I don’t think it’s possible to visit Thomas Bachelder and not learn something. I also think that as a consumer it’s impossible to look at a lineup of Bachelder wines and not find something new… or something worth revisiting. I had an opportunity to taste through the lineup of single vineyard wines from the 2019 vintage. I have said it in virtually every review on this site … but 2019 was far from ideal in terms of growing conditions. I’m not sure if there are any wine regions on the planet that have such vastly different conditions than Niagara. I say this reflecting on the past five years. Let’s start with the blazing hot 2016 vintage – heralded by many as the vintage of the century. But, for many a challenge to hold acid. That was followed by the miracle 2017 vintage. We had a cool and crappy summer, that was saved by a hot fall that made for some of the best wines I have ever tasted. 2018 was an inverted version of 2017 – hot summer crappy fall. So that brings us to 2019 – wet, cool, and challenging. While the wines from all of these vintages are vastly different, when it comes to Thomas Bachelder’s wines there is not a single vintage when I am not thrilled to taste the wines.
If I’m going to paint a broad brush over the 2019 Toussaint offering I will say this is stronger than 2018, but not as good as the 2017’s. I should also say, regardless of vintage we are watching the Bachelder brand grow beyond (what already felt) like a large collection of vineyards to even more in the lineup. There is a lot to enjoy in this lineup – and many of these are already sold out – so I would hop on these bottles quickly
Pinot Noir
2019 Les Villages – $34.95 – **** – Making up the sum of its parts – Les Villages is assembled with declassified barrels from the single vineyard lots. If you’re skeptical about picking up some of the pricier single vineyard bottles this is a perfect place to start, and be convinced they are worth the money. While this is the entry level bottle from the current lineup – don’t be fooled this is just as much a heavy hitter as some of the other wines that will be listed below. The acids are a bit sharp and unruly, the tannin does build quickly in your cheeks – but, with a bit of time in the glass it did begin to reveal its true potential. Viscous on the palate with violet notes, sour cherry, and cranberry leading the way from nose to finish. Enjoy mid 2022-2025 with ease.
2019 Saunders – $47.95 – **** – This wine is affectionately labeled ‘100’ as grape grower Warren Saunders turned 100 in 2021. The vineyards are now managed by his family, with Warren continuing to offer guidance. One of the most elegant of the current Bachelder lineup you are greeted immediately with violet and cherry notes. This is just the first sip, the deeper you get into the glass it seems the complexity of fruit notes are endless as this wine pushes right up to blue fruit notes only to be reigned back in as if every sip is caressed with wonderful ripe cherry. There is a wonderful eyebrow raising minerality that brings up the finish on this wine. Enjoy mid 2022-2025.
2019 Wismer-Parke – $47.95 – **** – One of two wines made from the Wismer-Parke vineyard. The fruit profilein this bottle skew a little riper and juicier than the rest of the lineup from 2019. There does appear to be a tradeoff for complexity. The flavours and aromas move from cherry to beetroot, with whispers of earth on the finish. Definitely a tasty wine from the vintage, but this does reflect the vintage conditions – from a vineyard that usually delivers a little more concentration. Enjoy this elegant incarnation of this wine 2022-2025
2019 Wismer-Parke Wild West – $60.00 – ****+ – The Wild West Pinot continues to be one of the most exciting wines from the Bachelder lineup. If there is any piece of evidence that while growing conditions can be a challenge there are no truly ‘bad’ vintages in Ontario is in this bottle. This packs a bouquet of violet layered over the juice fruit notes from the ‘unwild-west’ version of the Wismer-Parke. The tannin does grab a hold of the cheeks, but are short and should integrate quickly with a bit of time in bottle. Enjoy this bottle from 2023-2027 – let me also add, if ripe is what you’re looking for, this is the bottle you’ll need to grab from the 2019 vintage.
2019 Hanck – ****+ – $47.95 – This site is located 10 meters from the Wismer-Parke vineyard. It’s also a new site in the portfolio – the name is a portmanteau from growers Rob Harold and Joe Schenck (there is no person named Hanck). In a world where names of vineyards are starting to have more meaning to both winemakers, and consumers – it’s fascinating to see Thomas putting these new names on the map. Aromas and flavours of dark cherry dance in perfect tandem with vanilla. Tannin needs a bit of time to relax before this really opens up – enjoy 2023-2027.
