Fauna, Lightfoot & Wolville

WINEMAKER : Lightfoot & Wolfville

REGION : Nova Scotia, Canada

GRAPE : Léon Millot, Marquette, Petite Pearl, Marechal Foch, Frontenac Noir

VINTAGE : 2021

ABV : 12%

NOTES : Biodynamic, minimal intervention and super drinkable… like seriously…

 

Every day is a school day. We love a lot of Canadian wine but had never found ourselves with a Nova Scotian example before let alone a red! Genuinely, took our breath away a little bit on first tasting. Believe it or not, Nova Scotia first had Bordeaux vines planted in the 1600s and, as much as a reputation for it being freezing cold there, there are significant micro-climates that offer great conditions for certain wines to flourish. Offering a complex blend of hybrid grapes bred to flourish in the region, don’t get to lost in the grapes if you don’t want to (*here if you are) but it really showcases the producers love of nature, agriculture and artisinal skill to create biodynamic and minimal intervention wines but using modern hybrid grapes to create something unique and sustainable. It’s so easy drinking with a light medium body, plethora of pleasant bramble fruits. It’s jammy, touches of liquourice root and even get some cherry coke in there too. Light tannins and develops into darker fruit flavours. It;s juicy but also savoury and earthy on the nose and a lot of fun. This bottle drinks too quickly from our experience…. oh and it also works with food too! Antipasti, cheese, cured meats. If we’re talking Indian food; bhajis and anything with a mint/coriander chutney. Great way to start a meal with something adventurous. Also great to serve slightly chilled this one.

 

WINERY & PRODUCTION

Lightfoot & Wolfville are a family owned producer based in Annapolis Valley. Originally from the North of England 9 generations ago, they’ve been a farming family ever since who love their terroir and love wine. Choosing to use parts of their land in 2009 to plant their first vines, releasing their first wine in 2015. They’ve quickly shown how their farming background is transferrable to making exquisite wine. Partial carbonic maceration amplifies the fruit flavours and gives with a lovely velvety texture too.

 

 

*… complicated hybrid grapes as follows.

Leon Millot 46%  – Created first in Alsace in 1911. It’s a cross of a previous hybrid and goldriesling

Marquette 23% – Hybrid of hybrids. Created by University of Minnesota combining MN 1094 and Ravat 262 in 2006. 

Petite Pearl 22% – Another hybrid of hybrids. Released in 2011, it’s a cross of N 1094 and E.S. 4-7-26 and can take temperatures of up to -32 degrees apparently.

Marechal Foch 8% – And another hybrid of hybrids. From the same Oberlin Institute as Leon Millot, created in the early 20th Century, only stories of what the initial cross was.

Frontenac Noir 1% – Released in 1996, it’s another cross from University of Minnesota combining Landot 4511 and a cold hardy selection of Vitis Riparia 

 

The world of hybrid grapes is another rabbit hole of information you can potentially get lost in.