While Michael Pinkus likes to remind people of my unapologetic love for Chardonnay. But I have been spending some time pondering Pinot Noir for a little bit now. In 2019 I managed to get my hands on a couple of tons of Pinot Noir from the St David’s Bench that is currently tucked away in the cellar. I was really looking forward to talking to Thomas about his current lineup of Pinot – and I wasn’t disappointed. I know I said this on the podcast – but having spent some more time with Burgundy I have learned that even the most expensive well-made bottles of Pinot from Niagara offer fantastic value. Needless to say I will be drinking much more Niagara Pinot over the next little while.
2017 Les Villages – $34.95 – **** – While this is the entry level Pinot in the Bachelder lineup right now it still needs a bit of time in bottle to soften up. That being said if you’re impatient like me and you’re drinking this early a bit of decanting will get this to relax. This is a blend of barrels from the three single vineyard wines I tasted below. There are aromas of vanilla, candied fruit, and a nice whisper of earth. This is great value and while I plan on enjoying young it should evolve nicely over the next 3-5 years.
2017 Saunders “Two Barrels” – $38.95 – ****+ – Thomas let me know before tasting this that it comes from a parcel of young vines from the Saunders vineyard. I’m not sure this factoid has any bearing on the quality of this wine – because it’s just outstanding. It will be interesting to follow this vineyard as the vines will continue to grow. There are aromas of cranberry and fresh ripe red cherry. There are subtle notes of violet layered over the fruit notes. A nice mineral note pokes through on the finish. This should evolve nicely over the next 3-7 years.
2017 Wismer-Parke “Ouest” – $44.95 – **** – This is rich and heavy on the nose with blackberry and dark cherry. On the palate this teems with the same fruit from the nose but smoke and spice join the party, There is nice weight and texture that runs deep on the palate. There is definitely some aging potential here and it will take a few years to relax – I would expect this to last for a decade in a cellar.
2017 Lowrey Old Vines – $47.95 – ****1/2 – This is one of the most stunning Niagara Pinot Noirs I have ever tasted – I was literally speechless when I tasted this live on the podcast. While the label says Bachelder a fair amount of credit needs to be given to the Lowrey family for managing their fantastic vineyard. There seems to be an endless torrent of flavours here – immediately juicy and ripe cherry and blackberry caressed in violets attacks your nose out of the glass. The deeper you get into your glass the more intense the floral notes become. Then you end up with heavier notes of vanilla, licorice, and spice. The tannin is still a little firm on this but I anticipate this being ready to drink in 2025 and going to 2030.
