Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, CanadaThomas Bachelder's return to Niagara's Le Clos Jordanne, where he was the founding winemaker from 2003-2010, is good news for the wine. This pinot release is Bachelder's first since his return, and it is more than promising. Bachelder is all about the place, or in pinot language, blocks, and this wine comes off the west side of Le Clos Jordanne vineyard. The colour is light, and the nose is alive with cedar washed black cherries and an earthy/mushroom undercurrent. Fresh and intense, its stony, mineral red fruit persists into its lengthy, dry finish, and all that with a 12.5 alcohol by volume tag. A delicious style finished under a Stelvin screwcap closure.Tasted: 22 March 2020Tasted by: Prices:
Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, CanadaThomas Bachelder's prowess with pinot noir and chardonnay cannot be denied, and his return to Le Clos Jordanne, where he was founding winemaker from 2003-2010, is a wonderful turn indeed. This first pinot release since his return, was sourced from western blocks of Niagara's Le Clos Jordanne vineyard, was destemmed and native fermented before aging in French oak (1/3 new) for 16-20 months. The best barrels are then racked into tank and left to marry for a month before a light filtration and bottling. After 6-8 months in bottle, the wine is released. Wow. I gave this young wine some airtime, and it rewarded with unravelling layers and layers of tightly knit and cedar-scented cherry, black raspberry, wild mushroom / forest floor, threaded with wild mint and thyme, dried dark florals, and bergamot peel. There's a sweeping brooding undercurrent of fine stones that grounds and an equally grazing acidity that carries this impressively slight (12.5 degree) impactful red through a lingering sarsaparilla kissed finish. Certainly not Burgundian, but hopefully new wave Niagara, and an iconic pinot for Canada. Point, stelvin.Tasted: 07 January 2020Tasted by: Prices:
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