Tasting Note This is a serious white wine, an observation that suggests it is something other than varietal riesling, or at least something beyond the common perception of riesling. It is certainly excellent to outstanding quality when looking at the basics of complexity, balance and depth. But it somehow goes beyond by harmonizing, integrating and understating everything. The wine is challenging to dissect, with gentle, well-woven aromas of peach, honey, lemon zest, petrol and dried flowers. It is medium-full bodied, almost creamy and rich, perfectly just off-dry, with an underlying acid seam and piquant sourness. The flavours are very nicely focused and hit excellent length. And yes, the telltale minerality of the Beamsville Bench plays out on the finish. From a different section of the same vineyard don’t miss the Adam Steps 2024 Riesling — a lighter, linear and quite mineral edition with green apple, florals and lime — that strikes me as Mosel-like. The Estate 2023 Riesling is also very much worth a look and excellent value.

Backgrounder Cave Spring has been known as the “house that riesling built” since opening in 1986. The Pennachetti family’s faith in riesling on the cool, limestone-laced gentle slopes below the Niagara Escarpment has cemented its stature in Ontario. Although other wineries like Vineland Estates and Chateau de Charmes share the legacy of the early days. CSV is the impressive, large, home Cave Spring Vineyard, planted in 1978 and with vines now approaching 50 years of age. There have been recent planting as well. The winemaking leans to an Alsatian approach with indigenous yeast fermentation in neutral (old) oak of varying volumes. This wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation, then ageing on lees for 12 months, with further ageing in bottle.