In Niagara: Catching up with Thomas Bachelder
Thomas Bachelder is one of Canada’s beacon winemakers, championing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and in the last years Gamay, though a series of terroir-led releases. Goode and I have tasted and visited with Thomas numerous times over the years (Goode’s extensive backgrounder here), and I most recently sat with him and Mary in his Niagara Batcave in summer 2024. We tasted through his 27 (!) current wines over 4+ philosophically introspective hours, in the order detailed below. While he admits “we are now making a shit ton of wines, because I want to see what speaks to me. I would like to focus, but wines are very hard to throw out of the program.” As Thomas works exclusively with growers, farming very sensitively and at the whims and wilds of mother nature you never know what each season can bring. Always thinking globally, while acting hyper-locally, “The first goal is to get Niagara moving forward and recognized.”
*Goode (JG) and I (TR) tasted independently.
Here’s a video of Thomas from a previous Bat Cave tasting:
GAMAY
We tasted from North to South, from old town Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Bench, starting with the Gamays, released early April in the La Violette release (named for their daughter). As all his Gamay vineyards are on argilo calcaire (clay-limestone) soils, the wines are generally made in the same way (unlike his Pinot Noir and Chardonnay releases, which have varying oak treatments dependent on site). The wines are native fermented and rest in neutral barrels for around 15 months before bottling. What does vary greatly in his Gamays is his use of whole cluster (WC). Typically for more powerful, gravelly soils, he uses less whole cluster, as “we get more pow and wow with more whole cluster”. In Thomas’ view, whole cluster can reveal terroir, depending on what the vineyard has to give.
Niagara now boasts the second most Gamay plantings after Beaujolais. *The 2023 Gamays have just been released in Ontario.
Kirby Gamay Noir 2022, VQA Four Mile Creek
43% WC, Line 1 vineyard, planted 1989 on very sandy soils, next to THE Four Mile Creek. Very perfumed cherry, wild dusky plum, and fine peppercorn have an effortless cranberry lift, with a pure red fruit core framed by long, fine, buzzy tannins. Very saline finish lingers long. 92/100 (TR)
Kirby Gamay Noir 53% Whole Cluster 2022 Four Mile Creek
Line 1. This vineyard use to go all to Adamo for rosé, but now Thomas and Norm Hardie get most of it. Supple and juicy with bright redcurrant and red cherry fruit. Light and expressive with nice red fruit character and fine grained structure. This has a core of sweet, elegant fruit with such purity and precision. 95/100 (JG)
L’il Kirby Gamay Noir 2022, VQA Four Mile Creek
53% WC. The eastern portion of Kirby vineyard (as above). So named because it’s a little cuvée. Branchier, smokier showing, with a more present herbal brace and brush, with a tart lift of acidity that streams this through the saline finish. Punchier. 91/100 (TR)
Lil Kirby Gamay Noir 43% Whole Cluster 2022 Four Mile Creek
There’s real elegance here with fine red cherries and plums, with a touch of sappy character. Silky, pure and elegant, but also shows lovely acidity and precision. Fine and detailed. So assertive, with a taut elegance. 95/100 (JG)
Willms Gamay 2022, VQA Four Mile Creek
55% WC. Line 2 vineyard, planted 1983, and affected by red blotch. Shining wild cherry, wild raspberry and tart acidity, with a firm, fine tannic brace. This firmer Gamay holds its grippy structure through the saline finish. Quieter and confident, this shines. 93/100 (TR)
Willms Gamay Noir 55% whole Cluster 2022 Four Mile Creek
Line 2 East. Some richness here. It’s restrained and complex with firm structure, nice brightness and sweet raspberry fruit at its core. This has grip and intensity, with some generosity to the aromas and the fruit, but it’s compact and firm. This could be fantastic in time. 94/100 (JG)
Bator Gamay 2022, VQA Four Mile Creek
33% WC. Line 2 vineyard, planted 1998 and 2001. Very forward, with juicy black raspberry and a stony, cool perfumed plum, with a softer, darker plum core. There’s a clay-lined texture, with finely grippy / furry tannins taking this to a juicy finish. Morgon-esque. Needs time. 92/100 (TR)
Bai Xu Gamay 2022, VQA Four Mile Creek
