In Niagara (11) Dobbin, an exciting new winery
Website: https://dobbinestate.com/
Dobbin is an exciting new winery on the Twenty Mile Bench in Canada’s Niagara region, and it’s based on a special terroir.
Back in 2019 Peter Gamble got a call from Wade Dobbin, the owner of the property. He told Peter that he had a piece of land with a vineyard on it, and he was curious as to how much potential he had. What about making some wine from this plot?
It turned out that Peter knew the vineyard, which had been planted by Laura Sabourin and which had been farmed biodynamically. Sabourin was the first Demeter-certified producer in Canada, and Peter’s wife Ann Sperling had been buying this fruit for Southbrook, where she was winemaker. But Sabourin had run things on a shoestring, and so the vineyard wasn’t in top condition. Peter came to have a look and dug some pits, and then a second round of pits, and was amazed at what he saw.
First, the soil organic material was really high. In conventional vineyards here lower than 2% organic matter is normal. At Southbrook they started at between 2 and 3%, and this grew to 6% after the shift to biodynamics in 2006. Here, it’s 5.9-6.5% which is amazing, after 25 years of organics with cover cropping.
Second, there is high active limestone here. Some 20 years ago a bunch of Niagara growers, including Pearl Morissette, Hidden Bench, Malivoire, Bachelder, Pascal Marchand and Ann and Peter all chipped in some money to bring in soil expert Yves Hérody to do soil analysis, as well as Jaques Petit a Quebecois soil expert. Yves showed them how to examine soils, and to do an acid test for calcium carbonate, rating soils on a scale of 0-4 depending how much was present. They found lots of zeroes, some ones, ocassional twos and one three. At the Dobbin site there were lots of threes, but if you look at the site then you can’t see any signs of limestone.
The theory is that the hard Dolomitic limestone that sits below Niagaras vineyards (but which roots can’t easily penetrate) had been scoured and mixed in with the soil here.
So Peter spoke to Wade: yes, this is a very promising site, but now you have an obligation to make interesting wines. They kept 2.5 acres of old vines and have replanted the rest, with close spacing (2500/acre), sourcing vines from an inland Washington State nursery where they are virus free (at a cost of $8.5 per plant rather than $3.5).
The property is 50 acres, with 17 acres of vineyard and a 7 acre pond. The earliest record of the pond is a picture from 1934, and it was the same shape then than it is now. It has two creeks flowing into it, and it exits to the north. It’s unusual to find a feature like this on the bench.
They installed irrigation to help with the establishment of the vineyard, but also because almost every year there is a four or five week drought that affects the quality of the tannins in the reds. Having it as a possibility is worth it, and it’s also justified by the safety it affords for the establishment of the vineyard. And the pond doesn’t dry up, and it’s their resource.
They also decided to work without netting because of the extra humidity it brings during the ripening period. So they have bird lasers mounted so they can cover all the blocks. You need to get them in early and make sure there are no breaches: the birds tend to find if there are any gaps. They are effective with larger flocks that are seeing where to land: they see the lasers and don’t come down. But they do still have issues with the American robins that are present in the vineyard. They don’t devastate but they annoy. The starlings are in big flocks. This laser approach won’t work with ice wine because the flocks are so big and there’s no food.
While the vineyard is growing, fruit is sourced from Twenty Mile Bench from good sources that Peter and Ann were able to secure. 2019 was the debut vintage. From 2022, all the Dobbin wines will be estate only.
Classic winemaking for Chardonnay, Barrel fermented in 3 year air dried French oak from Burgundy, with 20% new, 18-22 months in barrel, no battonage.
THE WINES
Dobbin Chardonnay 2020 Twenty Mile Bench
13% alcohol. This is tight and precise with nice energy, showing lemony fruit with purity and precision. There’s some stoniness and minerality here, as well as some bright acidity. This shows very chiselled character with some fine mealy, spicy notes. Ageing potential here. 94/100
Dobbin Chardonnay Estate 2020 (magnum)
12% alcohol. Single barrel from estate fruit. Crisp, focused and mineral with a lovely steely edge to the citrus and pear fruit. Tight with juicy, mineral citrus dominating. So fresh and expressive with a sense of delicacy and nuance. This will develop beautifully. 95/100
Dobbin Chardonnay 2019 Twenty Mile Bench
There’s some generosity here with a mealy edge to the pear and peach fruit. Very refined with lovely crystalline citrus on the palate, with good acidity. There’s nice density here with potential for ageing. 94/100
Dobbin Chardonnay Estate 2019 (magnum)
14.5% alcohol. Full yellow colour. This has a lovely depth to it with some rich pear and peach as well as some toast and honey, with nice energy. Lovely balance and energy here with good acidity on the finish. Has a little development but will age further. 94/100
Dobbin Cabernet Franc 2020
14% alcohol. This is a blend of three different sites: Twenty Mile Bench, Creekshores, Four Mile Creek, 20 months in French oak, 55% new. Wild ferment. Lovely blackcurrant fruit core with nice freshness, showing some chalky texture and a bright finish. Sophisticated and energetic with good tannins, but beautifully balanced with some polish to the sleek fruit, but not too much. This is serious. 95/100
Dobbin Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Estate 2019
Ripped out right after harvest, because the vines had virus issues. They did just one bunch on every long shoot, ¾ tonne and acre max, to get it ripe. They haven’t planted Cabernet Sauvignon again, so the estate will be Cabernet Franc. There’s a freshness and brightness here with a lovely acid line. Lovely blackcurrant fruit with a twist of nice green and good acidity. Such elegance and precison with a chalky edge. 95/100
For Rieslings, multiple picks are important in order to assemble the dry Riesling. This has a huge cost: you need a small press and work with small batches.
Dobbin Dry Riesling 2019 Niagara Peninsula
12.5% alcohol, pH 3.5, TA 7.5, RS 8.7 g/l. Black cap. Purchased grapes from two estates. Complex and lively with a core of rich, sweet citrus fruit with a bit of structure and lovely crystalline quality. So enticing with a sense of freshness and also some rich fruit. Really serious with great weight and focus. This is remarkable. 94/100
Dobbin Riesling Estate 2019 Twenty Mile Bench
13.5% alcohol, 7.5 g/l, pH 3.4, RS 10.5 g/l. White cap. Bright, focused and linear with lovely crystalline fruit showing some freshness and purpose, with a core of ripe lemon and beautiful delicacy. So pure and fine with a long finish. This is immense. There’s a touch of generosity to the fruit, but it stays very fresh. 95/100
Dobbin Dry Riesling 2020 Niagara Peninsula
12.5% alcohol, pH 3.5, TA 8 g/l, RS 15 g/l. Black cap. This is a blend purchased grapes from three sites. Wonderful rich aromatics of lime and lemon with a touch of honey. Floral and expressive. The palate is layered and rich with some apricot richness in the mix and then lively lemony fruit. Crystalline and very fine with nice weight and purity. 95/100
