Bachelder’s grandest opus of all: 23 Pinots, Chards (and a surprise) coming your way

By Rick VanSickle

There is a weathered swath of red duct tape haphazardly marking the brink of terroir in one of Niagara’s most famed vineyards.

It’s more than a demarcation, more than the line that divides the Wismer-Foxcroft Vineyard on the Twenty Mile Bench into north and south in Thomas Bachelder’s relentless exploration into the soul of Niagara’s beating heart.

The tape, illuminated in the bright sunshine of late summer, is a metaphor for terroir — an all-encompassing wine term that lumps in soil, topography, and climate, represents what Bachelder feels are two unique plots of vineyard, inches apart at the dividing line, but miles apart in terms of his vision for distinct expressions of his wines. The Wismer-Foxcroft “Nord” 2023 is part of this report, while the south side of the dividing line is headed for the Niagara Bench blend in 2025.

It’s crazy, just plain nuts for any ordinary human being other than Thomas Bachelder to methodically map out a tiny region such as Niagara into micro lots at this level, but it is what makes his single-vineyard, single-block range of Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Gamays so thought-provoking and exciting.

“Under a brilliant azure sky, Wismer-Foxcroft ‘Nord’ 2025 was harvested yesterday (after I marked the limit of north and south with my trusty Red Duct tape) under excellent conditions,” Bachelder wrote on his Instagram feed after finishing the Chardonnay pick earlier this fall. “Everywhere it is tasted, Fox is loved for the transparent way it sings of the Vineland Bench,” he wrote. “Back in 2013, I separated the Nord from the Sud at harvest to try and find the part of the site that ‘spoke to me’ of the bench Dolomitic limestone soil.”

Like he does for nearly every vineyard he works with, he says in the IG post, “I go out on a joyous mission, tasting grapes up and down the hill looking for that telltale oyster shell salinity. This year, there was a real discernable difference between one panel and the next. And so, Fox Nord was born.” And he does this for every single vineyard he works with from east and west, up and down the Niagara Peninsula.

We will have to wait for the 2025 version of the Wismer-Foxcroft Chardonnay to see if those attributes are discernable to the casual wine lover, but Bachelder, along with his wife Mary Delaney, are on a mission to take you along for the ride for a long, long time to come.

You don’t have to wait any longer for the 2023 vintage of Bachelder’s Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs — the “Toussaint” release goes live tomorrow (Nov. 1). It is the most all-encompassing release ever of Bachelder’s single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. There are no less than 14 Chardonnays (OK, one of them is actually a Pinot Blanc) from single vineyards and small blocks within those vineyards, accompanied by nine Pinot Noir terroirs, from Niagara-on-the-Lake, all the way to Beamsville and beyond. “It’s a very special offering, and one that will represent the summit” of Bachelder’s mission to continue his relentless quest to map out Niagara, one vineyard, one block at a time. “We wanted to showcase and honour these vineyards to really understand the difference in terroir across the Peninsula,” said Bachelder. “Sometimes the truth of the difference in terroir lies within 100 meters.” Or one inch either way, as noted in the Wismer-Foxcroft Vineyard.

Bachelder uses the term “Niagara Rising” for this release of wines. “It is Niagara’s time to rise,” he said. “It is Niagara’s time to be known. across the world. As a wine region of substance, of terroir, of excellence.”

For him, Niagara Rising means “Niagara rises in the minds of wine lovers here and abroad. It’s a date with destiny, many decades in the making. Or many millions of years in the making of the soils. Niagara Rising is Niagara raising the bar for itself: with winemakers; marketers; viticulturalists, chefs; teachers; restauranteurs and sommeliers from the four corners of the globe who’ve come here to make this beautiful little place their home. Believers all.”

The Bachelder portfolio draws on terroirs across 44 kilometers from its first vineyard at the extreme east, almost on the Niagara River, to the last vineyard in Niagara in the West: The Frontier block of Grimsby Hillside.

By my count, 23 wines released at once is a new record for Bachelder, but it will be the last one with so many choices. Future releases, beginning with the 2024 vintage, will be kept to “well under 10” for the Chardonnays and “a similar number for the Pinot Noirs,” he told me.

