By Rick VanSickle
It was fascinating to get an up-close look at the aging process for Niagara Chardonnays over a five-year period from the same vineyard made by the same winemaking team.
That’s exactly what we did over a few hours recently at Niagara’s Lailey Winery as we evaluated the drinking widow (and potential window) of several Chardonnays from the Stonebridge Vineyard over five vintages. Stonebridge is a sister project to Lailey, both entities owned by Faik Turkmen, which focuses on Chardonnay along with, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Syrah.
I joined Turkmen (above right), winemaker/consultant Peter Gamble (above left), and marketing/sales manager Thomas Reid at the historic Niagara-on-the-Lake winery to assess the Chardonnays, and Chardonnay-based sparkling wines, from the debut 2017 vintage to other released and unreleased vintages from 2018 to 2021.
Among white wines, Chardonnay (along with Riesling and Chenin Blanc) is noted for its ageability. The birthplace of age-worthy Chardonnays is indisputably Burgundy, where fans of this wine rarely enjoy them without at least some age, preferring instead to wait on the better examples while “the fruity exuberance of youth morphs into savoury, mature complexity,” according to WW Sarah Marsh in an article in Club Enologique. “Top end white Burgundy is expensive, after all, and it’s a shame not to see it fulfil its potential.”
Marsh suggests “waiting for six to eight years to broach these wines, with an optimum drinking window of 10–15 years to savour the complexities of a mature wine. That said, the best premier crus in a fabulous vintage could evolve beneficially over two decades; I’ve tasted glorious bottles from the best vintages of the 1970s, 80s and 90s (though whether they actually improve after the first 20 years is debatable).”
While Niagara is a relatively young wine region, with roots only dating back to the mid-70s for Chardonnay, Burgundian whites are almost 2,000 years old, dating back to the Roman era. That doesn’t change the fact that Burgundy and Niagara are kindred spirits when it comes to Chardonnay, with winemakers in Ontario quickly understanding what works best in the ideal terroir of Niagara and Prince Edward County.
Gamble, along with winemaker wife Ann Sperling, both consult and work with the premium Stonebridge project along with newly hired winemaker Rebecca Ruggeri. Gamble is a long-time wine industry professional, and an accomplished consulting winemaker. His projects have included a prestigious list of successful, leading edge wine producers in Ontario, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Argentina. Since 2017, Gamble has applied his expertise to Stonebridge’s quest and has been a strong advocate for the rejuvenation of Lailey Vineyards, respectful of the important contributions that Donna and David Lailey, along with winemaker Derek Barnett, brought to the Ontario wine industry.
Gamble is also a knowledgeable fan of Burgundian wines — both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — and is in lockstep with Marsh’s drinking windows. Winemaking techniques now being employed by Gamble and other premium Chardonnay winemakers in Niagara are creating wines better suited to longevity. Earlier harvests, lower yields, multiple picks, canopy management, clonal selection (and blending), are some of the methods being used by winemakers to promote age-worthy wines.
Gamble says Niagara Chardonnays at the top end can improve for 20 years, if treated right in the vineyard and winery, but feels 15 years from the vintage date is a safer bet.
All that being said, making wines that improve with age is not as simple as planting vines, picking them, putting them in oak barrels for 16 months and then waiting 20 years to drink them. The vintage has more to do with aging potential than anything else. A warm, sun-drenched vintage such as 2020 created fabulously rich, fruit-laden Chardonnays that are turning out to be better in their youth (or at least too good to leave in the cellar) than cooler vintages that provide higher natural acidity to help these wines stand the test of time and improve with age. Today’s winemakers can adjust in the vineyard (canopy maintenance) to avoid over-ripened grapes and low acidity in a warm vintage or underripe grapes and volatile acidity in a cool vintage.
Vivino put together an interesting chart for drinking windows for Chardonnay (Burgundy) that has some similarities to top Niagara Chardonnays, such as those made under the Stonebridge label.
1-3 years after vintage: The wines will show lots of fruit-focused aromas. Oak may not have had time to integrate, i.e. the cinnamon, vanilla, and toast will have a sort of separate aroma and flavour from the fruit and savoury flavors in the wine. Not unenjoyable at this stage, but aggressively youthful and possibly disjointed for some people’s tastes.
