Peter Jensen, the owner of Creekside Estate Winery, approached Mike Weir’s management a few years ago and initial batches of Mike Weir wines used existing Creekside Winery stocks. This year marks the release of the first stylistically unique wines under the Mike Weir label.
According to Matt Loney, Director of Marketing for Creekside Wines, the Mike Weir wines are now made in different styles. For example, Creekside’s pinot grigio is more Italian in style, he says, “very minerally, crisp and more acidic,” whereas Weir’s pinot gris (the same grape, of course) is produced in a more French style – barrel fermented, higher alcohol, and with more body. Craig McDonald, from Australia, is the principal winemaker for Weir.
At this point, no personal appearances or events are planned. “Mike does come to the winery, but it’s mostly work-based, and he’ll hang out with the winemakers. He’s very busy with other commitments, and of course he’s still at the height of his golf career. He’s an extremely dedicated guy when it comes to golf. He doesn’t really chat to anyone during tournament time.”
Creekside is located on Fourth Avenue in Jordan Station, between Jordan and St. Catharines, not far from the QEW. Weir has put his money where his mouth is too: “he does have some ownership in our vineyard,” says Loney.
Mike Weir does select certain ratios of wines for the blends. And if you want to know exactly what Mike’s sample selection tastes like, get the cab-shiraz blend: he picked the blend that made it into the bottle. For the cab-merlot, which is excellent, Mike chose from a range of samples that were sent to him in the US. He picked well.
There is a selection of Mike Weir wines now available through Vintages, at the Creekside Winery and it’s also available to order online, including a few products through winerytohome.com, as well as the Creekside Winery website. Here are notes on the three I tried.
Mike Weir Estates Cabernet/Merlot 2004. $19.15
Wow – an impressive cab from Niagara!
It’s rare that I prefer the reds to the whites from a Niagara winery, but the spirit of Mike Weir has clearly infused this Ontario example of one of the manlier grapes – cabernet sauvignon, which is rarely impressive in our often too-cool climate.
Deep ruby colour and rich nose of dark red fruit with meaty hints and interesting under-notes – even a hint of pencil lead and herbs. Very complex. On the palate, tannins are medium and acidity is high. There’s very little fruit, but what is there is smooth, if a little thin. There’s a nice lift on the end from the acidity and an OK finish. This is a great example of how a good cab from Ont. – despite our geographic coordinates – is more Old World than New World in style. 88 points.
Mike Weir Estates Pinot Gris 2006. $14.95 (+ 4 Bonus reward miles!)
Deep yellow gold colour and fairly big nose with a nice sharpness, though the fruit is indeterminate and has a “powdery” feel. Medium bodied and smooth on the palate, there’s good acidity and a decent amount of fruit – apples and lemon. There is a very faint hint of the undertone that sometimes crops up in pinot gris/grigio and the finish has a slightly cloying character. However overall, and for the price, pretty good. 86 points.
Mike Weir Estates Chardonnay 2005. $16.15
Fairly bold nose with surprisingly floral notes and a bit of green apple. Acidity is quite high and there is some lemon on the palate (nice in a chard), though I also detected a faint “something” under. Little bit of vanilla and a pleasant sweetness on the finish. 85 points.
