What: Lailey Vineyard
Where: 15940 Niagara Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Tastings: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May to October. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, spring hours.
Proprietors: Donna and David Lailey, Judith and Derek Barnett and Tonya Lailey and husband Yves Starrveld
Winemaker: Derek Barnett
Specialties: Lailey specializes in small production, boutique Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from estate grapes and various oak treatments. Most other varieties are available, however.
Must try: One of the best defined tiered systems for wines in Niagara especially for the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. From the regular cuvee through the new Brickyard single-vineyard wines to the iconic Old Vines, you can taste the difference as the prices rise through the tiers. There’s also a fantastic Canadian Oaked Chardonnay to try. And, for something completely wild and crazy, give the Zweigelt a whirl — a totally fun red wine.
Availability: Winery, web, Winery to Home and some Vintages releases.
Website: www.laileyvineyard.com
By Rick VanSickle
The experience at Lailey Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake is a lot like watching a great Hollywood movie. You appreciate the storyline for hours, even days, after you’ve experienced it.
Tasting great wine does that to you. You drink, enjoy, but the full impact comes later as you think back to that last wonderful sip. And you want more.
It’s like that with the wines at Lailey, especially the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, which leave an indelible impression on your taste buds. It’s the elegance of these wines, the pure expression of fruit and the oak-balanced, graceful approach from winemaker Derek Barnett that are hallmarks of his wines.
Lailey Vineyard, as the name suggests, puts the emphasis on its hand-harvested, pesticide-free estate grapes, from some of the most coveted and oldest vines in Niagara with the first plantings by grape growers Donna and David Lailey in 1970.
The partnership between the Laileys and Barnett was formed in 2001 when the Brit-born Barnett moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake to become winemaker and business partner after 10 years with Southbrook winery, which, at the time, was based just north of Toronto.
Barnett has 20 acres of grapes at his disposal with a further three acres planted mostly to Pinot Noir and a little Chardonnay along the Niagara Parkway.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are at the centre of the wine program at Lailey, but Barnett also loves to make Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc.
New this year at Lailey are the single-vineyard Brickyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bottlings. The Brickyard vineyard was planted in 2004 to those two Burgundian varieties with the first wines just being released now.
The vineyard was named after the clay bricks found on the site, which, as it turns out, was the very spot where in 1800 settler John McFarland, a boat builder to King George III, set up a kiln and started firing bricks for his home, which still stands as a historic monument across the street.
The young vines started producing in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Barnett felt the fruit expressed enough individuality to warrant a separate bottling.
Here’s what was enjoyed during a recent tasting with Barnett.
Chardonnays:
Barnett loves what Niagara delivers in terms of cool-climate Chardonnays. “I look for balance, aromatics, mouthfeel and texture,†he says.
Lailey Vineyard Brickyard Chardonnay 2008 ($30, winery, web, very limited, 4.5 stars) — Simply put, a sensational Chardonnay with an array of peach-pear-apple fruit aromas to go with minerals, vanilla-butterscotch and toasty spices. On the palate it’s clean, focused and balanced with a touch of citrus zest on the long finish.
Lailey Vineyard Canadian Oak Chardonnay 2008 ($25, winery, web, Vintages at some point, 4.5 stars) — Lailey is a fan of Canadian oak-treated Chardonnay and likes the way it “lifts the citrus notes in the wines.†This has aromas of tropical fruits with touches of citrus, apple and orange peel. The oak on the palate is subtle, balanced and influences the creamy texture and spice notes. A very fine Chardy.
Lailey Vineyard Old Vines Chardonnay 2008 ($40, winery, web, 4.5 stars) — From vines planted in the 1970s and made at the winery since the first vintage in 2000, this is iconic Lailey. An intriguing nose of citrus, apple, pear, oak and exotic spice notes. Beautifully balanced in the mouth where this wine seamlessly comes together. It’s hard to resist the integrated flavours and persistent finish. Drink now or hold a few years.
Pinot Noirs:
Barnett makes his Pinots in a more delicate style than some Niagara wineries. Floral, cherry and a deft touch with oak are the common thread through the three tiers in the Pinot program.
Lailey Vineyard Brickyard Pinot Noir 2008 ($35, winery, web, 4 stars) — The nose is all about the cherry, raspberry, rhubarb notes with a dash of floral, earth and cedar aromas. The red fruits are freshened by lively acidity on the palate to go with smooth tannins.
And a couple of other Lailey wines from the well-rounded program:
Lailey Vineyard Zweigelt 2008 ($14, winery, web, 3.5 stars) — The bulk of this production of Zweigelt goes to Quebec where it is adored by wine lovers there. This is all about a decent little barbecue wine with kirsch, licorice, red fruits and bold flavours that can stand up to whatever you toss on the barbie.
Lailey Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($20, winery, web, Vintages at some point, 4 stars) — Barnett uses 100% oak barrel fermentation with this wine to give it “mouthfeel.†More French in style than New Zealand with stone fruits, citrus and nice spice notes on the nose. It’s pretty on the palate and shows elegant oaky-spicy notes to go with citrus-pear fruits.
Enjoy!
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