32% WC. Line 3 vineyard, planted 1981, and with winter kill damage. Smoked root vegetables lead into this darker shaded, red fruited wine, with crunchy cranberry acidity, and smouldering potpourri spices. Tannins are furrier than previous examples, finishing with a branchy, earthy note. 90/100 (TR)
Bai Xu Gamay Noir 32% Whole Cluster 2021 Four Mile Creek
Line 3. Supple and bright with some sappy hints to the red cherry fruit. Pure and fine with nice grip on the palate as well as supple red and black fruits. Raspberry and cherry with nice focus. Finishes grippy. 94/100 (JG)
Bai Xu Gamay Noir 30% Whole Cluster 2021 Four Mile Creek
This has beautiful energy to it, and incredible concentration. Floral on the nose with vivid cherry and plum fruit, showing some green sappy hints and a mineral core with good acidity and fine-grained tannins. Very fine and detailed, and with lots of potential. A touch of negroni. 95/100 (JG)
The wines above are mostly sand, silt, and clay, with a touch of limestone (Bai Xu marks the divide where limestone is appearing). We then moved onto the Bench, where typically wines will show less colour.
Wismer-Foxcroft Gamay 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
34% WC. With notable magnesium oxide red soils giving distinct ferrous notes, this energetic red has perfumed wild cherry and crunchy acidity running the long, savoury, and finessed frame. Fine long tannins structure this through a lingering finish. Stunning. 94/100 (TR)
Wismer Foxcroft Gamay Noir 34% Whole Cluster 2022
Beautiful aromatics. Taut with some red fruit character and notes of dried herbs and aniseed. Lovely taut red cherry palate with some raspberry crunch and nice intensity with some chalkiness on the palate, and a fine acid line. This is substantial and focused with amazing precision and purity. 96/100 (JG)
Wismer-Foxcroft Gamay 2021, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
33% WC. 2021 was a lighter, more mineral-driven vintage of Wismer-Foxcroft. Savoury, with ferrous kisses and gravels underneath, this is cranberry kissed, with dried florals and tobacco carried by long, sappy tannins. Feels some age. 91/100 (TR)
G&H Wiley Gamay 2022, VQA Short Hills Bench
Destemmed, from George & Hester Wiley’s vineyard far from Lake Ontario, up against the Bench. Quite fruit forward, with punchy plum and tart rhubarb, with lightly furry tannins. Tart cranberry returns on the snappy, almost tinny finish. 89/100 (TR)
G&H Wiley Gamay Noir 100% Destemmed 2022 Short Hills Bench
This has lovely floral red fruits with a hint of aniseed and some sappy, leafy hints. The palate is bright and focused with red cherries and redcurrants, showing nice acidity. The acid line is really enhanced and frames the red fruit beautifully. Such finesse. 95/100 (JG)
Mio Gamay 2022 Gamay, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
25% WC. From young vines (5th leaf) on a red soiled vineyard just below the Bench. Super savoury, with ample ferrous notes, wild plum, and juicy and crunchy cherry wrapping around a juicy, supple core. Long, fine, sapid tannins frame this youthful and charming wine through a floral and flake salts finish. Super promising. 94/100 (TR)
Mio Gamay Noir 25% Whole Cluster 2022 Lincoln Lakeshore
West of Foxcroft, just below the bench, with red soils. Fourth leaf. Vibrant and juicy with lovely redcurrant and red cherry fruit. This is fine and expressive with lovely direct fruit. Pure with a sweet core to the fruit. 94/100 (JG)
Les Villages Gamay Noir 2022 Niagara Peninsula
Juicy and focused with a core of sweet cherry and raspberry fruit. There’s some fruit sweetness to this, but also nice acidity and a bit of structure. Such brightness with a tart edge to the fruit and some sour cherry. 93/100 (JG)
Les Villages Gamay 2022, VQA Niagara Peninsula
A great intro to the Gamay family, this easy and welcoming red is sourced across the Niagara Escarpment. Super juicy with crunchy cherry, tart rhubarb, and sticky tannins, with crunchy acidity ringing through the finish. 89/100 (TR)
CHARDONNAY
Thomas is undeniably best known for his skillful Chardonnays, and easily one of the top hands with the grape across Canada. Inspired by “The OG”, Burgundy, Thomas searches for special sites of Dolomitic limestone along the entire Escarpment. These are released November 1, along with the Pinot Noir, in the Toussaint release. All of his Chardonnay are native fermented, whole cluster pressed, and typically see about 20% new wood over 20 months (no bâtonnage), with attention to use the same barrels for the same vineyards year after year. I tasted these pre-release, with a couple of months of bottle age.
