2016 Sandbanks Foch - Baco Noir "Sleeping Giant" (Ontario VQA)

This blend of Foch and Baco has been one of my go-to reds for well over a year now. Sandbanks Estate Winery is located south of Belleville (eastern Lake Ontario, north shore—basically across the lake from Rochester).

The wine pours with a beautiful, saturated black-cherry/magenta colour. Sweet and herbaceous Vitis riparia aromas are immediately dominant on the nose and are backed up by lively summer raspberry fruit. There's oak here, but it's well integrated and in the background, offering more structural support than overt aromatics—which is fine by me, as the palate benefits from this oak treatment.

Tart but balanced acidity fans out across the palate, offering a refreshing texture and good warmth from the 12.8% alc./vol. The finish is elegant and a touch spicy from the oak, but in a restrained way.

Excellent wine and well worth the price (it varies between $18 and $20 at the LCBO depending on time of year).

One of the best, and a welcome addition to the modern red hybrid winescape.