In Niagara, Canada (17) Ferox
I visited Ferox, a relatively new winery in Niagara, with assistant winemaker Cubby Sadoon. It has a very different, and quite modern feel to it, and this is reflected in the packaging of the wines.
Ferox stated as a brand in 2015, with Fabian and Stephanie Reis. They are seventh generation winemakers with origins in Baden Baden. Fabien originally started studying wine in Germany and came back to the family business in 2014. Konselman is the family business.
In 2015 he founded Ferox as a virtual brand with a single barrel of Merlot Cabernet made at Reif. They carried on doing this in 2018, and that year the family who owned this property wanted to move out of the business and they were selling a lot of grapes to Fabien so they offered it to them.
The winery was built in 2021 and there’s a hospitality space. And they are working on developing a 35 cover seasonal restaurant launching next year.
This is an organic and regenerative vineyard. They farm 60 acres and crop between 2.2-2.8 tons an acre. The mantra is: ‘inspired by tradition, never bound by it’.
THE WINES
Ferox White 2020 Niagara, Canada
Field blend of five varieties. 44% Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, 20 Chardonnay, 9 Riesling. Tight, juicy, lemony and pithy with keen acidity underneath the focused citrus fruit. Stony, juicy and linear with nice purity to the lemony fruit. Finishes taut with subtle herbal notes, finishing pithy and stony. 90/100 ($25)
Ferox Chardonnay 2022 Niagara, Canada
Stainless steel fermented at low temperature. 8 months on fine lees with enzymes added to break them down, and malolactic conversion with a strain that leaves 30% malic acid. This is herby and tight with some appley notes. Crisp and energetic with keen acidity. Bright and linear with a stony finish. Very acid driven with some pithiness on the finish. 89/100
Ferox Gewurztraminer 2022 Niagara, Canada
Lovely grapey aromatics with some rose petal. Lively and tangy with bright acidity not usual to this variety, with some nice grapey detail as well as some lime. Juicy and precise with nice focus to the palate. A bone-dry, fresh, clean Gewurztraminer with some personality. 90/100
Ferox Riesling Dry 2022 Niagara, Canada
They left 6.8 g/l of sugar in the wine, but the acidity was 10.5 g/l, which is really high. Protected must fermented at low temperature for 3.5 weeks, looking to up-play the malic acid. Lively, energetic and pithy with an appealing core of limey fruit. Zesty and direct with amazing precision and purpose. Mouthwatering and dry with high acidity. Remarkable intensity here. 92/100
Ferox Riesling 2022 Niagara, Canada
9.3% alcohol. The difference here is residual sugar. They stopped the fermentation and bled some off at 3.5 Brix for this wine, and then the remained carried 33.4 g/l sugar with 12 g/l TA, pH 3.1. Juicy and linear with the sweetness adding a foil to the high acidity. Bright and fresh with keen, focused lime fruit. So juicy and linear with nice purity to the fruit. 92/100
Ferox Chardonnay Reserve 2021 Niagara, Canada
1000 litres of stainless steel-aged Chardonnay with 950 litres of barrel-fermented (two were neutral acacia) Chardonnay. This is modelled on the Côtes de Beaune. Some nutty oak in the mix here with nice crisp pear and apple fruit. Juicy and linear with some hints of honey and aniseed. Stylish with a nice acid line. 91/100
Ferox Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (tank sample)
Bright and grassy with a herbal twist to the fruit. Citrussy and alert with keen acidity.
Ferox Rosé 2023 (tank sample)
70% Merlot, 30% Malbec. Modelled on Tavel, this is full red pink in colour. Bright and very fruity with some primary pear drop fermentation aromas and vivid red cherry and raspberry fruit with nice focus. Very expressive.
Ferox Red 2021 Niagara, Canada
62% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc, all in stainless steel. Supple and fresh with nice aromatics: blackberry and cherry, with a sense of freshness. The palate is juicy, vivid and focused with nice juiciness and some appropriate structure. But this is all about vivid fruit with a nice tart finish and good acidity. Crunchy finish. 93/100 ($25, a great bargain, serve it a bit chilled)
Ferox Cabernet Franc 2020 Niagara, Canada
Two years in used oak, then bottled unfiltered. Bright and crunchy with nice focused berry fruits. There’s some cranberry and spice here with some tarry, crunchy detail. Fresh with some spicy depth from the oak, although it remains in the background. Juicy and vivid with nice weight. 91/100
Ferox Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Niagara, Canada
Powerful, rich and spicy with bold blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with some nice well integrated oak. Structured but fresh with lively blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, finishing with a sense of freshness, some sour cherry and a touch of tar and balsamic character. Potential for development here. 93/100
Ferox Merlot 2020 Niagara, Canada
14.4% alcohol. Ripe and lush but with nice spicy framing and a twist of tar. This is fruity and well balanced with blackberry, cherry and damson notes with some fine spicy detail on the finish. Very supple and expressive with a slight chalkiness on the finish. Stylish and expressive. 93/100
Ferox Black Lion 2020 Niagara, Canada
This isn’t made every year. They’ve made this in 2016 and 2020. A red blend. 80% free run, 20% press juice. 2 weeks cold soak at 1 C, then 4.5 weeks fermentation. Blended after a year in barrel and then spends another two years in barrel. Nicely aromatic with sweet black cherries and plums as well as some detailed spice and herb notes. The palate shows firm tannins and nice spicy detail, as well as supple cherry and plum fruit, with a slight dustiness and some silkiness to the ripe fruit. Very stylish and refined with a long, tapering finish. Like an elegant super-Tuscan in style. 94/100
Ferox Riesling Ice Wine 2023 Niagara, Canada
Picked at 39.7 Brix, then aged in a puncheon after a long fermentation. Intense and aromatic with powerful pear, peach and apricot fruit. Vivid and juicy with massive intensity to the marmalade and apricot palate with some vanilla hints and some honey. Such good acidity here, but it doesn’t stick out. Really complex. 94/100
Ferox Dornfelder Ice Wine 2017 Niagara, Canada
Picked in early 2018. They lost this to frost but have replanted 3 acres of the variety for ice wine. Remarkably deep in colour. Distinctive nose of baked plum and blackberry with some sweet stewed strawberry. The palate is vivid and bright with intense acidity and nice tarry notes as well as rich blackberry and plum. It’s very sweet and viscous with lots of sweetness and some tannin. This is unlike any other ice wine I’ve tried, and has a savoury, spicy edge to the fruit. 93/100
