SIZE 6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $32.77 EACH

PRODUCER

Bachelder

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY 

Niagara, Ontario, canada

GRAPE

gamay NOIR

 

Bramble fruit nose; waves of dark fruit, tangy finish. Instantly-recognizable as Gamay on the nose: at once light/deep; lithe/agile; elegant, perfumed/ reticent - this, SURELY, must be Bai Xu’s moment!!! Glassene, bright, rich, a deep, ripe-berried savoury volume, long and oh, so evanescently agreeable!! The old-vine flavours and mouthfeel reveal the clay and limestone tangy mineral terroir of the parcel. Drink it tonight with immense pleasure: drink it five years from now just to experience the pure complexity and joy this wine will doubtlessly bring us! It will likely be at its best from 2024-2028!

 

One of the “Seven Wonders of our cellar that shines so brightly, Bai Xu hails from the oldest vines we work with (1981) planted on Line Three in N.O.T.L. – The wines are cared for with great love by Jackson Bai (Xu Bai) himself. In the wine, we sense the calm purity and lightly-perfumed fruit of the immense viticultural effort that Jackson puts in. 

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $34.95 EACH 

PRODUCER

Bachelder

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Niagara, Ontario, canada

GRAPE

pinot noir

 

Made from 100% Bench vineyards on the Escarpment in Vineland and Beamsville, the impossibly complex bouquet darts between violets, classy, perfumed raspberries, and darker blue cherry-pit amaro fruit. On the palate, we have intensely fruity, iron-tinged mineral flavours with notes of anise. It finishes long and slately-clean, with even a hint of cherried vanilla. From the single vineyards of Hanck, Wismer-Parke, Wismer-Parke Wild West End, Saunders and McNally, it delivers the goods we have been waiting for: the rich, hauntingly-complex, limestone-mineral flavours of the Bench! It may be at its best from 2024-2029.

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $34.95 EACH

PRODUCER

Bachelder

VINTAGE

2022

COLOUR

white

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY

Niagara, Ontario, canada

GRAPE

chardonnay

 

Chardonnay hallmarks of honeyed, mentholated waxy notes, with white peach and pear. Silky-rich, even a bit exotic, but dead-dry with a spicy but savoury minerality, tight but not stony. One might even call this a ‘N.O.T.L. Chardonnay for lovers of Bench wines!’

 

93 points, Rick Van Sickle 

The Wismer and Saunders sourced fruit from the Bench is the most elegant of the three Chards in this trilogy. The nose is wispy, flinty, and laced with saline freshness follow by lemon zest, pear, apple skin and elegant spice notes. It’s such a mineral bomb on the palate with a complex array of stone fruits, bergamot, citrus zest, lemon cream and a lifted, long finish. A delight. 396 cases made.

 

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $25.75 EACH

PRODUCER

Bachelder

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY 

Niagara, Ontario, canada

GRAPE

gamay NOIR

 

A deft blend of Gamay Noir parcels from single-vineyard origins, with the expression of the terroir of all-Niagara as its goal … this wine leads us on a dizzy dance combining the deep, ripe fruit and silky tannins of NOTL (Niagara-on-the-Lake) with the delicate perfume and limestone angularity of the best Bench (Escarpment) vineyard fruit. A bewitching nose of rose petals, black raspberry, and smoky cherry jelly. Already incredibly delicious, best from 2023-2025!  

SIZE 6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $27.00 EACH

PRODUCER

Bachelder

VINTAGE

2022

COLOUR

red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY 

Niagara, Ontario, canada

GRAPE

gamay NOIR

 

This is only the second vintage of Bacheler’s “cru” Gamay from the Short Hills Bench sub-appellation. The G&H (for George and Hester) Gamay is 100% destemmed. A much more elegant style with a lighter colour in the glass and a pretty nose of fresh cherries, raspberries, plums, and subtle spice notes. It’s a touch more intense on the palate with the full range of red fruits, red currants, plums, earthy/spicy notes, and a lifted finish. Drink now but can take cellaring to 2026.

 

92, Decanter

A beautiful floral perfume with hints of creamy strawberry. Light and whimsical on the palate with juicy fluidity and a lovely balance of acidity and texture. A lovely wine, vibrant and enjoyable. This is a wine from Bachelder’s annual La Violette release, highlighting nine cru Gamay wines across the portfolio. This one is 100% destemmed from the G&H Wiley vineyard in Niagara’s Short Hills Bench sub-appellation.

SIZE

6 PACK, 750ml BOTTLES, $31.80 EACH 

PRODUCER

Bachelder

VINTAGE

2021

COLOUR

red

SUB-REGION, REGION, COUNTRY 

Niagara, Ontario, canada

GRAPE

gamay

 

Dark chocolate nose; luscious blackberry pie mid-palate. This wine, vinified with 33% whole grape clusters, is the more closed (a ‘low-talker’ Fox!?), and the more structured of all our Gamay Noir ‘Crus.’ Incredible presence and verve: the ‘Bench’ speaks loudly here with more flinty dark fruit than red, and a deep umami mouthfeel – Iron? Rust? A curl of musky funk and deep, mixed forest-berry black fruit in the mouth; it possesses a finish that is slightly longer, with a more iron-like tannic, raw minerality. 

 

We find the use of 33% whole cluster speaks a little more clearly to us about its gravelly, iron-tinged magnesium oxide soil origins, and since the taste of the land is what we are all about, we are so happy to work with Wismer-Foxcroft – not least for the contrast it underlines between the Vineland Bench and the beautiful, more lush propositions coming out of the Niagara-on-the-Lake terroir parcels.