Willms Chardonnay 2022, VQA Four Mile Creek.
Line 1 vineyard, 6km from Lake Ontario, and 4km from the Niagara River, with a soil combo of silt loamy-clay, limestone, gravels, and ample sandstone, this was planted in 1983. Super perfumed, with Anjou pear and pear skin flowing a fine French cream base, this is long and finely boned. The soils gibe a fine gentle expansiveness and sapidity to the palate. Quite complete. No new oak used here. 46 cases made. 93/100 (TR)
Willms Chardonnay Vieilles Vignes 2021 Four Mile Creek
1983 plantings, no virus. Lovely concentration and depth here with rich pear and peach fruit with some subtle honey and nut, but also fine acidity providing framing. Ripe and generous but nicely balanced. 94/100 (JG)
Werner-York Chardonnay 2022, VQA St David’s Bench
This is the first release for this wine, from a York road vineyard planted by Marty Werner, about 10km from the lake. The site slopes up to the back of the quarry. Quite forward with cold cream and perfume, with a touch of creamed corn, there is a light buzzy stony underlay livening this youthful wine. 89/100 (TR)
Questa Chardonnay 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
The Far East Man! on the label hints to the geography of Questa vineyard, 5km from the lake at 133m, on dolomitic limestone and silts. This was alluringly herbal and green edged, with a verbena twist, and fine lees basing the long and gently buzzing white. The finish is stony and grippy with a kiss of flax. Great energy throughout. 92/100 (TR)
Wismer-Foxcroft Chardonnay 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Parcelle Nord, a steep, stony-silty clay and limestone site, 5.4km from the lake, and planted to 30 year old vines around 110m, this is super saline, ringing with oyster shells throughout. Quite pure and forward, with green apple, lemon pith flowing long, buzzing, and finessed. Fantastic energy in this savoury white. 93/100 (TR)
Wismer-Foxcroft Parcelle Nord Chardonnay 2021 Twenty Mile Bench
Amazing aromatics with chalk and minerals and then fine yellow plum and sweet citrus. The palate is fresh and fine with a chalky edge to the citrus fruits. There’s a touch of liqourice, too. Bright and focused, with some chalkiness. Very expressive. 95/100 (JG)
Wismer-Foxcroft Chardonnay 2021, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Deep and potent minerality showing the smart 2021 vintage and effect of bottle age. Lemon pith, green apple, and a flick of flint drives this defined white, with prominent, buzzy minerality humming though the lingering finish. 94/100 (TR)
Wismer-Wingfield Chardonnay 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
1000m further south from Wismer-Foxcroft, on the same street, with 50m more elevation, (169m total), so Thomas harvests this 10 days later, and it’s his latest ripening parcel. Planted in 1999 in magnesium-oxide and dolomitic limestone clays / silts. This has an alluring fine grip, with noticeable extract and lemon pith gliding over a fine cream base, lit with an inherent buzzy texture, stunning. Super long on the mineral-driven finish. 96/100 (TR)
Wismer-Wingfield Chardonnay 2021, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Nice bottle development, streaming river stones, light white honeycomb over a fine cream base, finishing long and humming on the finish. Fantastic energy. 95/100 (TR)
Wismer Wingfield Chardonnay 2021 Twenty Mile Bench
Wingfield is 1 km further from the lake so comes in about 14 days later than Foxcroft. This is bright and fresh with supple pear and citrus fruit, with a slight chalkiness and minerality under the fruit. Nice acidity here with a bright finish. Very stylish. 94/100 (JG)