“Mary and I now feel the time has come to concentrate on the terroirs that really speak to us, the terroirs that most continually make intelligible the flavours of the soil of the Niagara bench and lakeshore terroirs,” Bachelder said.  

I tasted the full range of Chardonnays and Pinots from the 2023 vintage with Bachelder this week over a marathon tasting session of the Bat Cave.

Note: If you are on the Bachelder mailing list, you will have receive the release details on Saturday. To purchase the wines, follow the link here.

As a further note: Bachelder Wines began with the 2009 vintage, when the brand launched with wines from three different regions: Niagara, Oregon, and Burgundy. I have rarely missed a tasting of these wines — the Pinots and Chards in the fall, the Gamays in the spring – since the brand was moved to the Beamsville Bench in the Walters Estate building. It is always chaotic in a beautiful way as Bachelder is insistent on tasting from east to west, and then switching gears — often — to slingshot back to this or that all the while listening to the minutia, the incredibly nuanced thoughts of one of the most gifted winemakers I have ever tasted with. Excuse me if I err here or there on my notes, it comes from an honest place — trying to keep up with a wine savant who knows his babies inside and out.

OMG! One more friggin note: This one is about the winemaking, so I don’t have to repeat myself over and over and over! All wines made at Bachelder are from local terroirs, using wild (indigenous) yeasts, and grapes from older vineyard parcels when possible. Low-impact viticulture – especially organics – is preferred wherever possible. Everything goes to French oak barrels for long aging and development. The barrels are carefully chosen for their “transparency” and ability to help express terroir. The wines spend a long 19-month élevage in neutral and a small percentage of new Burgundian oak barrels to better reveal terroir. “The intent is to make pure, subtle, suavely textured wines that sing lightly and clearly of their vineyard origins, with as little makeup as possible – wines that are finely perfumed and tightly wound, offering the classic refined fruit and textured minerality of the delicate silt, clay and dolomitic limestone-laced ancient lakebed terroirs of Niagara,” said Bachelder.

Here is what I liked:

The Chardonnays (and one Pinot Blanc)
tasted from east to west

Bachelder Kirby Old Vines Pinot Blanc 2023 ($39, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “When we found out that Scott and Maria Kirby had older-vine Pinot Blanc planted next to the Gamay Noir, it reminded us of the vintages when we did a pure Pinot Blanc from Savigny-lès-Beaune when Bachelder Bourgogne was still working in Burgundy (and Oregon, vintages 2009-2015). So, we knew we had to handle these grapes gently, and yes, barrel ferment them in the style of the Côte de Beaune like we do all our Chardonnays, but employing puncheons, (in this case two large 500 litre puncheons) to make sure the fresh tones of the fruit were preserved — and that there wouldn’t be too many woody (lactonal) elements. It’s interesting to consider Pinot Blanc from the Niagara Lakeshore VQA when you remember that every other terroir we attempt is Chardonnay. However, Pinot Blanc is a relative of Pinot Noir and thus of Chardonnay: and with these older vines on Line One, we find kinship with Bator on Line Two; with Willms on Line Two; and with Bai Xu on Line Three … and even with Werner-York upon – yes — York Road.”

The review from Wines in Niagara — Bachelder defends adding Scott and Maria Kirby’s old vine (planted in 1996) Pinot Blanc to the Chardonnay mix under the “white terroirs” banner. It is still allowed in Bourgogne white blends and small amounts of Pinot Blanc may in principle be blended into some Burgundy wines so, there is that connection. To me, like Kirby’s own version of this wine, it might be more akin to the Pinot Blancs from the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige, and to be honest, it does fit comfortably into this tasting of Chardonnays. It has a rich and saline nose of ripe pear, fleshy white peach, lanolin, golden apple, and lemon zest in a plump and juicy style. It’s concentrated and dense on the palate with a plush texture, a melange of pear, apple, quince, lemon tart, saline and toasty spice notes on a fresh, finessed finish. It has enough structure to cellar through 2030.

