By Rick VanSickle
KIN Vineyards has made the most of crafting expressive Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the marginal climate in the Ottawa Valley.
Also in this Ontario Wine Report: First Pinot Noir from new Niagara brand KiMu Wines, plus our picks from a robust Ontario release at Vintage stores Saturday, including Westcott Vineyards, Domaine Le Clos Jordanne and Thomas Bachelder.
KIN is located in Carp, a 20-minute drive west Ottawa, and is the most northern winery in existence growing only the vinifera grapes made famous in Burgundy. The winery is the poster child for innovation and determination and doing it at a very high level. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, winemaker Brian Hamilton is a miracle worker in the vineyard and in the winery and has created an impressive body of work that stand up to the best of examples of other Pinots and Chards made in much friendlier environments in the more famous regions of Niagara and Prince County.
Hamilton draws his inspiration from the estate’s 10-acre vineyard, planted 11 years ago to five acres each of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. KIN was originally planted to both hybrids and vinifera grapes, but the hybrids were pulled out and replanted to exclusively Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with tiny yields, typically ranging from under a tonne an acre to two tonnes an acre, said Hamilton.
There is always something lurking around the corner that can make or break a harvest in the Ottawa Valley. It’s far from a traditional wine region with its shorter growing season, higher than normal rainfall, constant disease pressure from high humidity and then all the hilling (burying of vines) that needs to be done before the winter cold sets in. Hamilton has learned to take it all in stride and make wines (or not) with what he’s got each vintage. That philosophy, while, frustrating, also leads to pleasant surprises and often, extraordinary wines that are all about sense of place.
I have tasted every Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made at the estate, and each time I am struck by the variation in personalities of the wines as the vintages change in dramatic fashion. At their best, they are enthralling, personable wines that are unlike any others made in Ontario. Each vintage is different with varying richness and elegance to fresh and minerally laden.
It’s all in the the soil and geological conditions prevalent at the 47-acre farm nestled along the Carp Ridge, adjoined by the Carp River, and resting on the grey limestone of the Ottawa Formation.
The vineyard is bisected by the Hazeldean Fault, which shows glacial till over limestone on the upper slope and clay loam over limestone on the lower slope. It has taken 11 vintages to sort out what does best in each section of the vineyard and how to build the top wines.
The estate chooses to farm sustainably, including both organic and biodynamic approaches whenever possible. Healthy soils, a biodiversity of flora and fauna creates a vineyard of balance and synergy, and ultimately, the winery says, “wines of substance, integrity, uniqueness of place and longevity. Our winemaking is focused on using experience and skill to achieve balance in the wines rather than to achieve a preconceived ideal.”
Hamilton has been the winemaker at KIN from nearly from the beginning. Hired in 2012, after many years as a winemaker in Niagara at Southbrook, Tawse and Malivoire, plus stints in Sonoma, California and New Zealand, he saw in KIN what he saw in Niagara — vast potential.
He is a cerebral winemaker and zealous in his pursuit of beautifully crafted and soulful Pinots and Chards, as well as the other wines, mostly sourced from Niagara, that make up the bulk of the portfolio at KIN.
I have walked the vineyard, and I have seen the tiny bunches of grapes coaxed from the sloping terroir, and I have been lucky to taste all the current vintages of the Pinots and Chard side by side to get an overall view of what Hamilton and KIN Vineyard are capable of despite what Mother Nature throws their way.
In this report, I revisit the Chardonnay, now released, and the Pinot Noir, released this fall, from the 2021 vintage, plus a fun orange wine from 2023 made from estate Chardonnay.
As you will notice, the estate Pinots and Chards have been released late after spending time in the bottle. “We have sourced fruit from Niagara growers in the early years while our own Carp Ridge Vineyard came into production,” Hamilton told me, “So we are now selling through the last of those wines and are moving more quickly into our estate wines.”
In the meantime, enjoy these late release wines that already have a lot of the aging and integrating already done for you. All wines when released can be purchased online here or, if you live near Ottawa, at the wine shop.
