April 6, 2024 - Still drinking well - with much gravitas still. I mean, if ever there was a Grand Cru Chardonnay in Canada - this would be it.
On the palate, this wine has it all: power, length & transparency of terroir that gives its citrus, mineral, stony, salty flavors... a complexity few chards can claim here.
Chalk & persistence round out the finish. But, wow, this is something else.
July 6, 2023 - 2019 Bachelder Wismer-Wingfield Vineyard "Ouest" Chardonnay masterfully combines ripeness of fruits and freshness acidity. The youthful Niagara Chardonnay is clear and pale lemon in colour. The initial reductive, smoky notes dissipate over a couple of hours of in-bottle aeration. Aromas of baby corn, quince, pineapple and lemon are followed by vanilla and custard.
The dry and verging full-bodied mouthfeel was matched by a rather high level of rounded acidity. Flavours of ripe red apple, Japanese honeydew melon and nectarine morph into lemon meringue, saline minerals and subtle spices in a long, zesty finish. The 14% alcohol is consistent with the abundance of tropical and stone fruit flavours. The empty bottle weighs 609 grams.
The fruitiness and sweet tones reminiscent of corn, serve as unmistakable indicators of a New World Chardonnay. However, what distinguishes this wine is its pristine acidity and the judicious use of oak, elevating it above its counterparts.
June 20, 2023 - My third vintage of this wine and, yet again, it is spectacular. Crisp, powerful, fresh, complex.
Medium intensity but complex aromas of saline, fresh pear and tart lemon meringue.
The palate is dry, medium bodied with powerful acidity. Creamy texture.
Flavours are deeply mineral with a vein of salinity, green apple and pear.
Baked apple and cinnamon on the exceptionally long finish. That flavour sits on your tongue for a minute or more.
Drinking well now but with aging potential. Drink to 2030
April 15, 2023 - Well done, Thomas ..
March 31, 2023 - Drinking really well now. Deep yellow to gold in colour. Aromas show apples, cream, meyer lemons, touch of pineapple.
Flavours follow. Medium length finish. Fresh flavours, medium weight. A buttery creaminess with more exotic fruits in the mid palate. Still good acidity ... zingy on the mid palate. Well made, delicious. Also picking up a nice savoury salinity as well.
December 18, 2022 - Invigorating salinity here with mouthwatering acids.
No wood to speak of, so the fruit really shines on the palate: subtle apple & pear with ripe yellow plums. There is also a green-apple savouri-ness on the mid-palate. Medium body with a fine nut bitterness on the finish.
Perhaps the high elevation of the vines gives this wine structure… much like Burgundy. This will age nicely…no rush here.
July 9, 2022 - Soft mouthfeel, yellow apple, melon, butter and medium acidity. Very nice wine.
July 2, 2022 - Clear medium gold; clean medium plus nose of lemon meringue pie, croissant, crème brûlée and vanilla; dry; high acidity; medium plus alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; palate is tarter with shortbread on finish; long finish; drink now or in a few years; fresh and clean with restrained oak - delicious; mid palate could have been stronger
March 6, 2022 - Like the Bachelder pinot we also tried, this was not fully in line with my expectations. The nose (and then palate) has a sweet sensation, perhaps some peas and yeast. Acidity and minerality is there too, and with some weight or even oiliness on the palate. Very flavourful, ripe, concentrated yellow fruit too. Wood is minor, but seems some spice in there from time to time. A lot going on...