By Rick VanSickle
The most coveted wine party of year has come and gone at Niagara’s The Farm but we’ve got a surprise. You can still get the wines!
Note, also in the Niagara Wine Report, we have new wines from MW Cellars and Wending Home, plus Niagara wines coming to Vintages stores Saturday, including a rare Savagnin from Chateau des Charmes, a pair of wines from Wending Home, a Cab Franc from Liebling and a single-vineyard Gamay from Thomas Bachelder.
The big invite only release party on Sunday was your chance to taste and buy the new releases from The Farm and join in the festivities that have become legendary. The Farm only releases its wines once a year, after the release is over, that is usually that.
But you, dear reader, can get what you missed out on after a gracious post-party gesture from The Farm’s operations manager Michelle Zubrinich. “We don’t usually offer wine sales after the event, but we can do so for your (website) audience/readers. They can email me, and I’ll be happy to facilitate their orders.” That email is wine (at) thefarmwines.ca. It should be noted that Wines in Niagara does not benefit from any sales of the wine, we are just the messenger. This is just a nice gesture from The Farm.
It’s a special release that features the last of the original Neudorf Vineyard Pinot Noir that has since been replanted. The 2022 vintage will be the last of the Neudorf (due to winter damage) until some of new plantings come into production, said Zubrinch. “Stay tuned for exactly when.”
Also new for the Farm is that the family is back working with Le Clos Jordanne, “so some of the fruit will go to the acclaimed La Petite Colline,” said Zubrinch. The Farm’s estate Neudorf Vineyard Pinot Noir will also continue as the vines mature. The next new vintage of the White Label will be from top Pinot vineyards on the Twenty Mile Bench.”
The current vintage is the fifth under winemaker Morgan Juniper (also the winemaker at neighbouring 16 Mile Cellars) and features smartly priced and well-made Chardonnay, a rosé and two Pinot Noirs — a white label and a black label. Reviews for all four wines are noted below.
The Farm is very much a family affair. The family’s vineyard and estate sit perched on the Twenty Mile Bench near Jordan. The vineyard first achieved greatness when it was called La Petite Colline of Domaine Le Clos Jordanne fame. When the Neudorf family bought the 10-acre property it was planted to hybrids from the 1960s. In 2000, the Neudorfs replaced those native grapes with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and it was immediately contracted to Domaine Le Clos Jordanne. At the time, the Le Clos brand was owned by Vincor, now Arterra Wines Canada, which has returned to producing the Le Clos wines at its new home on the Beamsville Bench. The vineyard was named La Petit Colline and provided some stunning single-vineyard wines for Le Clos and will again to do the same starting with the young vines.
While a tasting room and winery is not possible because family members reside on the property, the family worked together to determine how they could sell the wines without disrupting day to day life on the property. It was such that the annual party came to be, opening the cellar door to friends and family with the opportunity to taste new vintages, kick back, eat, laugh, swim, and dance.
“The cellar door is a way to share our hospitality with other people,” said Erika Neudorf. “For us the party is an extension of how The Farm enjoys a party.”
There are four offerings to pick from in the current release and now a last chance to grab some of these wines by emailing Michelle Zubrinich, address above.
Here’s what I liked after tasting the wines last week:
The Farm Chardonnay 2023 ($26, 91 points) — The Chardonnay grapes were sourced from the Twenty Mile Bench and Creek Shores sub-appellations. They were hand-picked and whole cluster pressed to French oak puncheons and stainless steel where the juice underwent a long and cool spontaneous fermentation before aging for 10 months before being bottled unfiltered. This is always a terrific Chardonnay offered at a tantalizing price point. It has a fragrant nose of golden apples, poached pear, lemon tart, nectarine, white flowers and integrated oak spices. A riot of orchard fruits coats the silky-smooth palate with a touch of flint, citrus zest and a long, finessed and clean finish. An honest, reliable and everyday Chardonnay to enjoy with family and friends.
The Farm Poolhouse Rosé 2024 ($26, 90 points) — The Poolhouse Rosé is made from 100% Gamay grown in the Creek Shores sub-appellation. The grapes were macerated on skins for five hours before gentle pressing. The juice was clarified to preserve its aromatic potential and fermented dry in stainless to highlight its natural varietal characteristics. I can imagine quite a bit of this easy going, and bone-dry rosé was consumed poolside at the release party last Sunday. And why not? This Gamay-based rosé is perfect for summer fetes and barbeques. It shows a bright pink colour in the glass with a nose of summer strawberries, fresh cherries, plums, a touch of cassis and earthy notes. The palate mirrors the nose with a nice mix of red and dark berries on a rounded texture and zippy, lifted finish.
