i checked out of my hotel to head out to Cambridge, ON. before driving out of the Niagara area, i had a few visits to make before my spa appointment at Langdon Hall. i drove out to Vineland, ON to meet up with a class mate of mine from the sommelier program. we had scheduled a meet and tasting with winemaker, Brian Schmidt at Vineland Estates. the last time i was at Vineland Estates, Brian was out of town so i wasn't able to meet with him. Brian is a brilliant winemaker and i say that because when we talk about viticulture and vinification, he goes right down to the scientific level and that's how you know the depth of his knowledge in the subject. i could listen to him talk for hours.
while at Vineland, i was greeted with a handshake and a glass of their 2011 Pinot Gris - a medium yellow wine with notes of citrus (lemon/lime), hint of tropical fruit (pineapple), and minerality. the medium length finish is punctuated with medium low body, yet high acidity. it was a great palate refresher for what was to come.
Brian led us to the fermentation room. the room was chilled like a refrigerator and housed several tanks of riesling. i was in heaven. :) we sampled a dry riesling that will be bottled for general list, a semi-dry riesling that will be bottled under the Elevation Series (my favorite), as well as the chardonnay that will be bottled under the O'Leary brand. after a lengthy stay in the cool fermentation room, we turned our attention to their signature red - cabernet franc.
cabernet franc has a distinct aroma of green bell pepper. as you may know, i'm not a fan of green aromatics - and that includes the fresh cut grass aroma that is common in sauvignon blancs from New Zealand. i think it's just odd for green vegetal aromatics coming from a red wine. i usually associate red wine with red fruit, dark berries, baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, clove), vanilla, leather, tobacco, savory spices like black pepper .. but green bell pepper? cabernet franc is a fairly hearty grape with a thick skin - which makes it an excellent cool climate red varietal. it grows well in niagara so you will find many wineries that produce a single varietal cabernet franc.
anyway, i tasted the cabernet franc from barrel and from tank. it was actually pretty good. we've determined that i have fairly expensive taste because i preferred the cabernet franc that will be bottled under the Elevation Series ($25) over the general list ($12) version.
Brian invited us to stay as long as we wanted and tastings were on the house. i had the opportunity to taste four rieslings from the Expression in D set. i purchased a set a few months ago and they are laying down in my cellar at the moment. there are four rieslings in the set and since i won't be opening them any time soon, i was curious to see what was in store for me. and oh. my. god. the rieslings were delicious! after the rieslings, i tried the 2011 Pinot Meunier. the only other winery in ontario that produces a pinot meunier is Keint-He in Prince Edward County and theirs is awful. Pinot Meunier is one of the three main grape varietals that is used to produce champagne so it is often grown as a blending grape. it's actually very similar to pinot noir but lighter in body and colour.
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| At Vineland Estates - Tasting the four rieslings in the Expressions in D collection |
after a great tasting, i was on my way to Langdon Hall in Cambridge, ON. i heard about Langdon Hall from my friend Eugene. i didn't know much about it but it looked like a nice quaint hotel. earlier this year, it was voted the best hotel in Ontario by a travel magazine. at that point, i knew i wanted to go. i looked up the website and the hotel packages were pretty pricy but to mark a milestone? it was worth it. i gave myself a great gift. i had a spa treatment, a three course dinner, a full country breakfast, and one night stay in a beautiful room. when i got there, i was greeted by the valet guy. i have never handed the keys to my car over to anybody - they don't even do that for you at the Fairmont hotels! it was a different experience for sure. after checking in, i went to my room. the room was beautiful. there was a special plate of brownies with a card from the staff and management. on the coffee table in the sitting area, there was a half bottle of Tawse riesling and a cheese plate on a slab of wood. it was delicious. i couldn't relax for too long because i had a spa appointment scheduled shortly after check in. my spa treatment was a vichy aroma rain scrub. the spa treatment was wonderful. i felt spoiled. it was my first real spa experience.
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| My room at Langdon Hall. It was so clean and pretty. |
after the spa treatment, i went back to my room to prepare for dinner. i brought along a black cocktail dress and a pair of killer shoes to complete the outfit. i wanted to make sure that i was dressed appropriately for dinner. in the entire dining room, i was the only one who ate at a table for one. i didn't feel uncomfortable however, i wasn't sure if it was appropriate to take pics of my dishes at such a high class establishment. i mean, the menu said "please turn your cell phones off". they must mean business. the amuse bouche arrived and here is where dining alone has its perks. the portion was enough for two but since it was just me, i got two helpings. :) for the appetizer, i had the digby scallops. the plate was so pretty and colourful. the portion was huge too .. i was full after the appetizer. for the main, i had the pan-fried turbot. my other choices were halibut, beef tenderloin, and muscovy duck breast. since i've had all of those before, i opted to have the turbot - a delicate white fish. it was served with grilled squid and a clam vinigrette. and finally for dessert, i had the blueberry lemon souffle with hazelnut ice cream. there was also a complimentary cookie plate that included some mini macaroons. the meal was so good .. breakfast took the top prize though. I love breakfast and at Langdon Hall, I had lobster for breakfast!! :). It was on top of brown butter scrambled eggs and chunks of leeks. Included in the breakfast was a buffet of pastries, smoothies, smoked salmon, fresh fruit, and freshly baked scones. Yes, I tried it all .. How could I not?!
It was definitely a night to remember .. It was truly a hotel in a class of its own and proved why it was the best hotel in the province.
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