Bachelder Bator Chardonnay 2023 ($45, 92 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Well, Bator has truly become a ‘silent vineyard.’ We took that term from the Scotch distilleries that are called ‘silent’ — they may have 40-year-old whiskey in barrel, but if they closed 10 years ago, the whiskey may still exist in barrel, but the distillery is silent. And so now Bator is silent. After years of being the only vineyard that we knew of that was planted to our Holy Trinity of Burgundian grape varieties: Pinot Noir; Chardonnay and Gamay Noir. Wow. All three varieties have now been pulled out. Bator vineyard is now once again just a field. This Chardonnay is thus the last one ever and is the one to watch of all the Bator Chardonnays we’ve made.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: A ripe and minerally nose of wet stones, saline, white peach, pear, nectarine and lemon zest with just a wisp of spice. It takes on some weight on the palate with a melange of juicy orchard fruits, lemon tart, stony minerality and saline freshness through a lifted, long finish. Can cellar to 2030.

Bachelder Willms Old Vines Chardonnay 2023 ($49, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “What a terrific terroir defining vintage 2023 is. This version of Willms Chardonnay (planted in 1983) possesses an attractive white peach and pear nectar feel. A waxy, grandiose Niagara-on-the-Lake fruit vibe on the nose follows to a deeper mid-palate, and the long, warm finish makes this a Willms to be reckoned with. The finish is mineral sandy stone with a broader Lakeside feel.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: This Chardonnay vineyard is located near Old Town in NOTL, and is from the Four Mile Creek sub-app. It was planted in 1983 when there was hardly any vinifera in Niagara. The Willms Vineyard (which was called Sandstone in an earlier incarnation) is uniquely located between two bodies of water, some 6 km from the lake, and about 4 km from the Niagara River. It is a combo of silt, loamy-clay, gravel, limestone, and sand. The generous nose is consistent with past vintages and brings in ripe notes of fleshy pear and yellow apple, citrus zest, stony minerality, subtle apricot notes and integrated spices. It’s juicy and ripe on the palate with lovely texture to go with pear/quince fruits, fresh squeezed lemon, chalky minerality and a pinch of spice on a lifted, long finish. Can cellar through 2032.

Bachelder Old Vines Bai Xu Chardonnay 2023 ($49, 91 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “This is a tighter and lovelier Bai Xu then we typically see: the nose abounds with lychee flavours and apricot accompanied by the usual fruity muskiness. Complex and rich, reminds of a spicy peach crumble: but this wine is not at all sweet. The flavours of Niagara-on-the Lake, yes, but the old vines (planted in 1981) and lacustrine clay bring a minerality to the sandstone flavours on the finish.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: As stated by Bachelder above, this is perhaps the tightest and shiest Chardonnay of the 2023s. The nose is flinty and savoury with fresh apple, peach, apricots, wet stones, white flowers and subtle spice notes. As it begins to open up on the palate, the orchard fruits start popping while maintaining that elegant, rather shy profile between the fruits and minerality. It’s mellow and will need time to fully expose its inner beauty. The finish is long and lifted. Can cellar to 2034.

Bachelder Werner York Chardonnay 2023 ($45, 94 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “If you don’t know Marty and Rachel Werner, you will soon. Aside from their incredible York Rd. sparkling wine project (on the St. David’s Bench), Martin is making the wines at Ravine again; and doing his own MW wines with Rachel. They are Niagara’s newest power couple, and everything they touch has an air of authenticity and local class to it. Their Werner-York Road vineyard is a long stone’s throw from the Lowrey Vineyard that we so prize for Pinot Noir. It, too, is on the Saint David’s bench. The Werner York Vineyard, thus, like Lowrey’s Pinot Noir — makes wine (Chardonnay, in this case) that is lacy, chalky, and indescribably elegant.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: This is the second iteration of Chardonnay from the Werner Vineyard, and I am as impressed with the 2023 version as I was with the previous vintage. The Werner’s tiny parcel of vines on the St. David’s Bench performs more like, or equal to, the best examples from the west side of the canal on the Twenty Mile Bench. The nose is profoundly elegant with a lifted and floral beginning followed by fresh saline and oyster shells, pears, golden apples, lemon verbena, white peach and integrated spice notes. It’s mouth-filling on the palate while maintaining its elegance and purity with dense stone fruits, lemon, chiseled salinity, river rock, subtle creamy notes and spice with an elevated, long, and finessed finish. Can cellar through 2035.