3-7 years from vintage: This is the most generally agreed upon window for these wines, which are generally enjoyable at all quality levels. Oak will become more integrated with the rest of the wine, and fruit flavours will still be fresh. The secondary flavours will be in an even balance with the fruit.
7-12 years from vintage: The fruit flavours are going to start to recede in the wine, turning more dried and yellow. The balance will swing away from the fruit dominance on the palate into more savory aromas. Nut-like flavors will become increasingly prominent. Likely only very good in the very top wines of the region.
12-15+ years from the vintage: You have to like very savoury flavors to find these wines enjoyable. Most wines will have only small amounts of dried, yellow-brown fruit and will start to feel a little lifeless and flat. Only the greatest vineyard’s wines will still be drinking, and even then, this depends on the producer and their style of production.
The 46-acre Stonebridge Vineyard, located at Line 5 and Concession 5 in the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation in Niagara-on-the-Lake, has a relatively small body of work to show consumers at this point, but it is well on its way to becoming an important single vineyard producing Chardonnays and Bordeaux varieties built to last. The 2017 vintage was the first where Turkmen didn’t sell the grapes, instead deciding to begin making wine. Neither Turkmen nor Gamble want “oak domination” in their wines, so the average use of new oak is restricted to between 20-33% new oak. Cropping is stingy as well — 1 and half to 2 tonnes per acre max.
Unfortunately, a terrible winter in 2022 has forced Turkmen and Gamble to replant all the Chardonnay at the vineyard from scratch. Consumers won’t see Chardonnay from the Stonebridge Vineyard until after 2028-2029. The winter kill didn’t impact the other varieties, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Viognier.
Marketing manager Reid feels Stonebridge has enough Chardonnay in bottle and barrel from current vintages to carry them through the replant, but urges consumers to join the Lailey and Stonebridge wine club here to get first dibs on the top wines at both Stonebridge and Lailey before they are offered to a wider audience.
Here’s what I liked from a full portfolio tasting of all the Chardonnays (including bubbles) made at Stonebridge since 2017. Some are being re-evaluated, where noted.
Sparkling wines
Aging sparkling wines is all a matter of taste. Higher end traditionally made sparkling wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (or blends thereof) are the best candidates to reap the rewards of more complexity and nuanced flavours with proper aging. Cellared sparkling wines will have a darker colour with enhanced nutty, dried fruit notes, and elevated baked brioche/autolytic accents, but lose a bit of their freshness and intensity of bubbles.
Stonebridge Brut Premier 2021 ($32, retasted, winery, 92 points) — This was the first sparkling wine from Stonebridge, a 100% Chardonnay from the estate vineyard made in the charmat method. It’s wild fermented and a small portion of the wine spent four months in French oak to add complexity and texture. It’s a nifty charmat with a gentle centre bubble in the glass to go with creamy pear, citrus, lemon curd, yellow apple, floral notes and subtle toasty notes. The bubbles are livelier on the palate with amplified toasty/flinty accents on the palate that integrate well with the pear/apple fruits, lemon zest and a vibrant, bubbly finish. A delightful sparkling wine and among the best charmat styles of wine I’ve tasted from Niagara.
Stonebridge Brut Rosé 2021 ($48, retasted, 92 points) — The Brut Rosé, made in the traditional method, is 100% Chardonnay that gets its pale salmon colour from a dosage of Zweigelt. It shows an elegant bead in the glass with a nose of fresh red berries, red currants, a touch of earth, toasty/brioche notes and citrus zest It shows finesse and flare on the palate with brambly red berries, subtle savoury accents and a bright, lifted finish with a lively bead of bubbles.
Stonebridge Blanc de Blanc 2020 ($57, new review, 93 points) — This is a 100% Chardonnay, traditionally made, “brut nature” (no dosage) sparkling wine that was fermented in French oak barrels for six months, followed by secondary fermentation and aging on its lees for nearly two years. Another 122 cases will be disgorged in batches. It has a minerally-driven nose of saline and crushed oyster shells, an elegant bead in the glass, lemon tart, pear, apple skin, and subtle toasty/brioche notes. It shows pure elegance on the palate with a gentle bead in the glass, stoney/reductive notes, pear/quince fruit, lemon zest and electric acidity on a bright, lifted finish. Can cellar through 2032.
