Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Icewine 2017

A spectacular year for icewines, this exotic and beautiful wine-a stunning burnt-orange hue-boasts 244 g/L of residual sugar, yet is not a bit syrupy. Strawberry jam, blackberry pie, toffee, coffee gelato, cinnamon spice and more-the hits just keep on coming. One half-bottle, expensive though it is, will stretch for a half dozen sweet tooths as long as you take plenty of time to savor the lingering finish.

The 2017 Cabernet Franc Icewine comes in with 244 grams of residual sugar, 9.15 of total acidity and a pH of 3.27. The price references a half bottle. I don't think this is the best of the group, but it certainly is the most distinctive. The grape gives it some extra weight and a certain earthiness. You can certainly identify this by its Cab Franc character, which manages to shine through-you can taste herbs cutting the sugar, which certainly makes this a lot different than the white dessert wines offered this issue. As eccentric as it originally seemed, some air partly changed that. The next day, it pulled in some of the herbs and seemed a bit more mainstream. Still, it was always a little different, a long way from the more classic white stickies submitted this issue. It also seemed a little less focused and a bit syrupy at that point.