By Rick VanSickle
The 2020 harvest in Niagara is the 17th vintage winemaker Lydia Tomek has worked. She’s seen a thing or two, enjoyed some hot vintages, survived a couple of polar vortexes, but she’s never seen anything like this.
Note, also in this report: New wines from Henry of Pelham, including a blockbuster sparkling wine, and the new Expression series of wines from 13th Street.
“This is the dream year,” Tomek, winemaker at Ravine Vineyard in St. David’s, tells me. “I’ve never seen anything like this. We’re actually picking on our terms, not Mother Nature’s.”
As Tomek (above) explains, and the same story is unfolding from Winona to St. David’s, what winemakers are experiencing is a harvest that features healthy fruit across the board with little concern for diminishing acids. That’s what has so many winemakers excited about the 2020 vintage — it shows promise across all varieties, which is somewhat of a rarity. Cooler vintages tend to favour Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay, while warm vintages give those late-ripening Bordeaux varieties the heat they need to fully ripen. Often, you can’t have both.
But with the vast majority of white grapes already in the house, and red grapes getting close, the hard part is already done. The red harvest will be the icing on the cake as the (mostly) sunny fall weather continues to provide a perfect backdrop for picking grapes in an orderly fashion. The berries are smaller than in an average year, but flavour packed, which translates to lower yields (not particularly good for the bean counters) and higher quality in the wines (good for consumers). All winemakers I spoke to are anticipating a full roster of reserve reds from 2020.
When I visited Ravine a couple of weeks ago, Tomek and her scaled back harvest crew were bringing in the estate Riesling for the Patricia’s Block bottling. She took some time to taste through some new and upcoming wines with Wines In Niagara.
Here’s what I can recommend:
Ravine Small Batch Riesling 2019 ($25, November release, 90 points) — The nose shows bright and sassy notes of lime, mineral, grapefruit, tangerine and apple skin. It’s made in a refreshingly dry style on the palate with citrus, wet stone minerality, apple, pear and bright acidity through the juicy finish.
Ravine Patricia’s Block Riesling 2019 ($35, 93 points) — Built with 40 g/l of RS, this is a joyous wine sourced from a unique portion of the estate vineyard that usually yields some botrytis fruit from a dip in the topography that traps fog and moisture. Tomek made the decision to eliminate the noble rot for her first Patricia’s Block. This is more perfumed than the above wine, with lemon curd, lanolin, honeysuckle, lime/citrus and interesting spicy/mineral accents. It’s layered and honeyed with palpable tension from the searing acidity, sweetness and minerality providing a balanced attack of lemon, lime, peach and tangerine with a finish that goes on and on. I expect a blockbuster here once it settles down. Bravo. Tasted twice.
Ravine Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($32, 91 points) — Tomek says a lot of work went into creating this delicious Savvy. “It is a blend of many trials and experiments conducted in 2019 including whole cluster pressing, extended skin contact times, hand vs. machine harvest, organic yeast vs. commercial yeast, stainless steel ferments vs. French oak ferments, aging in oak vs. aging in stainless, cool fermentation vs. warm. This wine has it all.” When it comes to many of the wines Tomek makes, “I never want to be committed to one style. I like to explore.” The wine spends six months in a combination of old and new French oak and has a nose of tropical fruits, pineapple, citrus, gooseberries, herbs and subtle spices. It’s rounded on the palate with lovely texture and complexity that highlights the layers of quince, guava, passion fruit, citrus, herbs and toasted spice notes on a lifted finish. You could even age this for 2-3 years to see how it develops. Very nice Sauvignon Blanc.
Ravine Gewurztraminer 2019 ($25, previously reviewed and retasted, 88 points) — The Gewurztraminer from the wild and crazy 2019 vintage didn’t go through veraison until the Labour Day weekend, so we will call this one a late bloomer. Tomek decided to make a completely dry style of organic Gew, which showcases the flinty minerality perfectly. The nose is rife in lychee, grapefruit, orange blossom, pear and spice notes. The palate reveals exotic tropical fruits, lychee nut, Asian spices and citrus accents on a vibrant finish. Tasted twice.
Sand and Gravel Chardonnay 2019 ($20, not released yet, 88 points) — This shows a creamy/spicy nose with pear, ripe apple, caramel, toasted vanilla and touch of lemon zest. It’s fleshy and round on the palate with ripe orchard fruits, toasted almonds, vanilla and spice with a juicy finish. Good value Chardonnay.