Chardonnay futures 2020-2021
Two very different vintages here; the super warm 2020 vintage and the variable, extremely wet late fall vintage of 2021. Gamble prefers the 2021 vintage, especially from wineries that harvested their fruit before the deluge hit vineyards hard in the late stages of fall. 2020 is not the vintage to test longevity. It’s a big, juicy vintage and best to enjoy in the short term, in my opinion. But consumers can really get bang for their buck from these super-concentrated, luxurious Chardonnays that we don’t normally see in Niagara. The more minerally, finessed examples from 2021 are for keeping. So, drink the 2020s while you wait on the 2021s.
Note: The following wines are not released yet, and prices are TBA.
Stonebridge Chardonnay 2021 (91 points) — All three of these estate Chardonnays from the Stonebridge Vineyard are barrel fermented and aged in French oak for 23 months. They are all finished at 13% abv and 2 g/l of RS. This estate Chardonnay has a lovely fresh, saline nose with Bosc pear, lemon verbena, yellow apples, and subtle perfumed spice notes. It’s mouth-filling on the palate with a creamy texture, ripe orchard fruits, a touch of reduction, flinty/savoury notes and a vibrant, lifted finish. Can cellar through 2030.
Stonebridge Reserve Chardonnay 2021 (93 points) — As you climb the ladder at Stonebridge, from estate to reserve to select reserve, what differentiates one class from another is barrel selection. The trend as you move up in tier is to a more elegant, more minerally driven expression of single-vineyard Chardonnay, as is the case here. The nose shows pristine salinity, a melange of stone fruits, subtle spice and lemon peel. It’s more overt on the palate with flinty/reductive notes, ripe pear, quince, pine nuts, zesty citrus and good length through a lifted, fresh finish. Can cellar through 2032.
Stonebridge Select Reserve Chardonnay 2021 (94 points) — This top tier Chardo is all about pure elegance and grace with an enthralling melange of orchard fruits, stony/saline notes, lifted perfume, lemon tart and fine oak spices. It has a creamy texture and some weight on the palate in support of yellow apples, quince, bergamot, integrated spice and an echoing, finessed finish that lasts for minutes. A prime candidate for long-term cellaring, improving through 2035.
Stonebridge Chardonnay 2020 (in the $50-$60 range when released, 92 points) — As noted in the intro, the Chardonnays from the unicorn 2020 vintages are ripe, full-bodied and ready to rock on release. They are so good that you don’t need to cellar these for the long-term, maybe a couple of years as they come into perfect harmony. The estate version has a pronounced nose of ripe pear and apple, subtle apricot and lemon tart with lovely integrated spice notes. It’s mouth filling, rich and powerful on the palate with a creamy texture, ripe orchard fruits, flinty/stony notes, citrus zest, spice and a long, lifted finish.
Stonebridge Chardonnay Reserve East Chardonnay 2020 (in the $78-$85 range when released, 95 points) — This bottling (and the one above) might be the latest of any Niagara Chardonnays released from 2020. And they arrive with a lot of hype, all of it justified. The Stonebridge Reserve East 2020 is a freak of nature and for lovers of those big, juicy examples from Napa Valley, this is your muse. But when I say BIG and JUICY I mean it in a Niagara way. Juice with finesse. Balanced. Textured. Nuanced. Layered. The nose asserts itself with ripe pear, apricot, peach, yellow apples, subtle flint, and toasted spices. It fully reveals itself on the creamy palate with a bold array of stone fruits, luxurious mouthfeel, welcoming salinity, and a super long and lifted finish awash in mouth-watering acidity. It’s drinking amazing right now, and will likely be hitting full stride by the time it’s released. Do not sleep on this Chardonnay that doesn’t need a lot of time in the cellar to fully wake up.
Chardonnay current vintage 2019
This was another wild harvest in Ontario, and another vintage Gamble is fond of. A wet, cool spring put everything behind by about two weeks. Summer brought typical weather with normal temperatures across Ontario and the growing season got under way. Most varieties struggled to make up for the slow start despite a warm and sunny summer, punctuated by intense heat waves and high humidity. August was warm and intermittently stormy, leading into a comparatively quiet September, cool with some rain – but bringing decent conditions to finish off the summer and begin the harvest season. The Chardonnays are showing elevated freshness, profound minerality and the potential to improve through 2030.
