Trius Red Event

The 2010 Trius Red has been released at the Hillebrand winery, however will not be available at the LCBO for at least a couple of weeks. We had the opportunity to pre-order the 2010 for a small discount to retail, hopefully getting our 6 bottles this coming week. For people who pre-ordered, the winery held a couple of Trius Red events. The first event was a drop in event offering tastings of the 2010 and 2000 Trius vintages as well as sampling a burger with Trius Red as an ingredient. The second event was a structured tasting led by Trius winemaker and head winemaker for Peller, Craig McDonald. We got to sample the 2010, 2009 and 2003 Trius Red vintages. It’s interesting how different the vintages tasted.

2010: As Craig McDonald said, he has no excuses for not making a good wine in 2010. The weather conditions were ideal in Niagara, with nice hot temperatures and the right amount of rainfall at fairly regular intervals during the season. The wine had medium oaky notes mixed with fruit. The taste is fairly smooth with nice fruit flavour coming through. This wine is supposed to hold up for 10-12 years. It will be interesting to see how it ages. JC92

2009: Scents aren’t as sharp as the 2010. A bit harsh taste. JC86

2003: Plastic/leather smell, unlike any wine I’ve smelled before. A smooth mild berry taste. JC88

2000: Strong earthy scent. Did not notice any oak. A very mello tasting wine with not a strong flavour, yet still enjoyable. JC89

At the end of the tutored tasting, Craig had a small amount of the 2010 Trius Grand Red that is still aging in the barrels. I managed to get a taste and I was thoroughly impressed. It was smoother than the Red and had excellent flavours already. However it won’t be released until the fall.