Lunch at Treadwell (Niagara, Canada) with some lovely wines: Ulysses Colin, La Rogerie and Comando G
Sometimes you have to seize the opportunity, Ferris Bueller style. I’d been judging wine with a panel that consisted of me, Cokie Ponikvar and Christopher Waters, and after we finished, we had a chance to grab lunch at Treadwell, perhaps the leading restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
I’ve been to Treadwell several times over the years, and it has always been a good experience. The menu is varied and delicious, and the setting is lovely.
But the most important bit: the wine list is exceptional, with a particularly strong Champagne section.
We went big on the wines.
Champagne Ulysses-Colin Les Maillons Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut NV France
This is base of 2016, disgorged in March 2020. So it has had considerable ageing time on the cork. Full golden colour. Lovely complexity with concentrated peach and pear fruit, as well as some crystalline citrus, and very fine toasty notes. Really textural and fine on the palate, showing beautiful development. Very fine. 96/100
Champagne La Rogerie Le Bourg Sud Grand Cru Réserve Perpétuelle NV France
13% alcohol. From the Petit-Boxler couple, who also make wine in Alsace. The base here is a reserve perpetuelle from 2021, disgorged January 2024. Crystalline with a lovely citrus drive. Focused and refined, this is taut but has some texture and a salty finish. So fine. 95/100
Comando G La Bruja 2023 Sierra de Gredos, DO Ceberos, Spain
14% alcohol. Supple and elegant with sweet red cherry and redcurrant fruit, showing fine spicy detail. So elegant with lovely precision and some bloody hints. Fresh and expressive, this is really lovely. 95/100