Bachelder Cuesta Far East Man Chardonnay 2023 ($49, 92 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “The nose is enigmatic: a dark petrichor or dusty-slatey, mineral-stone becomes lemon confit. An inviting sea saline, lemony nose, with iodine-laced minerals. Cuesta vineyard is on the escarpment side of Hwy. 8 (Twenty Mile Bench). It’s at the same elevation and distance from the lake as the Grand Clos (Jordanne) Vineyard in Jordan. Once you are in Vineland, it’s just another 1,000 meters to the west, and you hit Wismer-Foxcroft. Cuesta really resembles Wismer Foxcroft, with a darker minerality and perhaps a more focused mouthfeel, with some dusty saline notes, and an inviting sea salinity … All the focus, but just a little more voluptuous in 2023. What’s not to Love?”

The review from Wines in Niagara: As we move west through the bench regions of Niagara, the minerality is amped up. This expression of Bachelder’s Chardos is the epitome of saline and wet stones with an interesting reductive note before the pear, apple, apricot and lemon-citrus notes kick in. It’s less reductive on the palate and more savoury with a medley of orchard fruits, zesty citrus, crushed stones, saline and integrated spice notes through a long finish aided by mouth-watering acidity. Lovely, complex Chardonnay. Can cellar to 2031.

Bachelder Wismer-Foxcroft Nord 2023 ($60, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “The most classic ‘Fox’ nose possible: it should be trade-marked. So glad we isolated this northern part of the hill way back in 2013. This version of Foxcroft is all lemon peel stoniness. Elevated; long and endlessly exciting, green lime and stony sea spray, so true to itself! Pristine, glacial, firm stone on the finish. The Foxcroft Vineyard is located just west of Victoria St. in Vineland, about halfway up to the top of the escarpment. The Chardonnay part of Fox borders on Moyer Road. The bottom of the long rows, the northern bit, after years of discoveries, actually gives the more interesting, terroir-inflected wine.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: Bachelder has always worked with the Wismer family, now in its second generation. The family has been growing grapes on the Vineland Bench for 25+ years. “Craig Wismer is a wine lover with a good palate, a man of passion and commitment, and he and I have been thick as thieves for years in our pursuit of understanding soils, terroirs, clones and viticulture,” said Bachelder. The Foxcroft Vineyard “Nord block” is just off Victoria Avenue on Moyer Road. This is classic Bench Chardonnay that checks all the boxes, especially in the hands of the talented Bachelder who knows the Foxcroft Vineyard inside and out. It has a fresh, pristine and saline-laden nose with pear, lemon tart, golden apples, nectarine and lightly toasted spice notes. It has gorgeous texture and a flinty/mineral edge on the palate to go with ripe orchard fruits, lemon zest and spice through a razor sharp, lifted and lingering finish. Beautiful benchmark Niagara Chardonnay that can age through 2032.

Bachelder Wismer Wingfield Chardonnay 2023 ($60, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Such startling purity that it shocked me and brought a tear to my eye. Wine can stir emotions … lemons on crunchy chalk, and lemon drop acidity. Low tide smells with a nice volume of fruit: incredibly rich, yet taut. Chalky mouthfeel, a mineral precision. This is the jive. Wow. A grainy mineral finish. A taut clothesline of a wine. A shocking nervous electric minerality: this will age for a long, long time.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: This is another coveted site for Chardonnay in Bachelder’s arsenal of single-vineyard, single-block expressions. He keeps seven rows of the Wingfield Vineyard for the Hill of Wingfield, with some declassification into the Wismer-Wingfield expression. A bit more restrained on the nose than the Foxcroft above, but showing beautiful elegance, perfumed pear, chalky/saline minerality, golden apples, floral notes, creamy lemon and delicate spice notes. It’s richer on the palate with a luxurious texture, racy minerality, pear, quince, lemon tart and integrated spice notes on a racy, lifted finish that lingers for minutes. Can cellar through 2031.