Here’s what I liked after tasting (and retasting in some cases) the wines:
KIN Vineyards Carp Ridge Chardonnay 2021 (just released, retasted, 94 points) — The 2021 vintage in the Ottawa Valley was warm and the hand-picked fruit very ripe so the style is richer, said winemaker Brian Hamilton. This vintage gets back to the house style of oak aging for 10 months in 20% new oak and the rest neutral. It has a rich and purely elegant nose of saline/stony minerality, pear skin, golden apple, toasty notes, lemon biscuit, white flowers and integrated spice notes. It’s more rounded on the palate compared to the previous 2020 version, with a creamy texture, ripe orchard and tropical fruits, flinty/stony notes, a hint of lemon zest, elegant spices and bright acidity leading to a lifted finish. After retasting this beautiful Chardonnay, it’s much more generous, integrated and luxurious with layers of flavours all balanced nicely by mouthwatering acidity. Can cellar through 2030, but attractive right now.
KIN Vineyards Carp Ridge Pinot Noir 2021 (fall release, retasted, 93 points) — The grapes were hand-picked at Carp Ridge, rigorously sorted for optimal ripeness and quality, then gently destemmed and crushed to stainless steel fermenters for indigenous primary fermentation and malolactic conversion. Following a total maceration time of 13 days, the ferments were pressed, and the wine settled in stainless steel tank prior to racking to neutral oak barrels for aging over nine months. Barrel up and blending of the wine was followed by a further 11 months of stainless-steel tank aging before light filtration and bottling. It shows a lighter shade of red in the glass with an inviting nose of summer violets, ripe red berries, underbrush, chalky notes, anise, persistence, spice and underlying earthiness. It’s rich and generous on the palate with a silky texture to go with ripe raspberries, cherries, red currants, a touch of anise and wood spice with a long, lifted finish. Gorgeous, terroir-driven Pinot Noir that will benefit from further integration in the cellar through 2034.
KIN Vineyards Carp Ridge Skin Fermented Chardonnay 2023 ($26, 91 points) — The grapes were hand-picked on the Carp Ridge in the Ottawa Valley, sorted, then gently destemmed and crushed into two stainless steel tanks for wild fermentation and malolactic conversion. One of the tanks fermented for 14 days while the other 19 days. Both lots were pressed off skins on day 19 and settled in stainless steel for 10 months. No fining, stabilizing or filtration of the wine was done, and only minimal sulfites remain. It was bottled with the lees. It shows a golden hazy colour in the glass, to be expected with a “natural,” skin-fermented white wine, with a nose of ripe peaches, orange peel, bin apples, pear skin, white flowers, saline and earthy/savoury notes. It’s quite clean and fresh on the palate with subtle tannins but no discernible reductive notes followed by layers of mature peach, quince, nectarine, citrus zest and a savoury edge with sharp acidity keeping it lifted and lively on the finish. A nice example of orange wine without all the funk.
First Pinot Noir released by KiMu Wines
KiMu Wines is a joint venture between two “passionate” Toronto wine lovers, Dr. Nimu Ganguli and Kim Berdusco (above).
Ganguli is a retired chemical engineer and currently a nuclear radiologist at William Osler Health Systems. He completed his diploma from WSET in May of 2024 and the wine production course from UC Davis in 2023.
Berdusco is a wine educator who works at George Brown College and Cru Consultancy teaching WSET courses and Wine Scholar Guild courses. She completed her diploma with the WSET and has completed the wine production certification from UC Davis in 2023. Berdusco is in stage two of the Master of Wine program.
This is the first wine the two have made in Niagara, sourcing top single-vineyard Pinot Noir grapes harvested from the hills of the Spencer Morgan plot, favoured by the likes of Thomas Bachelder, on the Twenty Mile Bench in Vineland. The location is one of the warmer and steeper hills on the bench for Pinot Noir. The wine is made at the Niagara Custom Crush Studio in Niagara and available for sale here. Here’s what I liked:
KiMu Wines First Crush Pinot Noir 2023 ($35, 92 points) — The fruit was kept whole and allowed to cold soak for three days. It was wild fermented with regular punch downs and aged in seven oak barrels, including two new French barrels and five of different ages, for 14 months prior to a light fining before bottling. The nose begins with rose petals followed by brambly raspberries, chalky minerality, dark cherries, plums, subtle cedar and elegant spice notes. It shows a melange of earthy red berries on the palate with a touch of anise, polished tannins on a smooth texture, savoury spice notes on a long, luxurious and lifted finish. Great debut wine from this promising virtual winery. Can cellar through 2034.
