red fruits, compoted blueberry and black currant-cassis flavours all wrapped in toasty oak and soft tannins. It's a heady wine at 16% alcohol but doesn't at all feel hot in the mouth. Just a wonderful treat of a wine. Score - 93. (Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com, May 15, 2012)
