Niagara Wine ReviewsTop Stories

The summer white wines of Beamsville Bench’s Fielding Estate and Thirty Bench Wine Makers

rock pile

The 2011 white wines in Niagara are being released fast and furiously as wineries clamour to capitalize on the warm spring and the early onslaught of visitors to wine country looking to stock their cellars for the patio season.

The wines I’ve tried from 2011, especially the aromatic whites, have been better than I anticipated considering the horrendous fall the grapes had to suffer through.

In my vintage assessment that I write every year for Wine Access Magazine (now published in the current Wine Access Wine Annual), this is what I wrote about 2011:

The 2011 growing season in Ontario was one of the strangest in recent memory. Spring was extremely wet followed by a hot and dry summer that had many dreaming of rare back-to-back excellent vintages. But just as it was time to start harvesting grapes, the rains came and never stopped, washing all those dreams away. About the only grapes not affected in some way by the relentless rain were the early-picked pinot noir and chardonnay for sparkling wines. The wet harvest meant picking when you could during rare sunny breaks, not necessarily when you wanted to. Some varieties fared better than others: Pinot noir, aromatic whites, Baco Noir and Cabernet Franc, to name a few. Chardonnay was troublesome for most wineries.

I gave the vintage a rating of 5 out of 7 with this added synopsis of the year:

(Tentative) The extremely wet fall, during the peak of harvest for most varieties, will mean careful buying consideration when the wines begin to be released this spring. Quality will vary from winery to winery and it will depend a lot on picking decisions that were made. Pinot noir, Gewurztraminer, Baco Noir and Cabernet Franc escaped the worst of the wet harvest while chardonnay was hardest hit. Late harvest and icewine Riesling were also affected by late-season rain. Shop carefully.

Of course, I stand by what I wrote, but would stress that consumers need not fret too much about the vintage. From what I have tasted so far, wineries have done a good job of sorting the fruit and the grapes that ended up being crushed and made into wine are clean and mostly without flaws.

The aromatic whites, which are the first out of the gate this spring, have been generally very good and, in some cases, excellent, with bright acidity and ripe, clean fruits.

richie

I was back on the Beamsville Bench recently (I seem to be drawn there a lot) to taste through the white wines (and a couple others) of both Fielding Estate Winery and Thirty Bench Winery.

Both wineries are beautifully situated on Mountainview Road, home to some of the finest properties in Niagara.

Here’s what’s being released and what’s coming up.

Fielding Estate Winery

Whenever I think of Fielding Estate Winery, those big comfy Muskoka chairs, which are placed at the entrance and on the back deck with stunning views down the Escarpment, come readily to mind.

Winemaker Richie Roberts (above photo) and owners Curtis and Heidi Fielding, have created a winery with comfort in mind (with the wines to match) and has firmly established itself as a friendly and inviting mid-size destination winery.

white lineup

It just feels right there. And the portfolio, that changes and adjusts according to what Mother Nature delivers, reflects that: Tiers of Riesling and Pinot Gris form the backbone of the white program and a fluctuating red wine program, the first Gamay was made at the estate in 2011, that won’t be compromised in cooler vintages.

Roberts has also just introduced the winery’s first traditionally-made sparkling wine at Fielding.

Here’s a look at the new releases:

brutFielding Estate Traditional Method Brut NV ($35, end of July release or, if you can’t wait, try at Treadwells now, 89 points) — This is labeled non-vintage but is made entirely of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the 2009 vintage grown at the estate’s Tufford Road vineyard. Great first effort for this Champagne-style bubbly with a bready-yeasty nose to go with citrus-lemon and toast notes. Quite racy on the palate and fresh with a vigorous mousse and citrus-apple-vanilla flavours and a clean finish.

Fielding Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2011 ($19, Vintages and winery, 87 points) — Half the wine was barrel fermented to give this SB a bit of weight and to improve mouth-feel. It shows tropical fruit and subtle notes of melon and pear on the nose. It has a creamy feel on the palate with grapefruit and tropical fruits and a touch of barrel spice in a dry style.

Fielding Estate Chardonnay Musque 2011 ($17, winery, 87 points) —Low alcohol (12%) is the result of this early-picked variety that’s gaining favour in Niagara. It has a perfumed nose of stone fruit and apple, with just a hint of spice. It’s made slightly off-dry with medium acidity and shows ripe fruit and a juicy, refreshing finish.

