Bachelder

Thomas Bachelder and his wife, Mary Delaney, are masters of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After a career making wine in Burgundy and Oregon, while dabbling in the Niagara Peninsula, they returned to their native Canada full-time in 2015, determined to discover its best vineyard sites.

The Niagara Peninsula’s viticultural heritage is relatively young, with the first wineries established in the mid-1970s. As a result, producers are still exploring which areas are best suited to specific grape varieties. This is at the core of Bachelder. Drawing upon lessons learned in Burgundy and Oregon, Thomas and Mary have identified sites across the region that allow them to make wines with a true sense of place. “They (Burgundians) never spoke about grapes, just places”, explains Thomas, who seeks to do the same with Canadian wine.

Years of making Chardonnay in renowned areas, including Meursault and Corton–Charlemagne, have shaped Thomas's commitment to a low-intervention approach to best express a vineyard. As a result, the Bachelder wines are made using gentle pressing and indigenous yeast fermentations. Malolactic fermentation occurs in specially selected oak barrels, followed by an extended ageing period to create a wine with beautiful elegance and well-integrated flavours.

The Les Villages ‘Bench’ Chardonnay is made using grapes sourced from benchlands along the Niagara Escarpment, which comprises the sub-appellations of Short Hills Bench, Twenty Mile Bench and Beamsville Bench. The resulting wine is delicately perfumed with a beautiful, textural quality on the palate. The single-vineyard ‘Wismer-Parke’ Twenty Mile Bench Pinot Noir is beautifully poised and expressive, with notes of plush red berry fruit, silky tannins and bright acidity.

As a long-time admirer of Beaujolais, Thomas has recently turned his attention to Gamay and has now produced a single-vineyard expression. The Wismer-Foxcroft Twenty Mile Bench Gamay is made with 33% whole-bunch fermentation. Lightly oaked, the resulting wine is brimming with bright red fruit, soft acidity, and subtle, elegant tannins.