Stonebridge Chardonnay 2019 ($45, 92 points) — Only 38 barrels of Chardonnay were made from the Stonebridge Vineyard in 2019, and it was spread between three expressions. All three are barrel fermented and aged in oak for 20-22 months, 25% average of new oak. The estate Chard was a blend of four different clones. It has a showy nose with Bosc pear, bergamot, lovely lemon cream, subtle butterscotch, toasted vanilla bean and elegant spice notes. It’s rich and creamy on the palate with poached pear, yellow apple, citrus zest, toasted spices, a silky texture, slight note of ripe sweetness with length and finesse. I have now tasted this wine three times and my most recent tasting last week shows more integration with the wine gaining some fat, savoury notes and a touch of reduction. Would love to see how this evolves in the next 5 or so years. It’s heading in the right direction if you prefer the Burgundian style.
Stonebridge Reserve West Chardonnay 2019 ($70, 93 points) — A more elegant nose than above with saline minerality, fresh pear, golden apple, and fully integrated and elegant spice notes. On the palate look for a mélange of stone fruits, zesty citrus, a rich and textured frame, depth, persistence, and a lifted finish that goes on and on. Really fine Chardonnay that has become more integrated and shows more profound minerality while maintaining sizzling finesse that should help guide its future into a very good place. Can cellar through 2032.
Stonebridge Reserve East Chardonnay 2019 ($70, 93 points) — This east version from the single-block Stonebridge Chards is equally intriguing as the west version. It’s a bit more delicate on the nose, more elegant and evolving, then bin apple, cream, bergamot, toasted hazelnuts, pear, beautiful oak spices and a floral note. It turns to a more textured style on the palate with a creamy feel to go with rich stone fruits, a chalky/flinty note, rich spices, and electric finesse on the long and vibrant finish. Just a beautiful Chardonnay that after re-tasting is becoming more poised, elegant and integrated. Can cellar through 2032.
Chardonnay back vintages 2017-2018
The 2018 Chardonnays are wines with freshness, depth and complexity and are still evolving nicely. The 2017 wines, one of Gamble’s favourite vintages for Chardonnay, was cool, wet and even had the odd hailstorm thrown in very good measure, until Sept. 1 rolled around, bringing extended heat and sunshine for one of the nicest falls on record. If you are cellaring this vintage you won’t find big, fruity wines, but rather a more Burgundian take on Chardonnay with deep-rooted minerality, complexity, savoury notes and finesse for days.
Stonebridge Chardonnay Reserve 2018 ($80, 93 points) — A little less abv in this 2018 Chard at 12.4% compared to 13.6% for the other Chards in the family, and only 18 months in oak compared to 20-22 months for the others. The nose is nicely integrated with ripe pear, quince, toasted hazelnuts, lemon tart and spice. The pear, golden apple and zesty citrus are nicely balanced on the palate and work well with the stony mineral component and barrel spice notes. There is depth and persistence through the long, finessed finish. After retasting this, I did notice some reduction, which I do like in moderation, pretty floral notes and more integration. Still coming along nicely. Can cellar to 2028.
Stonebridge Chardonnay Reserve 2017 ($98, only 60 cases made, 95 points) — I love a well-made Chardonnay that polarizes wine lovers, or at the very least, makes them think. Some will absolutely love this unique Chardonnay, others will not. Some will question whether spending nearly $100 on a Niagara Chardonnay is a wise decision when they can buy decent Burgundy for less than that, while some understand completely when a Chardonnay such as this grabs a hold of you. This was the oldest Chardonnay in the tasting and the first made by the current team at Stonebridge, yet for me, it was the freshest and has the longest aging potential. This wine is not about the fruit, it’s about the indescribable nuances that make it exhilarating. The nose has a savory/saline quality that draws you in, then white flowers, a touch of smoke, bergamot, stony minerality, quince and swirling spice notes. It’s incredibly lithe on the palate with chalky/flinty notes and savoury stone fruits, lemon zest that’s deep, dense and penetrating on an extremely long and finessed finish. Whatever spice is there is more about texture than dominance. A super special Chardonnay that will serve you well in the cellar through 2032 and likely transform into something even more ethereal. Said Gamble at our recent tasting: “I expect this will keep going for a long, long time.”
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