In Niagara (16) MW Cellars, offering quality and value
What kind of person opens up two wineries in 2 months? Marty and Rachael Werner, of course, following up the launch of York, a sparkling wine project, with MW Cellars. ‘The York project has been going on so long there wasn’t a lot to do,’ says Marty. ‘The big launch this summer was the retail for MW.’
The retail shop they opened up is a lean-to barn. ‘All through Covid I was able to make these wines and sell them through shops like Ryan’s [Crawford, of Ruffinos in Niagara-on-the-Lake]. When the transition went back to normal they decided it would be a good idea for MW to have a retail shop.
‘This project was started during Covid because we knew there was a good opportunity,’ says Marty. ‘We started an import agency in Ontario called Northern Wine Merchants, and for all the MW wines, the goal is to be priced by the glass in a restaurant. We wanted to create expressive wines that compete at by-the-glass price: wines that will compete in Toronto and then start from there.’
Grapes are almost exclusively sourced from the Werner family vineyards of 150 acres. They are also purchasing some fruit. For example, the Pinot Blanc was bought in. Debut vintage was 2021. Winemaking is assisted by Eden Garry.
THE WINES
MW Cellars Pinot Blanc 2023
600 litre barrels with thick staves. Bright and lively with lovely crisp citrus fruit and a touch of mandarin and table grape. This is quite serious with nice texture and a touch of creaminess on the finish. Very stylish. 90/100 ($18)
MW Cellars Pinot Grigio 2023
Stainless steel. Lovely crystalline citrus and mandarin here with exotic floral notes (X5 yeast). Very fruity and expressive with nice acidity. So commercially astute. 88/100 ($18)
MW Cellars Aligoté 2023
Stainless steel. From York Road. Bright, linear and stony with keen acidity. Linear and bright with a lovely tension and transparency. Finishes stony with some firmness. 90/100 ($18)
MW Cellars Chardonnay 2022
500 litre Mercurey barrels. Toast and nuts in the background with some pear and peach fruit, as well as some bright citrus. Lovely brightness and attractive oak. Tangy finish. 89/100 ($18)
MW Cellars Reserve Chardonnay 2022
Selected fruit, more reduction and more oak, as well as more opulence. Rich but fresh with nice toast and pear, and some taut acid and refined oak. Very stylish. 92/100 ($26)
MW Cellars Seashell Unfiltered 2021
When Rachel and Marty went to Champagne there was some discussion about making still wines in Champagne. It perked Marty’s interest. They have picked Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the same day, splitting the fruit in half, making two wines – both 50:50 blends, making one as a white wine, one as a red. Bright, fruity and rounded, but fresh, with pear, almond and mandarin. Juicy and linear with a crystalline finish and a slight saltiness. 90/100 ($21)
MW Cellars Scarlet Unfiltered 2021
Golden red. Structured and vivid with bright cherry and mandarin, as well as a hint of glace cherry and mandarin. This has such a distinctive character, with nice tannic structure and acidity. 91/100 ($21)
MW Cellars Sémillon 2023
Sourced from Palantine Hills, a winery they sometimes contract with. Bright and lively with nice focus. Pear and mandarin with some fine herbal hints, and a nice fruity quality in the mouth. Finishes linear and lively. 90/100 ($21)
MW Cellars Viognier 2022
This is a really open, fruit-driven expression of Viognier with nice peach and apricot fruit. There’s a bit of botrytis (7%) which adds tropical and mandarin notes, and there’s a touch of sweetness rounding things out (7 g/l). Very well made. 89/100
MW Cellars Pinot Noir Unfiltered 2022
12 year old vines on the lake, clone 777. Wild ferment, the New Zealand hamburger approach with crushed and destemmed, then whole bunch, then crushed and destemmed again. Sweetly fruited and intense with a nice spicy edge. Detailed with some strawberry and cherry, with some lively acidity. Sweet and sour. Lovely wine. 91/100 ($21)
MW Cellars Gamay 2022
Lots of carbonic. Inoculating with some juice that has been inoculated to get the CO2 forced into the berries as much as possible. Pure, tart, lively and spicy with redcurrant and cherry as well as some strawberry. This has a lovely sweet, silky texture to the fruit and also nice tanginess. Bright and alert. Lovely. 92/100 ($18)
MW Cellars Paramour Gamay 2021 St Davids
From Rachel’s parent’s vineyard, this is a collaboration with Michael Godel. Saignee. Nicely structured with some grip under the sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit. There’s some oak here too (50% new) which adds structure. Concentrated and dense. 90/100
MW Cellars Cabernet Franc 2021 St Davids
Rachel’s parent’s farm. Some saignee. New French oak (T5 Taransaud, Marty gets all six that come into the east of North America. Concentrated and dense with spicy oak under the rich, bold fruit. Grippy and expressive with nice density and lovely ripe, bold fruit. Has nice texture and a tarry edge. 92/100 ($25)
League of Farmers Cabernet Franc 2021
A project with three friends, all ex-hockey players, and everyone contributes some grapes to the project (all of them have 60 + acres). Marty has full control in the vineyard and he does the winemaking. Lively and intense with raspberry and blackberry as well as some blackcurrant. Vivid and rich with a silky texture but also some nice richness. Lush blackcurrant fruit here with fine spices on the finish. A ripe, impressive wine. 92/100 ($42)
League of Farmers Cabernet Franc 2020
Chalky, intense, sweet blackcurrant and cherry fruit with a salty edge. Ripe black fruits with nice sweetness. There’s some lushness here with a bit of grip, and nice tarry depth. Very impressive. 93/100 ($42)