Hill of Wingfield Chardonnay 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
“The hilliest bit” of Wingfield, this is a different animal. Pointed and sharpened, lightly flinty, with driving lemon pith, and green apple. Focused, committed energy. 72 cases made. 94/100 (TR)
Hill of Wingfield Chardonnay 2021 Twenty Mile Bench
Selection of the best barrels of a more hilly site. This is bright and focused with fresh pear and citrus fruit, showing some lovely fine spicy detail, with grainy structure and some saltiness on the finish. It has a really interesting acid line on the finish. 95/100 (JG)
Ivy & Warren Chardonnay 2022, VQA Beamsville Bench
Ex-Saunders Parcelle Haut, 3.9km from the lake and on clay, silt and limestone soils on what is better called Vineland Bench. Organically grown and certified. Medicinal white cherry, very potent and driving, with lemon verbena and big extract, light spice and lingering truffle oil. Humming stony barrel spice lingers through the finish. 92/100 (TR)
Ivy & Warren Saunders Parcelle Haut Chardonnay 2021 Beamsville Bench
Organic vineyard. Powerful aromatics of melon and pineapple, with some aniseed. This has a beautifully focused palate with nice precision to the citrus and pineapple fruit. Nice acidity and focus with this intriguing aniseed character that’s very appealing. 94/100 (JG)
Mio Chardonnay 2022, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
A new vineyard to the Bachelder Chardy Party, Mio is located below the Bench on mixed red clay soils. 2022 was the inaugural release, from just 4th leaf young vines. Super surprising, this is savoury along the length of the tight pear blossoms and green apple, licked with flint, and with long buzzy energy and tension. One to watch for sure. 48 cases made. 94/100 (TR)
Red Clay Barn Block Chardonnay Grimsby Hillside Vineyard 2021 Lincoln Lakeshore
They can’t call this bench but it is bench, but it’s also close to the Lake. Fresh, detailed and mineral with lovely intensity to the sweet pear and peach fruit. There’s amazing length here: fine and mineral with a tapering finish and some salinity. Very fine and expressive. Such finesse to this wine, and a sapidity to the finish. 94/100 (JG)
Red Clay Barn Block Chardonnay 2022, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
This organic vineyard was planted in 2004 on the Grimbsy Hillside’s red clay, silt, and limestone soils at the far west of Niagara. Ripe, dense, and concentrated, this is fruit forward, with pear, juicy apple, and a fine underlying buzzy texture lingering. 52 cases made. 93/100 (TR)
Frontier Block Chardonnay 2022, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
Frontier Block is the furthest out of the famed Grimbsy Hillside vineyard, planted in 2004, on the border with Hamilton, close to the lake. The topsoil sits above a base of boulders, nestled in the foothill of the Escarpment. Medicinal cherry leads this forward, structured and taut wine, with green apple tightness over big buzzy stony intensity. Easy lift of acidity sails this through a lingering finish. Luminosity. 95/100 (TR)
Frontier Block Chardonnay 2021, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
Lovely tight and lean form, nicely settled into some bottle time with wet stones, green apple and a glossy, slippery mouthfeel. Sleek and elegant. 94
PINOT NOIR
As with the Chardonnays, these are released November 1. All Pinots are destemmed, “because we are dealing with young vineyards”, and rest around 20 months in a mix of new, little used, and neutral French barrels.
