# Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon (2024)

- **Producer:** Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Cabernet Sauvignon
- **Region:** Niagara Peninsula, Canada
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.8%
- **Average price:** €20
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackcurrant, plum, blackberry, smoke, charred wood, cloves, vanilla

## About this wine

Wayne Gretzky Estates No. 99 is a premier Canadian winery founded by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. Located in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the estate is unique for housing both a state-of-the-art VQA winery and a craft distillery under one roof. The estate proudly supports the Wayne Gretzky Foundation, which helps provide opportunities for underprivileged youth to play hockey. This premium Cabernet Sauvignon represents the estate's dedication to crafting structured, cool-climate red wines that showcase the unique glacial soils of the region.

## Interesting facts

- Founded by hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, the estate contributes a portion of its proceeds to help underprivileged youth play sports.
- The estate is the first in Ontario to feature a co-located professional winery and craft distillery under one roof.
- The winemaking team utilizes barrels previously used for aging the estate's Canadian whisky to finish their premium red wines.

## Food pairing

This full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon features a robust structure with firm, drying tannins and bright acidity. It requires rich, protein-heavy dishes and savory fats to bind with and soften the tannins on the palate. The wine's intense dark fruit and subtle oak-derived spice notes perfectly complement charred meats, game, and deeply savory, slow-cooked reductions.

## Wine making process

The grapes were harvested at optimal phenolic ripeness from select sustainable vineyards across the Niagara Peninsula. Following a gentle crushing, the fruit underwent fermentation on the skins in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with daily pump-overs to carefully manage the extraction of color, flavor, and structural tannins. The wine was then aged for 12 to 14 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, including a portion of barrels previously used in the estate's craft distillery, adding a unique complexity to the final blend.