By Rick VanSickle

At the King and Victoria Winery on Niagara’s Twenty Mile Bench, it’s all about a holistic approach to crafting small lot wines from their own vineyards.

There’s a layer of security when you grow your own grapes, make your own wine and have dedicated buyers for the rest of grapes. Such is the arrangement enjoyed by the two couples who own King and Vic — Rob and Liz Harold and Joe and Tracey Schenck.

The winery and tasting/retail facility is nestled on the estate’s Hanck Vineyard, a well-appointed site that shares a border with the Wismer Vineyard to the south and close to Butlers’ Grant to the east. Just across Victoria Avenue is the Wismer Foxcroft Vineyard with Tawse and Vineland Estate not far from there. It’s a proven terroir for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc, among other varieties, with distinct personality. With its gently sloping clay and limestone soils, it is a site that promotes ripe, nuanced, and mineral rich fruit.

For the past 20+ years, the fruit from Hanck has been sold to local wineries and the name has appeared proudly on bottles of single vineyard expressions from Cloudsley Cellars (almost next door to King and Vic) to Bachelder Wines.

The two couples now manage all winery operations from vine to wine now that the winery is complete. The wines up until recently were made at nearby Cloudsley but now with the winery built, the wines going forward are crafted exclusively in house by Harold and Schenck, who both have backgrounds in amateur winemaking. “The plan is for a small-scale, artisanal, low intervention winery and to make what we can manage,” said Schenck in an interview last year. “It’s just fun to have a vineyard and winery to play around.”

Here’s where the grapes come from for the King and Vic portfolio:

Hanck Vineyard snapshot

• Owned by Rob and Liz Harold, and Joe and Tracey Schenck

• Hanck is a combination of the brothers-in-law’s last names

• 20-acre parcel purchased in 2002

• 13 acres planted from 2004 to 2007 with Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir. An additional 1.25 acres of Pinot Noir planted in 2021


Haynes Street Vineyard snapshot

Additional fruit for the project comes from the Haynes Street Vineyard in the Creek Shores sub-appellation in nearby Jordan.

• Owned by Joe and Tracey Schenck

• Two acres of Cabernet Sauvignon planted 2000

• Two acres of Cabernet Franc planted 2000
• 
 Two acres of Gamay planted 2021


Upper Farm Vineyard snapshot

The Schencks also own a 20-acre Chardonnay vineyard in the Creek Shores sub-appellation called the Upper Farm Vineyard that was integrated into the King and Vic portfolio beginning with the 2023 vintage.

I tasted with Harold and Schenck just as they were on the cusp of harvest recently. Here’s what I liked, including a mini vertical of Pinot Noirs. You can purchase the wines at the winery or online here.

The pet-nat

King and Victoria g-minor Pet-Nat 2023 ($30, 89 points) — This pet-nat is made with 100% Gewurztraminer and shows a slightly cloudy, light gold colour in the glass. The nose displays notes of grapefruit, lychee, ginger snaps, Asian pear and floral/spicy accents. It’s racy, tangy and has a lively bubble on the palate to go with juicy tropical fruits, ginger, citrus and a clean, fresh finish.

The white wines

King and Victoria Hanck Vineyard Riesling 2023 ($25, 92 points) — From the estate vineyard, this Twenty Mile Bench Riesling is from the 21b clone planted in 2007. It shows fresh saline notes on the nose with grapefruit, lime, green apple and white peach. The palate reveals chalky/stony notes, tangy citrus, apple, pear and a vibrant finish. Lovely Riesling that can evolve for another five years in the cellar.

King and Victoria Hanck Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($25, 91 points) — This is a lovely style of Sauvignon Blanc from a proven vineyard that has a nose of ripe pear, melon, lemon/citrus, green apples and subtle herbs. It’s richer and textured on the palate with stony minerality, pear/melon, lemon freshness and a bright, lifted finish.

King and Victoria Upper Farm Vineyard Chardonnay 2023 ($30, 93 points) — Sourced from oldest vines on the Upper Farm Vineyard in the Creek Shores sub-appellation. The fruit was hand-picked, hand-sorted, whole-cluster pressed, wild fermented and aged for six months in stainless steel and neutral French oak barrels. It has an inviting nose of ripe pear, saline, yellow apple, understated oak spices and citrus notes. It’s fresh on the palate with a creamy texture and shows pear/quince and bergamot notes with subtle spices, stony minerality and an elegant, lifted, long finish. Very fine Chardonnay.

Pinot Noir vertical

Of the three Pinot Noirs tasted in this mini-vertical, only the 2019 and 2021 vintages are currently available with the 2022 vintage coming soon. I have previously tasted the 2019, and 2021, but it was educational to re-taste them side-by-side with the other Pinots. Here are my updated notes and a first look at the 2022 vintage.

King and Victoria Hanck Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 ($55, 91 points) — When I originally tasted this wine, I noted that I would revisit it to see if the obvious reductive notes calmed down. Many of the Niagara 2019 red wines were reductive and some have fared better than others with time in the bottle. While those notes are still there, they are much more integrated, giving the nose a savoury edge rather than overt reduction. Look for dark cherries, brambly raspberries, cranberries, earthy notes and light oak spices. On the palate, the fruit has emerged from the shadows offering a more red-fruited profile, smoother tannins, subtle reduction, integrated spices and earthy notes with a bright and lifted finish. More aging in the cellar would be beneficial for further integration.

King and Victoria Hanck Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 ($55, 92 points) — This is little lighter in colour and shows a prettier, more delicate style on the nose with wild raspberries, subtle herbs, violets, fresh cherries, and light spice notes. It’s silky smooth and dances lightly on the palate with fresh red berries, red currants, anise, floral notes, subtle spice, and a bright, vibrant finish. This is coming along nicely and is more typical of Twenty Mile Bench Pinot Noir. Can age through 2029.

King and Victoria Hanck Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 ($55, new release, 93 points) — This hits all the right notes with me. The nose shows persistent ripe cherries, black raspberries, a floral note, fine integrated spices and touch of anise. It’s complex with a silky-smooth texture and a mélange of red and dark berries, subtle earthy/savoury notes and a lifted, long, finessed finish. Will reward with cellaring but drinking fine right now. Can cellar until 2030.

The Cabernet

King and Victoria Hanck Vineyard 2021 ($35, 91 points) — The fruit is sourced from the Haynes Street Vineyard in nearby Jordan and is a blend of 58% Cabernet Franc and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon. It spent 21 months in French oak, 30% new oak. Not a big bruiser of a red blend, but rather more elegant with a nose of black cherries, anise, brambly raspberries, a touch of herbs and well-integrated spices. The evident tannins bring structure to the palate with a mélange of red and dark berries, savoury herbs and a tangy, lifted finish. Can drink now or hold for a few years.

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