Ravine Merlot 2019 ($38, 90 points) — While 2019 was a challenging vintage, says Tomek, the Bordeaux varieties should offer “good ageability, tannic structure and cool-climate elegance.” For the estate Merlot, Tomek hand-picked the fruit (it was cropped very low), fermented the two clones (317 and 181) separately in large oak French fermenters, then the juice was pressed into a combination of older and new French oak barrels for 9 months. It has a nose of juicy black cherries, brambly raspberries, spice, black currants and anise. The palate takes on a more savoury/meaty profile with grippy tannic structure, red berries, black licorice, cassis, dried tobacco notes, barrel oak spices and lifted finesse through the finish. Can cellar 5+ years.
Ravine Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 ($40, 91 points) — The nose shows ripe blackberries, black currants, spices and cassis with subtle leafy/herbaceous notes. It’s structured and flavourful on the palate with a range of dark berries, bramble/earthy notes, supple tannins and length through the finish with a spicy bite.
Ravine Meritage 2019 ($32, 92 points) — A blend of the three Bordeaux varieties grown at the St. David’s estate — Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It has such a gorgeous nose, almost perfumed, with black cherries, wild raspberries, cassis, elegant spice notes and cocoa. It has lovely texture on the palate with notes of savoury red berries, blackberries, anise, herbs and barrel spice notes with good structure and length through a vibrant finish. Good aging potential here, say 6+ years.
New Henry of Pelham wines
Henry of Pelham Carte Blanche Estate Blanc de Blanc 2015 ($50, Vintages Nov. 14, 94 points) — The 2014 vintage of this stunning Niagara bubbly was named the 2020 Ontario Wine Awards Sparkling Wine of the Year, and for good reason — it’s always one of the top vintage dated sparklers made in Ontario each and every year. The 2015 version is no different. The Chardonnay grapes are hand-picked from estate vineyards on the Short Hills Bench and the best of the best juice is isolated, partially barrel fermented and then aged for an incredible 54 months before post-fermentation prior to being disgorged. The nose is enthralling with brioche, lemon cream, pear, vanilla toast and citrus. It has elegant vigor on the palate with a generous, energetic mousse to go with a creamy texture, leesy/smoky notes, broad swaths of lemon, citrus, baked apple, bready/brioche notes and beautiful vitality and finesse through a long, long finish. Such a gorgeous wine that will improve in the cellar for 5+ years. Bravo!
Henry of Pelham Bin 106 ‘Lost Boys’ Baco Noir 2019 ($30, Vintages Nov. 28, 90 points) — I’m losing track of the number of Bacos HoP is now making. This is the newest iteration and the most expensive, sourced from the oldest Baco vineyards (35 years) from the estate’s Short Hills Bench and chosen from the best barrels. It’s aged in American oak barrels and finished in European oak for 12 months. It’s a more refined version from the more savoury examples derived from other Bacos in the family with a nose of cassis, plums, kirsch, sandalwood, herbs, sweet tobacco and pronounced spice notes. It shows well on the palate with a full range of dark berries, minty herbs, blue plums, raspberries, bramble, integrated spices and a tangy finish. Can cellars 5+ years.
Henry of Pelham Estate Chardonnay 2019 ($22, Vintages now, 88 points) — A full and creamy nose with ripe pear, apple, toasted vanilla and lemon accents. It’s rounded on the palate with ripe orchard fruits, creamy oak spices, touch of citrus and some zip on the finish. Good value Chardonnay.
Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 ($35, winery, 92 points) — From a single block of Pinot Noir planted at the estate’s Short Hills Bench holdings between 1998 and 2006, this attractive Pinot shows a lovely nose of wild berries, anise, black cherries, violets and spice. On the palate, look flavours of cran-cherries, brambly raspberries, savoury spices, ripe, smooth tannins and finesse through the finish. Can cellar 5-7 years.
New 13th Street Expression wines
13th Street Expression Riesling 2019 ($18, 88 points) — The new Expression wines at 13th Street replace the Palette series beginning with the 2019 vintage. It’s themed around the new art gallery and is an “expression of the winemaker’s style” and the “vineyard’s terroir.” The Riesling shows zippy lemon, lime and crisp apple on the nose. It’s off-dry on the palate with sweet-tart citrus, apple, peach and nicely balanced on the finish.
13th Street Expression Pinot Grigio 2019 ($18, 88 points) — A bold nose of melon, honeysuckle, peach, pear and some saline minerality. It’s dry on the palate with a fruity profile of peach, melon, pear, ginger and fresh finish.
13th Street Cabernet Merlot 2019 ($18, 89 points) — The fruit-forward nose pops with ripe cherries, cassis, concentrated raspberries and currants. It shows medium tannins on the palate and bursts with red berries, cassis, touch of anise and plums in a fresh and fruity style with light spice notes. The blend is 48% Merlot, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Cabernet Franc.
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