The Farm Pinot Noir Black Label 2023 ($28, 90 points) — Made from a blend of 100% Pinot Noir from select vineyards on the Twenty Mile Bench, Short Hills Bench and Creek Shores sub-appellations of West Niagara. The fruit was hand-picked with each lot fermented separately and aged in 228-liter French oak barriques for 16 months. A bit of a lighter shade of red in the glass (like most 2023 Pinots) but quite expressive on the nose with dark cherries, ripe, wild raspberries, red currants, earthy/savoury notes and spice. The melange of red fruits is ripe and dense on the palate with a touch of anise, mulled herbs, earthy undertones and spice on a lifted, finessed finish.
The Farm White Label Pinot Noir 2022 ($44, 94 points) — The Farm White Label is a selection of the finest barrels from the 2022 vintage. Composed of two vineyards, including the original plantings on the Neudorf farm. The growing season in 2022 progressed favourably allowing for ideal ripeness at harvest and exceptional Pinot Noir fruit. It was aged in 228-liter barriques (90% neutral) for 15 months and bottled unfiltered. As mentioned above, this is the last wine with fruit from the original Neudorf Vineyard in it. The vineyard has been replanted and will come on stream sometime down the road. This shows a much darker colour in the glass than the Pinot above and a more elegant approach on the nose with pretty violets, raspberry/cherry fruit, woodsy perfume, mushrooms, forest floor and spices. It caresses the palate perfectly with its silky texture and shows poise and elegance with a melange of red berries, a touch of cassis and anise, subtle earthy/savoury notes and integrated spices on an echoing, finessed finish that lasts for minutes. Really nice Pinot Noir and a fitting swan song for the original vines.
A duo of new reds from MW Cellars
It never ceases to amaze me how brand owner Marty Werner (with his hands on many wine projects in Niagara, including his own York Vineyards premium sparkling brand with his wife Rachael, and the League of Farmers wines with our other growers from Niagara-on-the-Lake) is able to keep the quality up and the prices down on the MW Cellars wines he crafts. These two wines, available for sale at The Shed, located at Ironwood in NOTL, are a perfect example of the value this winery offers.
MW Cellars Syrah 2024 ($21, 93 points) — The fruit for this elegant expression of Syrah is sourced from Werner’s five-acre vineyard in St. Davids, with an average yield of five tonnes per acre. The fruit is hand-picked and de-stemmed and aged in new 500 L American-oak puncheons. This wine shows a nicely balanced approach between the ripe fruit and the smoky-peppery notes with a nose of perfumed cassis, blackberries, plums, kirsch, wild raspberries and subtle meaty/spice notes and savoury herbs. It displays a plush texture and poise on the palate with ripe dark and red berries, anise, purple plums, black cracked peppercorns, grilled meats and toasted vanilla and spice on a bright, lifted finish. Did I mention that this is priced at $21? Great value wine that will reward further with cellaring through 2032.
MW Cellars Petit Verdot 2023 ($21, 91 points) —I’m starting to see a few more of these single-variety Petit Verdots being made in Niagara. This grape has traditionally been a small support player for Bordeaux blended red wines, adding colour and tannins, yes, but also flavours unique to this grape. This one from Werner isn’t quite as opaque in the glass or as tannic as some that I’ve tasted. The nose is surprisingly pretty with notes of wild raspberries, black currants, Morello cherries, lavender and elegant spice notes. The tannins are soft and approachable on the palate with a melange of dark and red berries, dried tobacco and rich spice notes that melt into the fruit through a bright, long finish. Can cellar through 2035.
New rosé from Niagara’s Wending Home
Wending Home Rosé 2024 ($20, winery, 90 points) — Wending Home brings together “best friends” Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. It shows a light copper colour in the glass with a nose of ripe strawberries, cherries, white peach, a touch of citrus and subtle herbs. It has a silky texture and a melange of red berries, lemon zest and pomegranate in a perfectly dry and succulent style with a bright, lifted and textured finish.
Niagara wines coming to Vintages stores Aug. 16
A robust collection of Niagara wines will hit the shelves at LCBO Vintages stores this Saturday, including a rare Savagnin, a pair of wines from Wending Home, a Cab Franc from Liebling and a single-vineyard Gamay from Thomas Bachelder. Here’s what I can recommend from the release.
Chateau des Charmes Old Vines Savagnin 2023 ($25, 92 points) — Savagnin is a rarely planted variety outside of France, and more accurately Jura, where it’s made in a Vin Jaune “yellow wine” style. Only a few other wineries in Ontario are making a Savagnin, including Rosewood, Big Head, Burning Kiln (using CdC grapes) and Megalomaniac. As Amélie Boury explained, “Paul (Bosc Sr.) imported most varieties present in France, with a focus on hardy varietals. Savagnin grows in the toughest winters of Jura, it just made sense to try it in Canada as well.”