Bachelder Hill of Wingfield Chardonnay 2023 ($75, 95 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “What can I say about the terroir of the Hill of Wingfield? This is almost the same terroir, immediately adjacent to the patch of Wismer-Wingfield. But walking the slightly steeper rise towards the forest, the shading forest, we decided to start to capture the Hill on its own back in 2020. So, the whole vineyard is lovely older vines from 1998. The whole vineyard has a North facing aspect with low yielding, intense fruit. Comes in late, very late. At least two weeks after Foxcroft, if not more. The Hill of (Wismer) Wingfield, our micro-selection of the steepest part always makes me reflect: ‘Does the Emperor have clothes?’ I say: yes.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: Bachelder sources the grapes for this single-block wine from seven rows of the Wismer-Wingfield Vineyard, at the south-west side of the vineyard, set aside for just him. What he doesn’t use ends up going into the wine above, sourced from other rows in Wingfield. Bachelder has called this one of his “grand cru” parcels, even though it is a classification that still has no standing in Niagara (but should). It is the epitome of elegance and poise every vintage and always imparts a stony/mineral/saline (akin to a babbling mountain stream) opening note that draws you into the glass, followed by white flowers, bergamot, lifted pear, golden apples, lemon curd and lingering fine oak spices. It’s rich and layered on the palate with just a touch of reduction and flint adding complexity to go with golden apples, ripe pear, stony minerality, lemon curd, integrated spices and mouth-watering acidity all leading to a long, lifted finish. A sensational wine that will age nicely through 2034.

Bachelder Spencer-Morgan Gravel Road Chardonnay 2023 ($49, 92 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “This Spencer Morgan is called Gravel Road because it is surrounded by a couple of gravel roads that are just below the Pinot Noir block of Spencer Morgan. A fine-filigreed, mineral nose of muted pears and quince: people don’t talk about quince very often, but it’s a ‘thing,’ and those flavours are there, the white flower and citrus apple fruit flavors. With a slight reduction that gives great tension, there’s some sweet fennel-like notes to the fruit: ‘Tilleul’ or Linden honey. This is a complex, mineral wine that’s going to live a long time. From the burst of fruit on the nose to the lingering mineral finish.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: This has a striking nose of creamy pear, yellow apple, white flowers, pure saline, crushed stone minerality and lightly toasted spice notes that shine through. It carries some weight on the palate with a creamy texture to go with ripe orchard fruits, quince, citrus zest and freshness through the lifted finish. Lovely. Can cellar through 2030.

Bachelder Mio Long Rows Chardonnay 2023 ($45, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “The Mio Vineyard is the living dream of Corey and Lena Mio and their extended family, many of Italian heritage. They’ve established one of the most exciting new vineyards in the Lincoln Lakeshore (sub-appellation) in Beamsville on the north side of Hwy. 8. About halfway from Vineland to Beamsville, it can be found directly downhill from some great vineyards on the Beamsville bench. The long rows of Chardonnay in Mio give us a distinct soil flavour that reminds me so much of bench fruit, with just a little more Lakeside texture and ‘feel’ — just a little more voluptuously textured than wines from most Bench terroirs. Why? It’s a little closer to the lake, with soils just a little deeper than those that are typically found on the bench, yet the magic is that it possesses some of the Bench minerality because of Father Time’s way of eroding and washing down minerals – and those vineyards closest to the Bench benefit.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: This is the second vintage of the Mio Chardonnay that Bachelder has made from its unique terroir in the shadow of the Beamsville Bench. Just that little bit of distance closer to the moderation of Lake Ontario shows itself in the rich and penetrating nose of golden apples, juicy, almost poached, pear, white peaches and cream notes, lemon-grapefruit citrus, fresh saline and spices. Such lovely texture on the palate with concentrated orchard fruits, a touch of reduction, spice and a certain savouriness all leading a finish lifted by mouth-watering acidity. Can cellar through 2030.

Bachelder Ivy and Warren Chardonnay 2023 ($49, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “We selected the Saunders Haut parcel in 2013/2014. We looked at another block just above it called Sanders South. And we also made wines from a block below it called Sanders Bas, which is adjacent to our Pinot Noir parcel. The 2023 vintage gave us a focused nose and a mellow kind of green plum, citrus-fruited briny character, along with tight thiol-derived fruit and savory mineral notes through the rich mid-palate. Focused mineral. This needs time.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: A very different expression of Chardonnay, the Saunders Haut parcel imparts a flinty, pretty nose of ripe pear, golden apples, apricots, lanolin and savoury/spicy notes. It has a creamy texture on the palate with subtle reduction, flint and savoury notes before the medley of orchard fruits, citrus zest, pine nuts and spices chime in. It’s layered through the long finish with fresh saline and verve. Can cellar through 2032.

