Cabernet Franc, Guelph, Canada

A wild cab concoction that will shock and bewitch! Just over yonder in Guelph Ontario, head honcho Tariq is a mega-nerd doing mega-delicious fermentations. Combining farm-grown and foraged fruits with so much love to create wines, ciders & hybrids galore! The grapes were planted in 1995 in Beamsville, Ontario. Marisol is botrytis aka 'noble rot’ affected and spent 36 days on skins in stainless steel – the perfect environment for cultivating and extracting these heightened aromatics & mouthwatering tannins. Botrytis cinerea (OOH LATIN!) is a grey fungus prized globally (most famously in Sauternes) for its ability to dehydrate grapes, thereby concentrating the sugars, acids and adding classic ‘noble rot’ aromas and flavours like honey, beeswax & ginger. Marisol is silky and takes you through the whole life cycle of a strawberry ~ underripe and green, sweet and plump, overripe and beginning to decay, roasted peppers, delicate chalky tannins, with the botrytis showing itself demurely through quiet notes of caramel & creamed honey. Such a fun, wild and unusually delicious treat. Pour alongside nachos and electric orange cheeze sauce.