This is the first “classic” rendition of Savagnin Boury has made at Chateau des Charmes. In 2012, she made a Vin Jaune style (which was released seven years later in 2019) and told me at the time: “The 2012 Vin Jaune is the only vintage I made, for the simplest reason that I never thought it would be a wine appreciated. It is a niche product, even in France, and to my biggest surprise, we sold out quickly. It took years to make and as I did not follow up right after the 2012 vintage was in process, I lost my voile culture (thin veil of yeast). There is none in the making to this day.” There have also been some vintages of Savagnin made into icewine. This Savagnin, planted in the home vineyard in 1993, is aged in neutral oak barrels for nine months.
Such an interesting and complex nose of white peach, quince, melon, green apple, saline/stony minerality, pineapple, orange blossoms and subtle toasty spice notes. It has lovely texture and a dry, succulent entry on the palate with peachy/pear fruits, some herbaceous notes, tangy citrus, a touch of flint, and a bright, lifted finish. Highly unique and delicious!
Wending Home Estate Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2021 ($30, 92 points) — Cabernet Franc is what I refer to as the honest broker grape, never trying to — or able to — hide what came before,” says Wending Home co-owner and winemaker Ron Giesbrecht. The wine spends 30 months in mostly used French oak. The nose shows lifted violets, ripe purple plums, savoury herbs, a touch of cassis and integrated, elegant spice notes. It has a smooth, almost silky texture, medium tannins, brambly red berries, plums, anise/licorice, stewed herbs, a touch of cedar, fine oak spice and a lifted, long finish. Cellar through 2032.
Wending Home Up Above Wismer-Cuesta Pinot Noir 2020 ($42, 92 points) — While the team at Wending Home strives for mostly estate fruit, they do not have any Pinot Noir planted and it’s hard to imagine Giesbrecht not having a Pinot in the family, especially from this vineyard that was close to his childhood home. The grapes were sourced from the Wismer-Cuesta Vineyard, located on the south side of Old Highway 8 between Vineland and Jordan on the Twenty Mile Bench, with aging half in puncheon and half in barrique (16% new oak) for 8-9 months and it was partially wild fermented. The nose reveals fresh red cherries, rhubarb, cranberries, violets, lovely oak spice notes and a touch of cassis. It’s dense on the palate with a complex array of brambly red berries, crunchy pomegranate, smooth tannins, spice notes and good length through a vibrant finish.
Bachelder Bai Xu Single Vineyard Gamay Noir 2021 ($30, 93 points) — This 32% Whole Cluster Gamay hails from the oldest vines Thomas Bachelder works with, planted in 1981 on Line 3 in NOTL. Bachelder said that the Bai Xu soil is more like the limestone soil on the Bench compared to sandy soil generally in NOTL. It has lovely florals on the nose with pure dark cherries, raspberries, and subtle black currants in a chiselled, eleganty spiced style. It’s gorgeous on the palate with just a touch of tannic structure and a broad array of summer red berries, cassis, subtle brambly/earthy notes, integrated spice, and freshening acidity on the finish. Can cellar 5+ years.
Liebling Oppenlaender Vineyard Cabernet Franc ($32) — The Oppenlaeder family has been growing grapes in the Niagara Peninsula for generations, and Liebling Wines is the family’s new project headed up by sisters Jessica and Alison. True believers in working with the varieties that excel in Ontario, this 2022 is their inaugural vintage of Cabernet Franc from the family’s home vineyard. Lifted and herbal, this an earthy and ethereal expression of Cabernet Franc, with plenty of small, crunchy-berried fruits (red currant, lingonberry, wild strawberry) mixing with delicate notes of capsicum, thyme, savoury, pine and cedar. Brisk acidity combines with soft, velvety tannins that have just the right amount of firmness on the finish. The spice-forward palate pulls together this elegantly styled, almost Pinot-esque Cabernet Franc that is packaged in a lean, focused, medium-bodied frame. Review by Allison Slute, and she doesn’t use numerical scoring.
Other Niagara wines released but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Flat Rock Unplugged Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 ($20)
• Battersea Weiss 2023 ($26)
• Lailey Barrel Aged Skin Fermented Vidal 2021 ($35)
• Rosewood Chardonnay 2021 ($40)
• Rosewood Pure Imagination 2023 ($25)
• Featherstone Red Tail Merlot 2022 ($20)
• Redstone Cabernet Franc 2021 ($41)
• Stratus Cabernet Franc Rosé 2024 ($32)
• Redstone Cabernet Franc Rosé 2024 ($32)
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