By Rick VanSickle
Trying to find distinct Pinot Noir and Chardonnay expressions in four different vineyards no farther than two good par-4s away from each other sounds like a daunting task, unless, of course, you are Adam Lowy.
Lowy, owner/winemaker of Cloudsley Cellars, has made it his mission to carve up Niagara’s Twenty Mile Bench into tiny pockets of goodness that shine a bright light on his two favourite grapes — Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
His entire portfolio of wines, not huge by any stretch of the imagination, is built around the limestone rich vineyards of the Twenty Mile Bench all from purchased grapes from trusted growers. The project stems from 20 years spent tasting wines — some of the best in the world — as a wine professional. “It is inspired by my love of Burgundy, but squarely focused on this stretch of land that intrigues and beguiles me,”
It is that love of Burgundy that brought him and his family to make the move to Niagara and put everything they have into Cloudsley. Prior to that, Lowy spent 17 years working for Lifford Wine and Spirits, one of Toronto’s premier purveyors of the world’s finest booze. In 2014, he left to establish Cloudsley with the singular goal of making boutique Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from different terroirs in Niagara using a minimalist approach to winemaking that best shines a light of where the grapes are grown.
“What I saw happening with Pinot and Chardonnay in Niagara really impressed me,” Lowy told me in 2016 when his first wines were released. “I’m a Burgundy nut so I wanted something that suited my palate.”
His latest release features four single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from vineyards that are no more than 800 yards apart yet all tell a different story in the glass — surprising to say the least. Lowy doesn’t trick up his wines, and aside from subtle differences, crafts them essentially the same — wild fermentation, light to no filtration, hand-picked fruit, cold soaked and aged in (give or take) 25% new French oak for 18 months. He is meticulous about his French oak regime and uses only tight grained, medium toast from top coopers he trusts.
Yet, yet … he finds enough separation of terroir to confidently bottle four different expressions of Pinot that all tell their own unique stories.
Along with the four single vineyard Pinots, Cloudsley bottles a blend of Twenty Mile Bench vineyards at a lower price and a Niagara labeled Pinot (essentially Twenty Mile Bench) for even less. And (shhhhh!) watch out for a Pinot Noir rosé in coming vintages from vines planted right in front of the winery.
As for Chardonnay, Lowy has made single-vineyard wines also exclusively from the Twenty Mile Bench, but decided that the 2018 vintage did not warrant single-vineyard treatment and instead made only a Twenty Mile Bench blended wine and a Niagara sourced Chard.
Lowy and his winemaking team of Eden Garry and Matt Smith work from tight quarters in the winery located on Victoria Avenue just south of King Street in Vineland. Cloudsley is open for tastings and it’s generally Lowy who takes you through the wines, offering a passionate dissertation of what he is attempting to do with his passion project that is clearly focused on his love for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The new 2018s are slowly being uploaded to the Cloudsley website (which is getting a makeover) here. There are mixed cases of the four single vineyard 2018 Pinots, the Twenty Mile Bench Pinot and Chardonnay 2018, and a limited number of 2017s to purchase. Lowy says that if you want any of the 2018s separately, come on down to the winery or contact him and he will make happen.
Here’s what I liked from the tasting:
The Chardonnay
Cloudsley Twenty Mile Bench Chardonnay 2018 ($35, 92 points) — As mentioned in the preamble, for 2018, Lowy decided to make only a blend of the single vineyards he usually bottles. So, this ends up being the best of the best grapes and barrels and from Foxcroft, Wingfield and Cuesta that was wild fermented and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 28% of which is new. This really does feel like a lot of wine for the money with an inviting, aromatic and perfumed nose of sweet pear, golden apple, stony minerality, some citrus zest and light oak spice. It’s rich and creamy on the palate but retains freshness with pear/quince, lemon zest, integrated oak spices and length through a finessed finish.
The Pinot Noirs
Cloudsley Twenty Mile Bench Pinot Noir 2018 ($35, 91 points) — This Pinot is a blend of Hanck, Cuesta, Homestead, Glen Elgin, Parke, May and End of the Road vineyards all on the Twenty Mile Bench. It’s wild fermented and aged for 18 months in French oak (29% new). It’s ripe and fragrant on the nose with notes of savoury cherries, brambly raspberries, cranberries and spice. It’s silky smooth on the palate with ripe red berries, some savoury/earthy notes, lovely floral accents, spice and a vibrant finish.
Cloudsley Glen Elgin Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 ($50, 93 points) — The first of four single vineyard Pinots in the Cloudsley 2018 lineup is from the Glen Elgin Vineyard panted in 1996 with clone 115 and is wild fermented, aged for 18 months in French oak (16% new) and bottled unfiltered. It’s a bit lighter in colour than the other three Pinots but has a lovely and complex nose of fresh turned soil, bramble, savoury red berries, subtle spice notes and a bit wild and untamed, as Lowy points out. The complexity continues on the palate with layers of red berries, cran-cherries, anise, forest floor, earth and savoury spice notes with length and finesse through the finish. 100 cases made.
Cloudsley Cuesta Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 ($50, 92 points) — This Pinot is wild fermented, aged for 18 months in French oak (28% new) and is lightly filtered. This site was planted in 2002 with clone 777. This is the tightest Pinot of the four with a nose that shows some darker berries, wild raspberries, forest floor, earth and elegant spice notes. It really lights up the palate with bright red berries, dusty tannins, earthiness, grit, minerality and well-integrated spice notes on a vibrant finish. 65 cases made.
Cloudsley Parke Vineyard Pinot 2018 ($50, 92 points) — The Parke Pinot is wild fermented, aged for 18 months in French oak (27% new) and bottled unfiltered. This site was planted in 1999 with clone 667 and 115. Quite a different expression of Twenty Mile Bench Pinot. It shows dark, ripe cherries and raspberries on the nose with cassis, nutmeg, spice and subtle earthiness. It’s rich and spicy on the palate with round tannins, dark cherries, brambly raspberries, a touch of plum on the mid-palate and then spice, earth and length through a persistent, lifted and mouth-watering finish. 100 cases made.
Cloudsley Hanck Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 ($50, 94 points) — The Hanck Vineyard, located just northeast of the winery, was planted in 2007 with clones 114 and 777. It is wild fermented, aged for 18 months in French oak (27% new) and bottled unfiltered and unfined. This is by far the most strikingly different from the other Pinots in the quartet. It has such a pretty and forward nose with bold red berries, brambly raspberries, violets and light integrated oak spices. It’s complex and layered on the palate with ripe red berries, iron/bloody minerality, some cassis notes with fine-grained tannins, structure, length and a long, echoing finish propelled by racy acidity. All of these Pinots can be laid down for 5+ years, but this one is the best candidate for long-term cellaring. A beautiful Pinot. Here’s the bad news … there are only 30 cases available.
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