Tasting Note At 13.6% ABV, this is one of the heftier gamays of the vintage in Niagara. It is also one of the most deeply coloured. So somewhat atypical, but very much still a gamay and a wine to consider for richer meals. The nose shows a touch of cedary wood but there is still plenty of generous red plum/strawberry fruit and violet as well. It is medium-full bodied, well balanced, texturally smooth and warm with gentle tannin on the finish, and some bitterness on the finish. Very good to excellent length. This should age well for five years, again not something often considered with gamay. On publication it was also available at some LCBO Vintages stores. Tasted March 2026.
Backgrounder Stratus opened in 2005 in Niagara-on-the-Lake on the boundary of the two sub-regions of Four Mile Creek and Niagara Lakeshore, which benefit from a longer growing season due to the proximity of summer-warmed waters of Lake Ontario. The location was critical to the Stratus vision of one premium red and one white blend made in the Bordeaux idiom. But many other non-Bordeaux varieties (16 in all) reside in the 55-acres site that sits on clay with a limestone base, and is farmed sustainably at low yields. The warm 2024 vintage, with less diurnal temperature range (warmer evenings) created reds with “exceptional ripeness and good acid balance, reminiscent of the excellent 2020 vintage.” According to the winery website. The wine was traditionally fermented, gently handled without use of any pumps, then aged in neutral French oak for about eight months.
