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Queylus
Revisting the Niagara Wine region, Canada, part 2
Queylus was started by a group of 12 wine geeks from Quebec.
Initially they wanted to invest in Burgundy, but they were inspired
by the success of the wines from Clos Jordanne, made by Thomas
Bachelder. So they decided to work in Niagara, with Thomas at the
helm. He's been with them from the start. They planted the Queylus
vineyard in 2007, and 2010 was the debut vintage. The first few
vintages were made in the Southbrook winery, but in 2013 Queylus
built their own winery, which is where I caught up with Thomas and
winemaker Kelly Mason.
Thomas Bachelder
Kelly Mason
There are two vineyard sites: the Queylus vineyard, and a leased
3.26 hectare vineyard that Thomas calls Neudorf, which used to be
Clos Jordanne's La Petite Colline. Queylus is below the bench and
has deeper soils, making richer wines, while Neudorf is above the
bench and makes wines with what Thomas describes as 'limestone
minerality.' He divides both vineyards into sections. 'We are trying
to capture different parts of the vineyard and discuss what they
taste like,' he says.
Queylus is a largely red wine winery, and 60% of production is Pinot
Noir. The remainder is Bordeaux varieties, chiefly Cabernet Franc
which does so well in Niagara. Vineyards are managed organically and
all ferments are wild yeast. Everything is destemmed. 'We are trying
to learn our vineyard,' Thomas says. 'The zeitgeist of the new world
is not to have everything separate. Everything is contiguous. If you
have 10 varieties then you never learn about your terroir.'
'The
new world has wasted 40 years in selecting the biggest barrels,'
says Thomas. 'We select what is light on its feet and has flavour
interest.' He adds that, 'these wines have to have some elegance to
them. Concentration can be bought at $15 now.'
THE WINES
Queylus Reserve Pinot Noir 2011 Niagara, Canada
Fresh and structured with fine spiciness and a bit of mineral
character. Lovely cherry and plum fruit but also very fine savoury
spiciness. Quite serious. 94/100
Queylus La Grande
Reserve Pinot Noir 2011 Niagara, Canada
Savoury and fine-grained with some spicy warmth. Real elegance
to the cherry and plum fruit. Finesse with some savoury depth.
There's a lovely savoury elegance to this wine. 95/100
Queylus Pinot Noir Tradition 2012 Niagara, Canada
Pure red cherry and plum fruit with some spiciness. There's
sweetness to this fruit. Smoothly textured with some breadth. 92/100
Queylus Reserve Pinot Noir 2012 Niagara, Canada
Sweet and bold with nice depth. Has plenty of flavour but it
stays light on its feet. Fresh, sweet, juicy cherry fruit with nice
grip and good tannic structure. Has finesse, and just a hint of
iodine. 93/100
Queylus La Grande
Reserve Pinot Noir 2012 Niagara, Canada
Fine, expressive, with nice savoury spiciness, along with fine
but grippy structure. Detail and finesse with taut, grippy backing
to the fruit. Complex with potential to develop. 94/100
Queylus Pinot Noir Tradition 2013 Niagara, Canada
Sweet, warm and slightly herbal on the nose with fine spiciness.
The palate is sweet, warm and fresh with ripe fruit. 90/100
Queylus Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 Niagara, Canada
Warm, fresh and spicy on the nose with ripe, sweet cherry and
plum fruit. Berryish with nice texture and some spiciness. Rounded,
juicy and grippy with good acidity. 92/100
Queylus La Grande
Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 Niagara, Canada
Very pure with sappy cherry fruit elegance. Such finesse.
Floral, fine, supple and juicy with lovely freshness. Has a really
fine spiciness and nice finesse. Lovely grip and potential for
development. 95/100
(We
also tasted 2014 Pinots from barrel. This is looking like a very
exciting vintage.)
Queylus Cabernet Franc Merlot Reserve 2011 Niagara, Canada
Fine with aromatic cherries, plums and blackcurrant with a hint
of gravel. Sweet, silky and rounded. 92/100
Queylus Cabernet Franc Merlot Reserve 2012 Niagara, Canada
Sweet, warm and ripe with a slightly herbal note son the nose.
Warm, rich, rounded palate with ripe blackberries and spice. 92/100
Queylus La Grande Reserve Merlot Cabernet Franc
2012 Niagara, Canada
A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Fresh, vivid and pure with
lovely aromatics of black cherries and plums. Fine, fresh and
expressive on the palate with an almost saline quality, showing
lovely structure and depth. Real purity of fruit: this is fabulous.
95/100
Queylus La Grande Reserve Merlot Cabernet Franc
2013 Niagara, Canada
Sweet and spicy with lovely black fruits. Smooth, rich, sweet
and intense with nice silkiness and some spiciness. Has lovely
texture and nice depth. 93/100
Queylus Chardonnay Tradition 2013 Niagara, Canada
Fresh and a bit nutty with nice citrus, pear and a bit of peach.
Nice focus with a bit of spicy minerality. Very attractive. 89/100
Queylus Chardonnay Reserve 2013 Niagara, Canada
Rounded, textured and nutty with nice finesse and a bit of
spiciness. Nice pear and peach fruit with lovely depth. Finesse
coupled with richness. 90/100
Queylus Pinot Noir Rosé 2014 Niagara, Canada
10 barrels made. Nice texture and purity here with cherries,
plums and pear, as well as some spiciness. A bit stony, too, this is
classy stuff. 90/100
VISITING
ONTARIO WINE COUNTRY, CANADA
NIAGARA
 Southbrook
Malivoire
Tawse
Pearl Morissette
Bachelder
Hidden Bench
Ravine
Creekside
Queylus
PRINCE
EDWARD COUNTY, CANADA
Hinterland
Closson
Chase
Huff
Estates
Rosehall
Run
Norman
Hardie
Wines
tasted 06/15
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