Bachelder Wismer-Parke 20 Mile Bench Niagara Pinot Noir 2022
Bachelder Wismer-Parke 20 Mile Bench Niagara Pinot Noir
Region: Niagara, Ontario, Canada
Vintage: 2022
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Pinot Noir
ABV: 12.5%
Aromas of cranberry, raspberry and bright cherry, complemented by subtle savoury nuances and silken spice. The palate is medium-bodied and finely textured, with lively acidity framing refined red berry flavours, gentle earthy complexity and a hint of saline minerality reflective of its reddish, dolomitic limestone soils. Fine, ripe tannins lend structure and drive a long, lifted finish that balances elegance with depth.
Wismer-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.
Thomas 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 19 months in barrel and then rested for an additional eight months in bottle to allow the nuanced floral bouquet to develop.
Thomas 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.
https://bachelderniagara.com