{"product_id":"2021-bachelder-wismer-parke-20-mile-bench-niagara-pinot-noir","title":"2021 Bachelder, `Wismer-Parke` 20 Mile Bench Niagara Pinot Noir","description":"\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThomas Bachelder and his wife, Mary Delaney, are masters of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After a career making wine in Burgundy and Oregon, while dabbling in the Niagara Peninsula, they returned to their native Canada full-time in 2015, determined to discover its best vineyard sites.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe Niagara Peninsula’s viticultural heritage is relatively young, with the first wineries established in the mid-1970s. As a result, producers are still exploring which areas are best suited to specific grape varieties. This is at the core of Bachelder. Drawing upon lessons learned in Burgundy and Oregon, Thomas and Mary have identified sites across the region that allow them to make wines with a true sense of place. “They (Burgundians) never spoke about grapes, just places”, explains Thomas, who seeks to do the same with Canadian wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eYears of making Chardonnay in renowned areas, including Meursault and Corton–Charlemagne, have shaped Thomas's commitment to a low-intervention approach to best express a vineyard. As a result, the Bachelder wines are made using gentle pressing and indigenous yeast fermentations. Malolactic fermentation occurs in specially selected oak barrels, followed by an extended ageing period to create a wine with beautiful elegance and well-integrated flavours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eThe Les Villages ‘Bench’ Chardonnay is made using grapes sourced from benchlands along the Niagara Escarpment, which comprises the sub-appellations of Short Hills Bench, Twenty Mile Bench and Beamsville Bench. The resulting wine is delicately perfumed with a beautiful, textural quality on the palate. The single-vineyard ‘Wismer-Parke’ Twenty Mile Bench Pinot Noir is beautifully poised and expressive, with notes of plush red berry fruit, silky tannins and bright acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003eAs a long-time admirer of Beaujolais, Thomas has recently turned his attention to Gamay and has now produced a single-vineyard expression. The Wismer-Foxcroft Twenty Mile Bench Gamay is made with 33% whole-bunch fermentation. Lightly oaked, the resulting wine is brimming with bright red fruit, soft acidity, and subtle, elegant tannins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWismer-Parke is a single vineyard in the Twenty Mile Bench sub-region of Canada's Niagara Peninsula. The cool climate and limestone soils of the area are extremely well suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, producing rich and fruit-driven wines. The Pinot Noir vines were planted at Wismer-Parke in 1999. They are planted on well-drained silt, clay and limestone soils. According to winemaker, Thomas Bachelder, this plot would qualify as one of Niagara's 'Grand Crus' for Pinot Noir.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eThe 2021 season in Niagara was marked by highly variable weather, beginning with a warm, dry spring that brought slightly early budbreak and an early bloom. Continued heat and dryness through early summer initially pointed to a small, early harvest, but heavy August rains dramatically increased cluster weights and pushed yields higher. Sporadic but frequent rainfall continued through harvest, creating pressure in heavily cropped sites, yet intermittent sunny periods were enough to bring Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay to ripeness. Despite modest dilution of sugars and acids, the resulting wines show plush fruit, lower alcohols and the region’s hallmark acidity and freshness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThomas Bachelder has a hands-off approach to winemaking. The grapes were hand harvested and gently pressed, in order to retain delicate aromatics. Indigenous yeast fermentation took place in French oak barrels, a small percentage of which were new, and the remaining between one and five years old. The wine was aged for 20 months in barrel and then rested for an additional eight months in bottle to allow the nuanced floral bouquet to develop.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MuiTypography-root accordion_paragraphSection__v26kt MuiTypography-body1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Wismer-Parke Pinot Noir has aromas of plush, ripe red berry fruit, with some lifted lavender on the nose. On the palate, the wine is extremely poised, with silky tannins, bright fruit and savoury spice. A rich and complex wine with surprising freshness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wine Tasting Adventure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56400639099258,"sku":null,"price":46.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0527\/4297\/9770\/files\/6499b4ed-6a2c-4c8b-9d29-191f638c2512__250x500_e54fc418-f447-4185-8ff1-53987d80e871.jpg?v=1767027778","url":"https:\/\/www.wine-ta.co.uk\/products\/2021-bachelder-wismer-parke-20-mile-bench-niagara-pinot-noir","provider":"Wine Tasting Adventure","version":"1.0","type":"link"}