Bachelder Red-Clay Barn Block Chardonnay 2023 ($45, 94 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Well …The Red-Clay Barn Block of organically grown Chardonnay (from the Grimsby-Hillside Vineyard) surprises and delights in the stellar white wine vintage that is 2023. With bright yellow and green plums on the fruited nose, and there’s a surprisingly musky peach character that accompanies the trademarked lovely texture of the Red-Clay Barn Block. It does feel like clay, but it finishes more mineral than one might think. The proximity of the Lakeshore and rich clays in this vineyard give us textures that resemble those of Niagara-on-the-Lake, yet with a stunning rich, lively mineral tonality from the chalk in the soils.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: The Grimsby Hillside Vineyard is a wild, stony site out in the extreme west of Niagara. It’s nestled into the foothills of the escarpment. This is the fourth time that Bachelder has made the Red-Clay Barn Block. It has a rich and layered nose that shows pristine saline and chalky minerality in concert with ripe peaches, pears, lemon tart, golden apples and lightly toasted vanilla-tinged spice notes. It has a luxurious texture on the palate with a touch of flint and saline, juicy orchard fruits, lemon cream, lanolin and spice that is layered and finessed through a long, lingering finish. Superb expression from the far west of Niagara. Can cellar through 2033.

Bachelder Frontier Block Chardonnay 2023 ($60, 95 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “And here ends our tasting trip across the peninsula. We started east at the Niagara River all the way out west here at the Frontier Block (Grimsby Hillside Vineyard) — the last vineyards in Niagara before you get to the vineyards of Hamilton. It is here that our journey comes to an end — and what better way to finish off the peninsula Chardo terroirs than with the incredible Frontier Block. The Grimsby Hillside Vineyard (which is just West of Cline Mountain Road), doesn’t benefit from the protected amphitheatre-like Hills of Vineland and Jordan. So, the prevailing southwest winds whip across this property, keeping it cool. And all the chalky dolomitic limestone underneath the vineyard keeps it mineral. So, can one actually smell chalk? I wonder – but I can tell you that there is a honeyed minerality on the nose, with Ribolla Gialla-like fruit. And, of course, a classic oyster shell brine top note, with sweet yellow flowers and delicate yellow plum and pear, apple fruit in the mouth.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: The topsoil in the Frontier Block of the Grimsby Hillside Vineyard varies from silty clay/loam mixes to grey and red clays, over top of heavy red clay subsoils, with another layer that appears to contain calcareous limestone shale and gravel deposits (suspected to be eroded material from the escarpment face that settled on the site). This is the fifth vintage of Frontier from Bachelder and I find myself smitten with its charms every time I taste it. It starts with a profound note of crushed oyster shells and saline, just like all the other Frontier Block Chardos before it. Next comes the pure fruits of yellow apples, pears, quince, apricot/peachy notes, lemon tart, toasted almonds and subtle spice. It has lovely mouthfeel and precision on the palate with layers of orchard fruits, saline/stony minerality, lemon cream, subtle reduction and savoury/spicy accents that all lead to a lifted, clean and finessed finish that lingers for minutes. You can cellar through 2032.

The Pinot Noirs from east to west

Bachelder Bator Old Vines Pinot Noir 2023 ($55, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “What a way to go out. The Bator vineyard was ripped out in spring 2024, and with that, we lost a lovely Four-Mile Creek source of Gamay Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. It’s a great loss to Niagara. But that’s a silent vineyard then, isn’t it? … The wine goes on, but the vineyard is gone.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: What a fitting swan song for the last of the Bator Pinot Noirs. The nose is rich and lifted with dark cherries, brambly raspberries, violets, a touch of anise and wood spice accents. It’s concentrated with a medley of ripe red berries, chalky minerality, underlying aniseed and spice notes on a silky-smooth frame and a long, finessed finish. Can cellar through 2032. As Bachelder says: “One of the most surprising wines of the vintage, and it has been an honour to collaborate with Doris and Robert Bator, and their daughter, Alyssa.”

