Bachelder 2014 Wismer Parke Vineyard Pinot Noir
Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula
ON $44.95 (520379)
The Wismer Parke Vineyard has long been the source of some of Ontario's most exciting Pinot Noirs, but it's only starting to get its due on wine labels. Top Pinot producers Derek Barnett, Norm Hardie and Thomas Bachelder identified the potential of the site more than a decade ago. The merit of the vineyard shines through in the 2014 vintage, which yielded an abundance of Niagara Pinots that are uncommonly big and tannic. (Time will tell when — if? — these savage reds turn the corner towards grace and purity.) There's an immediacy about the Wismer Parke bottling that's hard to miss. Mouthfilling texture and a core of ripe red fruit make this instantly enjoyable, while the fragrance, structure and length suggest this is a Pinot that will continue to charm even after it sheds its luscious primary fruit notes. Drink now to 2024.
Released Oct. 5 through Vintages Classics Collection.