Fielding Estate Pinot Gris 2011 ($22, winery and going to Vintages, 88 points) — Fielding has the most complete Pinot Gris program in Niagara. It now has three tiers: Rock Pile, the “Estate” Pinot Gris, and the entry level Gris. This Estate Gris is gorgeous with a nose of poached pear, peach and tropical fruit. It’s lush and fruity on the palate, with broad and succulent flavours and a citrus kick on the finish.

Fielding Estate Rock Pile Pinot Gris 2011 ($26, winery only, 91 points) — In my opinion, the benchmark for Pinot Gris in Niagara. This top-tier Gris sells out fast every vintage. Rock Pile is sourced from the winery’s Jack Rabbit Flats Vineyard from vines at least 25 years or older with 80% of the fruit barrel fermented in neutral oak. Just a gorgeous nose of tropical mango, pear and a hint of spice and honey. It’s creamy on the palate with wonderful texture and concentrated, persistent apple, citrus and tropical fruits that deliver pleasure all the way through the finish. An irresistible white that is a perfect match for summer sipping.

riesling

Fielding Estate Riesling 2011 ($19, winery and Vintages, 88 points) — This was picked early (to retain the acidity) and finished at 22 grams/litre of residual sugar. It shows vivid lime, citrus and peach on the nose. The flavours range from grapefruit and lime to peach and subtle minerals with a hint of sweet honey that’s all balanced by good acidity.

Fielding Estate Lot 17 Riesling 2011 ($26, winery only, 91 points) — Another benchmark white for the estate winery. The Lot 17 is sourced entirely from the Beamsville Bench estate vineyard. Such a wonderful nose of green apple and lemon-lime with distinct minerality that shines from nose to palate. It is finished in an off-dry style and shows that sweet-tart tension that you want in a good Niagara Riesling that’s derived from racy acidity. It’s lovely on the palate with harmonious fruit and minerals that are persistent through the finish. Buy and hold some to watch as it evolves.

Fielding Estate Rose 2011 ($16, winery and Vintages, 87 points) — Crafted from Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Merlot and made in a refreshing and dry style. The cherry and strawberry aromas carry to the palate in a beefy-tasty style that should do well on your front porch.

Fielding Estate Gamay 2011 ($18, winery, 89 points) — Fielding has officially caught the Gamay fever now hitting Niagara with this first Gamay made at the estate. This is made from Beamsville Bench fruit and the goal was to make a fun, juicy style of Gamay that should be chilled slightly for maximum effect. The nose displays red plum, cassis, kirsch and meaty-beefy aromas with sprinkles of spice. Not over-powering on the palate but wonderful cassis, smoky black cherry and currants balanced out by good acidity. Nice, juicy, interesting Gamay.

Fielding Estate Cabernet Syrah 2010 ($26, released later this summer, 90 points) — A blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with a touch of Cab Franc. What a fantastic nose of roasted meats, black cherry, rousing spices and licorice-tar notes. This is a serious red from a brilliant vintage in Niagara and displays rich red fruits, boysenberry, funk, anise and oak spices that come together beautifully in the mouth. One to hold on to for a few years once it’s released.

Thirty Bench Wine Makers

emma

There are theories as to why there are such profound differences in the three single-vineyard Rieslings made at Thirty Bench.

But, in the end, it is simply an enigma that the trilogy of wines from the Small Lot collection — Triangle, Steel Post and Wood Post — have such unique differences from vintage to vintage.

There are a lot of similarities in the vineyards. They were planted within three years of each other from 1981 to 1983, all are planted to the Weis 21B clone, the most popular Riesling clone grown in Niagara, with a smattering of the Geisenheim Riesling 356 clone (no more than two acres) sprinkled throughout, and all the grapes are picked at the same time (other than different days for old vines and young vines) and are all made the same way.

Yet, despite the close proximity to each other, the three wines always show vast differences.

Winemaker Emma Garner (above photo) says it simply comes down to vine stress. “The biggest difference is the water retention ability of the soil,” she once told me.

For Riesling, the poorer the water retention, the better the wine. The deeper the roots have to dig into the ground to absorb minerals and nutrients, the more the Rieslings develop complex flavours and distinctive minerailty, or the terroir of the vineyards.