Bachelder Lowrey Old Vines Pinot Noir 2023 ($65, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Lowrey Vineyard is a very special vineyard for us. Nestled on the escarpment right up against St. David’s Bench, this is a very special place. Grown on slanted, sloped soils where the Niagara River used to flow a very long time ago. I’m sure that explains the chalky limestone flavours in the wine. It’s also just a few kilometres from the Niagara River, at the extreme east of Canada, just before you get to the U.S. border and upper New York State.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: The oldest, eastern part of the Lowrey Vineyard was planted in 1984 by the Lowrey family for Karl Kaiser (winemaker and co-founder of Inniskillin). Kaiser used the vineyard for his ground-breaking international collaboration Alliance series Inniskillin made with Burgundy’s Jaffelin (Bernard Répolt, now with Rémoissenet). The idea of doing an Alliance brand soon led to the idea of Le Clos Jordanne, that Bachelder and his family eventually moved to Niagara from Oregon to help start. So, there is history here and it always shows up in the two expressions Bachelder crafts from this vineyard. It has a lighter colour in the glass and a pretty profile on the nose that shows violets, red cherries, wild raspberries, savoury umami, chalky minerality and spice. It’s delicate and enticing on the palate with pure red berries, a touch of earth, and spice on a lifted, smooth frame and a long, finessed finish. Pure elegance here that will age nicely through 2031. As Mary Delaney says in her own notes: “Ballerina does it again!”

Bachelder The Old Eastern Block Pinot Noir 2023 ($75, 95 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Tucked into the St. David’s bench in Queenston, a few mere kilometres from the Niagara River, the 1984 vines of the Old Eastern Block were planted by the Lowrey family for one of Inniskillin’s two founders: Karl Kaiser. These are very, very old vines for Niagara. What’s more? They are old vinifera vines. Pinot Noir. Unheard of. This will be short: Cellar this wine. It is hard for me to imagine a more perfect, evocative Lowrey from the old Eastern Block.

The review from Wines in Niagara: This shows an even lighter shade of red in the glass, but certainly shines a spotlight on its beauty on the nose with rousing intensity from the pretty red flowers, forest berries, cran-cherries, beet root, and just a hint of earth and perfumed spice notes. The red berries and crunchy pomegranate on the smooth palate are joined by chalky tannins to go with that certain goût de terroir that shows up every vintage from the Lowrey Vineyard and particularly evident in the older vines. It finishes with fine oak spices on a vibrant, finessed and long, long finish. A perfect bottle for the cellar, say until 2034.

Bachelder Cuesta Pinot Noir 2023 ($55, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “After you come out of the hollow between Jordan and Vineland, the very hollow that delineates the Twenty-Mile Creek after which the famous Twenty-Mile Bench VQA sub-appellation was derived, Cuesta is your first vineyard up on the bench to your left. You can smell the saline seashore crustaceans here.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: As we move west to the Twenty Mile Bench the Pinots begin to show a bit more structure and brawn. The nose here highlights the full range of ripe red berries, red currants, some juicy plum notes and gravelly minerality and spice. It’s an impressive minerally-laden Pinot on the palate with some tannins and structure to go with ripe dark cherries, brambly raspberries, cranberries and spice notes on a lifted, long finish. Can cellar through 2034.

Bachelder Wismer-Parke Pinot Noir 2023 ($65, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Wismer-Parke is one of the most original crus on the Vineland Bench. It is adjacent to Wismer-Parke’s Wild West End and facing the Hanck vineyard. Perhaps the finest Wiz-Parke we have yet dreamed into existence.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: From the sweet spot on the Twenty Mile Bench, on reddish magnesium and dolomitic-limestone clay soils with a solid silt component, this is one of two expressions of the Wismer-Parke Vineyard. This vintage of the Wismer-Parke is a bit more subtle than the 2022 version with a pretty, floral nose, Morello cherries, wild raspberries, a touch of cassis, subtle rhubarb, savoury notes and fine oak spice. It has wonderful texture on the palate with ripe tannins that wrap around the juicy black raspberries, cherries, crunchy pomegranate, forest floor accents and spice with flecks of bloody/iron minerality through a luxurious, long and finessed finish. Can cellar through 2034.