2019 Cuesta – ****+ – $44.95 – Another new site in the portfolio – located in the Twenty Mile Bench sub appellation. A rich floral note, and dark cherry are what make the core of the flavours of this wine. What comes up in the finish is an earthy note that is missing from the rest of the lineup. Out of the entire lineup, this bottle needs the most time to come together – the acids are unruly, and the short tannin is obtuse. I would hide a bottle and forget about it until 2024, and enjoy it until 2027.
2019 Old Vines Lowrey – **** – $47.95 – Similar to Cuesta this is unruly and disjointed when I tasted this wine in late 2021 – but there is real potential to live up the pedigree of this vineyard. The fruit flavours offer something quite different than the bench counterparts – Dark cherry move to ripe blackberry, and a violet note – the darker fruit notes really set this aside. When I tasted this wine it was definitely too soon and should not be revisited until late 2022 and enjoyed until 2026.
2019 Les Villages – **** – $34.95 – A fantastic entry level to the Chardonnay portion of the Bachelder catalogue. This has very nice concentration, with strong spice and vanilla notes that don’t get in the way of the fruit. In spite of strong notes of vanilla the use of oak is not heavy handed and this wine has great balance. This is definitely something that you can enjoy now with ease, but it should evolve nicely in a cellar until 2026.
2019 Willms – ****1/2 – $44.95 – Perpetually one of my favourite sites that Thomas works with. Going back to my notes on the 2017 vintage and the 2018 vintage vintage conditions aside always delivers something delicious. There are no signs that 2019 was a challenging vintage in this bottle. Somehow this manages to be restrained and elegant, but also rich and complex. Notes of honey layer over peach, pear, and tangerine notes. Whispers of spice and vanilla are layered over the sweeter fruit notes. This continues to push the limit of how complex a Chardonnay from niagara can be.
2019 Willms Magnum – ****1/2 – $108.00 – There is something to say for how the fruit tells the story front and center with Thomas’ winemaking. Because this delivers everything that the above note says … the only difference in how this was handled, is that this was made in puncheon. You find additional nutty notes that are absent from the 750ml. Definitely siblings, but what remains to be seen – is how these will evolve whether they will remain parallel or different.
2019 Bai Xu – **** – $44.95 – The vines in this vineyard turned 40 in 2021 – This makes it one of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in Canada. This is elegant, and soft on the palate. There is a nice complexity that delivers sponge toffee on the nose, and moves quickly to orchard fruit. Pear, and peach play in tandem with subtle notes of tangerine.
2019 Cuesta – ****+ – $44.95 – “Hmm… well that’s different?” That the quote pulled from my handwritten notes. What I was finding was an odd banana note on the nose, palate, and finish – the strange thing is – It played harmoniously in the glass. Don’t get me wrong you’re also going to find notes of orchard and citrus as you would expect in the wine as well. The texture on the palate is massive – it feels like an invasion on the palate going from cheek to cheek. But nice acidity does wrestle this wine into submission on the long finish. Fruit notes are going to linger long after the wine has left your mouth – but mineral notes start to poke through.
2019 Wismer Wingfield Ouest – ****+ – Wonderfully complex – The ripeness in the glass is a bit surprising. I don’t think this parcel in the Wismer Wingfield got the memo that 2019 was a cool challenging vintage. The fruit is pushing into baked apple territory, and has the spice notes to match. The finish is medium in length with spice notes that linger, but also a touch of mineral starts to poke through. Just excellent right now, but with two or three years in a cellar this should continue to evolve nicely.
2019 Wismer Wingfield Magnum – ****1/2 – $108.00 – What does this have the is missing from 750ml bottle that is giving it the extra bump in the score? Simply put – texture. I tasted these in succession, and I thought the texture of the Wingfield Ouest was pretty darn good – but the texture in the magnum is nothing short of glorious. Mate that with the baked apple and spice notes and you have a wine that is gorgeous and given the format will evolve nice and slow over 5-7 years in your cellar.