Les Villages Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Niagara Peninsula
1 barrel of Niagara-on-the-Lake fruit went into this blend, primarily from Wismer-Parke, Hank, and Saunders Vineyards in Beamsville Bench / Vineland. Dark fruited, with cherry, smoked plum, and light tobacco across a finely grippy frame. Easy to like, especially with gutsier foodstuffs. 89/100 (TR)
Lowrey Pinot Noir 2022, VQA St David’s Bench
This St. David’s Bench Pinot Noir are some of the oldest vines in Niagara. The Lowrey Vineyard was once part of the Alliance project between Jaffelin (Burgundy) and Inniskillin. These vines were planted between 1988 and 1993, on a gentle slope at the base of the Niagara Escarpment decay forest, Wild plum, perfumed raspberry, black tea and white pepper are framed with long, fine grippy tannins. Elegant. 61 cases made. 94/100 (TR)
Lowrey Vieilles Vignes Pinot Noir 2021 St David’s Bench
1988 and 1993 plantings. On the bench in Niagara on the Lake. Sour cherries and plums on the nose with some spiciness. So fresh and well defined with a lovely acid line and some good structure under the raspberry and cherry fruit. It’s really focused and bright with a stony edge to the fruit. Finishes tight, but there’s a lot of potential here. 94/100 (JG)
Old Eastern Block Pinot Noir 2022, VQA St. David’s Bench
From the eastern most and oldest part of Lowrey Vineyard (above) planted in 1984 and 1988. Green edged and savoury, with tight cherry, raspberry, and mineral salts coursing through the muscular frame. Very saline finish. 59 cases made. 92/100 (TR)
Wismer-Parke Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
This Pinot was planted in 1999 (clones 115 and 667) to Wismer-Parke’s reddish magnesium oxide rich silts, clays, and limestone, facing north on a slight downhill slope. This rested in 20% new oak. Dusky cherry, plum is kissed with branchiness and lifted with bright cranberry acidity. The silken palate runs long and fine, finishing with a saline kiss. Time ahead. 92/100 (TR)
Wismer-Parke Pinot Noir 2021 Twenty Mile Bench
Taut, savoury nose is quite bloody with redcurrants and fine spice. The palate is finely spiced with great focus, nice sweet red cherry and raspberry fruit and some nice spicy detail. Very refined and expressive with a mineral twist on the finish. Sensational stuff with real detail. 96/100 (JG)
Wild West End Wismer-Parke Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Twently Mile Bench
This comes from the far wild west end of Wismer-Parke vineyard, still from the same reddish magnesium-oxide clay soils with a solid silt and dolomitic limestone component. As with the Wismer-Parke Pinot, this was planted in 1999 to a mystery clone. Great completedness here, with cherry, wild raspberry, forest moss and a lift of cranberry acidity. Tannins are long and finely supple, taking this through a lingering saline finish. Ample time ahead. 93/100 (TR)
Wild West End Pinot Noir Wismer-Parke Vineyard 2021 Twenty Mile Bench
All neutral oak because it is just three barrels. This is all about texture and focus with a core of sweet cherry and plum fruit with very subtle iodine and cured meat savouriness. In the mouth this shows sweet fruit with a lovely weight and fine spiciness. There’s some structure hiding under the fruit, with great detail and precision. It’s richer than the regular Wismer-Parke. 97/100 (JG)
Hanck Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Hanck Vineyard is “on the sweet spot of the Vineland Bench”, on reddish magnesium and dolomitic-limestone clay soils. Though just 10 metres from Wismer-Parke, the wine is entirely different. Dark plum and wild raspberry lead the brooding, saline Pinot, with dried strawberry underlay, and large flake salts sitting on the finish. More muscular framing, but finishes elegant and long. 92/100 (TR)
Hanck Pinot Noir 2021 Twenty Mile Bench
This is textured with some blood and iodine, with sweet red cherries and a silkiness in the mouth. This has some stony detail to the sweet fruit and a fine sappy greenness on the finish. Such detail and focus. Generous and pleasing. 94/100 (JG)
BeamCity Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Beamsville Bench
A village blend from three parcels in Beamsville, to introduce the fingerprint of the Bench. Pretty and red fruited, with juicy cherry, wild raspberry on an easy lift of acidity, and fine, lightly grippy tannins to frame through a buzzy end. Charming. 91/100 (TR)
Roadblock Pinot Noir 2022, VQA Beamsville bench.
Breaking form on this Pinots, this employs 31% WC in the mix. Quite primary, with juicy black cherry, dark raspberry, and dusky downy tannins hugging the sides through a very grippy, almost kirsch kissed finish. 68 cases made. 90/100 (TR)