Bachelder Wild West End Pinot Noir 2023 ($75, 94 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “We chose the name Wild West End because it is the West End of Wismer-Parke. And it is a little wilder, there’s a little meatier, savoury salinity here, a little, dare I say it, bloodier. Planted to an unknown clone, and grown on reddish, magnesium oxide-influenced soils, it offers up bright pomegranate and spicy rhubarb, luscious red raspberries over an amaro blueberry mid-palate. Bracing, with some wildness, and an almost Campari finish.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: The same as above, but this is from a specific block planted to a “mystery clone” that intrigued Bachelder as much as the song Wild West End by Dire Straits, hence the name of the wine. This version of Wismer-Parke Pinot is a bit bolder, more overt on the nose with earthy red berries, cassis, a touch of anise, crushed stems, a certain iron/bloodiness but also rose petals and elegant spice notes. It’s mouth-filling and rich on the palate with brambly raspberries, dark cherries and anise with ripe tannins, earthy/savoury/meaty notes, enticing spice accents and a long, echoing, lifted finish. Might want to wait a bit on this. Can cellar through 2035.

Bachelder Hanck Pinot Pinot Noir 2023 ($75, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Just 20 metres north of the Wismer-Parke Wild West End, across the headland lies the Hanck Vineyard, on demonstrably whiter soil. Here, we still taste the signature meaty flavours of the Vineland Bench, but in a much more approachable, sophisticated, regal way. Hanck is one of the most unique terroirs in all of Niagara. This vineyard is owned and also made by the King and Victoria Winery. Their home vineyard is the Hanck Vineyard. Cloudsley also makes a deft version of this vineyard.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: Hanck is a more fulsome expression of the Bachelder terroirs with an assertive nose of ripe raspberries, Morello cherries, red plums, truffle/umami notes, subtle floral/savoury accents and fine oak spices. It has a bit more grit on the palate with ripe, polished tannins, earthy/savoury notes, a medley of ripe red berries and red plums, a touch of anise, integrated spices and such a long, echoing finish. Can cellar through 2034.

Bachelder Spencer-Morgan Pinot Noir 2023 ($55, 92 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes. “Snuggled up against the Megalomaniac winery —175M at the very top of the Pinot block — the south end of this steep hill planted to Pinot Noir is called La Côte. And, because of its steep descent, it grows great Pinot Noir. An enticing, slightly corrupt nose of kirsch-like raspberries with an intriguing, delicious anise edge, it has a cherried, silky-sweet, stunningly suave midpalate. Just gorgeous and seductive.

The review from Wines in Niagara: The nose is quite forward with Morello cherries, black brambly raspberries, violets, earthy/forest floor notes, a chalky mineral accent and savoury spices. It’s mouth-filling on the palate with a smooth, posh texture and shows ripe red berries, anise, pomegranate and spice on a lifted, long finish. Tasting really nice right now but can cellar through 2031.

Bachelder Ivy and Warren Pinot Noir 2023 ($55, 93 points) — Thomas Bachelder’s notes: “Anne-Marie Saunders and her family planted this patch with Bachelder in mind back when she got out of wine school at Niagara College in about 2013. Along with her husband, Peter, and brother Leslie, they tend the vineyard, the vines and the whole farm with loving care. Father Warren and mother Ivy moved out from Hamilton — Warren must have been 40-ish years old. A little bit old to become a farmer maybe? But better than the steel mills, perhaps? Well, Warren lived to 102 years old. And he is the proof that farming, and wine is good for you. That’s why we call this bottle Ivy and Warren. To commemorate these two star-crossed lovers. She was an RN in the Great War in England, and they met up on her return.”

The review from Wines in Niagara: This is a suave and mostly delicate Pinot Noir on the nose with fresh raspberries, strawberries, red currants, floral notes and perfumed spices. It continues to be a pretty Pinot on the palate with an elaborate array of pure red berries, savoury accents, crunchy pomegranate, floral notes, spice and a lifted, finessed finish. A delightfully elegant expression of Pinot Noir that will bring pleasure through 2032.