Big Ontario wine release at Vintages
One of the biggest releases of local VQA wines is coming to Vintage store Sept. 13. The Vintages magazine at stores now features dozens of Ontario wines under the heading “We’re All In On Ontario” with stories and photos featuring key wineries.
This Saturday Ontario wine lovers are advised to stock up on these top wines that don’t get to Vintages stores often. Here are my recommendations from the release:
Westcott Estate Chardonnay 2023 ($30, retasted, 92 points) — The fruit comes from both estate vineyards — the Westcott Home Vineyard and Butlers’ Grant. The grapes are hand-picked, whole bunch pressed, wild fermented on its lees and then aged in French oak (no new oak) for 10 months. I’m finding the Niagara Chards from 2023 to be more robust and giving in their youth and that is on display here in spades with this estate wine. The nose shows ripe pear and yellow apples in an opulent style balanced by citrus zest and saline with butterscotch, toasty vanilla and spice. It has a creamy, buttery texture on the palate with baked pear, apple crumble, toasted almonds, lemon tart, baking spices and a luxurious finish. It’s rocking right now and there’s really no need to cellar more than a couple of years. After retasting, this showed elevated fresh saline and flinty notes, but pretty much the same as originally stated with just a bit more elegance. Note: This is now a Vintages Essential wine and always available.
Westcott Estate Pinot Noir 2021 ($32, 92 points) — This is a wild fermented and barrel aged Pinot Noir sourced from both Westcott sites, that sees 22 months in older French oak barriques. It shows good colour in the glass and has an intense nose of brambly red berries, earthy/spicy notes, a touch of anise, violets and subtle spice notes. It’s rich and savoury on the palate with ripe tannins, a bit of cedar and a melange of dark cherries, black raspberries, cassis, spice and a lifted, vibrant finish. After retasting, this is in a very good spot and will be a perfect companion for Christmas when released at Vintages this fall and in December. Can cellar through 2032.
Bachelder Les Villages Bench Pinot Noir 2023 ($35, 91 points) — The Les Villages Pinot Noir is from the Niagara Escarpment regional appellation — which Thomas Bachelder calls “The Bench.” It has a chiselled nose of brambly raspberries, Morello cherries, red currants, rose petals and integrated spice notes. It’s silky smooth on the palate and shows an integrated melange of ripe red berries, brambly/earthy notes, a touch of anise with a mouth-watering acidity and a long finish. Can cellar through 2030.
Domaine Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Pinot Noir 2021 ($55, 93 points) — The Grand Clos is always sourced from the best barrels in the Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard. It has pretty, floral nose with juicy red berries led by ripe dark cherries, red currants, black raspberries and integrated spices. It shows beautiful harmony on the palate, even its youth, with a silky texture, ripe tannins, forward red berries, a touch of anise, spice and a lifted, long finish. Can cellar this to 2032.
Domaine Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay 2021 ($55, 93 points) — An elegant Chardonnay as befitting a grand cru, with a pretty, lifted, perfumed nose of pear/apple, lemon tart and spice. It’s generous, rich and lavish on the palate, but not weighty at all, with layers of quince, citrus zest, bergamot, chalky/saline minerality and fine oak spices that linger on the long, lifted finish. A beauty that will bring rewards for 10+ years in the cellar.
Also released, but not reviewed by Wines in Niagara:
• Henry of Pelham Lost Boys Limited Edition Bin 106 Baco Noir 2023 ($40)|
• Domaine Clos Jordanne Village Pinot Noir 2022 ($30)
• The Tragically Hip Fully Completely Reserve Red 2022 ($25)
• Domaine Le Clos Jordanne Jordan Village Chardonnay 2022 ($30)
• Kew Blanc de Noirs 2020 ($33)
• Cave Spring Estate Chardonnay 2023 ($22)
• Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Chardonnay 2023 ($35)
• Tawse Sketches Riesling 2022 ($20)
• The Tragically Hip Ahead by a Century Chardonnay 2022 ($22)
• Thirty Bench Steel Post Vineyard Small Lot Riesling 2021 ($29)
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