She thinks of her three Rieslings this way:

woodpost

Wood Post Vineyard produces citrus-driven, mineral-laden wines.

Triangle Vineyard is riper, moving into orange-tropical fruit notes with more subtle minerality.

Steel Post Vineyard is the tightest of the three, restrained, longer aged, and shows profound minerality over time.

Each vine is custom grown, hand cropped and thinned and hand sorted to produce very low yields (about 250 cases for each).

In the rainy fall of 2011, grapes were picked in mid-October after the deluge of rain at the end of September and yields were significantly lower due to some botrytis in the vineyard.

It meant extra care sorting the grapes in the vineyard and on the sorting table.

The young vines were picked first as they developed faster than the older vines. And even though Garner separates all pickings — divided by vine age and blocks — and determines which lot goes where (the regular Riesling cuvee or the Small Lot program), grapes from the young vines ended up in the 2011 regular cuvee Riesling and the old vine fruit was dispatched to the Small Lot program. Garner tastes the lots blind and the old vines always seem to show the best.

I had a preview with Garner recently of the top three Rieslings, being released this weekend at the winery, along with the regular Riesling, already available, and the Small Lot Rose and Winemaker’s Red 2010.

Here’s what I liked:

thirty lineup

Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Riesling 2011 ($19, winery, 88 points) — This is blend of all the blocks from Beamsville Bench estate, with the best of the lots destined for the three top Small Lot Rieslings. It’s rich in lime cordial, grapefruit with just a whiff of wet-stone minerality emerging on the nose. As with all the 2011s, there is a racy vein of acidity that balances out the juicy fruits and keeps it interesting through the finish.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Triangle Vineyard Riesling 2011 ($30, 90 points) — Garner calls this the “show horse” of the three, saying it always opens up and develops the fastest. The nose on the triangle is pretty with a floral note to go with citrus, peach and minerals. It gushes on the palate with persistent and ripe lime and citrus fruit, a kiss of honey (all three of the wines are finished with around 18 grams/litre of residual sugars), firm bead of acidity and a hefty dose of minerality.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Wood Post Riesling 2011 ($30, 91 points) — The Wood Post is more subtle and needs to evolve, which it will, says Garner: “We build these wines to last,” she says. “If I had my way we’d hang on to them longer.” The nose reveals lime, soft peach, pear, slate minerality and a lovely ginger-jasmine spice note. It is complex on the palate with quince, citrus, a lovely river-rock minerality and a zingy core of acidity that delivers a juicy, racy style of Riesling through the finish. I do love that subtle ginger spice note.

Thirty Bench Small Lot Steel Post Vineyard Riesling 2011 ($30, 93 points) — I am always drawn and seduced by this Riesling. It is one of my favourite wines every year. I was blown away by its charms in 2010 (94 points) and find myself enthralled with the 2011 version. I think this will evolve into a finer wine than the 2010, with greater cellaring potential. It is open-ended on the nose with gushing lime, grapefruit, hints of peach and apple and the most interesting minerals of the three. This is heady and complex on the palate, a structured Riesling with concentrated lime-citrus, steely acidity, an interesting yet subtle white pepper note and a mouthful of minerals that carry through the finish. This has it all: Power, length and balance and will reward for years down the road.

rose

Thirty Bench Small Lot Rose 2011 ($22, winery, 89 points) — Made from estate fruit including 40% Pinot Noir, 27% Cabernet Sauvigon, 20% Merlot and 13% Cab Franc and aged in neutral oak “just for colour.” This is serious stuff with an intense nose of wild red fruits and meaty dark fruits. It is finished perfectly dry and it’s substantive on the palate with an array of fruit flavours. Can serve easily with grilled sausages or other grilled meats.

thirtybench red

Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Red 2010 ($24, winery, 88 points) — This is the first big red released by Thirty Bench from the 2010 vintage. The rest won’t be released until the fall. It’s a blend of 57% Cab Franc, 29% Cab Sauv and the rest Merlot all from estate fruit (in fact, Thirty Bench only uses estate fruit). All three varieties are aged separately for 12 months in French oak barrels. The nose shows cherry-raspberry and black currant fruits to go with touches of herbs and bell pepper. There is good concentration of flavour on the palate with tobacco leaf, spice and cocoa accents. A fine and restrained red blend.