By Rick VanSickle
Staying on the Chardonnay bandwagon, there’s a new wave of producers who have planted their hopes and dreams in the dirt of Niagara.
Four that come readily to mind are Kirby Estate Wines, On Seven Estate Winery, Stonebridge Estate Vineyard and Dobbin Estate Winery. I have written about Dobbin’s current portfolio here and I’m due for another visit to Lailey, where the Stonebridge wines are made.
That leaves On Seven and Kirby, both of which I visited recently and tasted (mostly) their Chardonnays. These relative newcomers to Niagara are pinning a lot of hope on Chardonnay from their unique terroirs and are doing it right out of the gate at a high level. First up, Kirby Estate.
Note: To read Part 1 of this two-part series on the history of Chardonnay in Niagara and new reviews from Westcott Vineyards, go here.
Kirby Estate Wines
Scott and Maria Kirby (above) were drawn to the region in 2017 by the “idyllic beauty, pastoral environs, and favourable climate.” Before they could even get a single wine into a bottle Mother Nature threw a few obstacles in their way, requiring a partial vineyard replanting and an opportunity to plant grapes that align more with what the couple likes to drink.
When the Kirbys first visited the property, it was obvious to them that the former peach farm turned vineyard in the 1990s was a special place with its rich soils, bounded by Four Mile Creek on the east and north, and overflowing with tender fruit, nut trees, and a plethora of birds and wildlife. There were also acres of vines with mature red and white vinifera varieties scattered around the property.
The couple was looking for a lifestyle change and embraced the challenge with optimism, and maybe just a little trepidation, as they journeyed down the road less travelled becoming grape growers and vignerons.
Under their stewardship, the Kirbys have partnered with top industry professionals with expertise in vineyard management (Craig Wismer) and artisanal winemaking (Matt Smith winemaker and Peter Gamble consultant) to craft premium, small-lot, single-vineyard Merlot, Chardonnay, and soon to come, Gamay, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Blanc (the first one recently bottled).
The 2024 vintage will be the 8th harvest for Kirby and Mother Nature has thrown everything she’s got at grape growers in that period, including devastating winter kill, disease (red blotch, leaf roll) and a vintage such as 2021 with a persistent rainy fall and the resulting mildew issues that come with that.
From the 2021 vintage, the boutique winery is releasing four wines — two Chardonnays, including their first reserve Chard, an estate Merlot, and their first Pinot Blanc. “It was a continuous effort to fight the mildew,” says Scott Kirby of the 2021 vintage. “Craig (Wismer) was pulling his hair out.”
Kirby does not farm organically but does farm sustainably and prefers not to spray to combat mildew in the vineyard. The key in 2021 was to keep air flowing in the vineyard with de-leafing and thinning the bunches. All fruit is hand-harvested and hand-sorted to catch any impacted grapes. “I was worried about this vintage, but I’m not now. I’m very proud of these wines,” says Kirby as we sit down to taste the wines along with Maria Kirby.
Here’s what I liked (all available mid-August online here:
Kirby Estate Chardonnay 2021 ($55, 92 points) — Sourced from estate grapes planted 26 years ago, this Chardonnay is hand harvested and hand sorted, wild fermented and aged in 100% French oak barrels (20% new oak) for 18 months. The nose is intense and focused with perfumed pear, pure saline and wet stones with yellow apple, bergamot, guava and a touch of vanilla toast and spice. It’s rich and savoury on the palate with flinty minerality, chalky salinity followed by layers of pear, apple, lemon tart, and some tropical notes in a generous, yet elegant style that all leads to juicy acidity on a lifted, long finish.
Kirby Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2021 ($65, 94 points) — The Reserve, only made in what the Kirbys, winemaker Smith and consultant Gamble believe are the best vintages with the only difference in the two Chardonnays being barrel selection. It’s slightly more generous on the nose than the estate, more integrated with yellow apples, quince, lemon meringue, stony/flinty minerality with a touch of savouriness and elegant spice notes. It has a plush, creamy texture with flint and wet stones, ripe stone fruits, some tropical mango/guava, and toasted spice notes with a layered, long and finessed finish that goes on and on. A very fine Chardonnay.
Kirby Estate Merlot 2021 ($60, 93 points) — Scott Kirby believes this version of the Merlot (only one was made in 2021, not the reserve) “is our best (estate) to date.” The wine is aged in 100% French oak (33% new oak) for 18 months. It shows a lighter shade of red in the glass and has an expressive nose of brambly red berries, umami/mushrooms, earth, red flowers, plums, dark cherries, anise and elegant spice notes. It shows more concentration on the palate with chalky tannins and melange of earthy dark cherries, black raspberries, cassis, anise, savoury spice notes, cloves and a polished finish that’s finessed and long. An elegant and expressive Merlot that should cellar nicely for the next five years.
On Seven Estate Winery
On the other side of Niagara-on-the-Lake, another super-premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (a small release in 2023 with more on the way next year) producer is making outstanding wines on a micro level.
The first On Seven wine was released in 2020 to critical acclaim. Subsequent releases have been stunning examples of Niagara Chardonnay made without compromise from a previously unheralded terroir meticulously planned and planted from scratch. But like Kirby, crazy weather and vine disease has caused some delays while replanting takes place.
There will be no wines released from the 2022 vintage, but maybe — just maybe — a first sparkling wine might make an appearance. Bud loss from the -25 C cold snap in 2022 meant there was no fruit to process, but thankfully, the vines survived and are now producing again for the 2023 and 2024 vintages. “Our plan was to always have Chardonnay and Pinot Noir every vintage,” said On Seven owner Vittorio De Stefano. But Mother Nature sometimes makes decisions for you, and we had to look at rosé and sparkling wines. We can only do what the vineyard gives us. At the end of the day, we just have to listen to the vineyard.”
De Stefano, a Toronto resident who works in finance, and his wife Sula, acquired the abandoned farm on seven acres on Line 3 Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the project. The name of the winery is derived from the acreage, though there are now only five acres planted on the property to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with another eight adjoining acres purchased and just in the process of being planted now.
Peter Gamble, a sought-after consultant on many major wine projects across Niagara, Canada and beyond, was hired from the beginning to lend his expertise for On Seven and to be the founding and current winemaker. It was a daunting task. The original vineyard was essentially abandoned and was completely reimagined with an eye to producing classically styled Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from the ground up.
The plan was always to grow organically, so the existing vines were torn out and a protracted exercise of getting vines with pedigree from Burgundy began. The vineyards also enjoy calcareous-rich soil, a desired attribute for terroir-driven wines.
With the 2021 Chardonnays planned for release on Sept. 29, first to On Seven members, I joined De Stefano and Gamble, along with wine writer Tony Aspler, to taste the upcoming wines. Gamble says “the vintage kept growing on me. Everything seemed to come online. The terroir starts to howl about a year and half in.”
To mitigate mold in the vineyard from the wet 2021 vintage, Gamble and De Stefano employed rigorous leaf plucking and “we make sure the bunches don’t touch each other,” Gamble said. They can do that in their organic vineyard because yields are always kept to two tonnes per acre or less.
And because they are a certified organic producer, copper has been used in the past to prevent mold from setting in and spoiling the crop in a wet year. On Seven recently switched to a new product called Cueva, a fixed copper fungicide made by combining a soluble copper with a fatty acid to form a true soap, gentle enough for use on copper-sensitive crops that protects plants from a wide range of diseases and can be easily tank mixed with a wide range of products. Copper, over time, is not ideal for the health of the vineyard, which builds up tolerance for effectiveness. Cueva, so far, is proving to be a better alternative.
Here’s what I like from the Chardonnays available Sept. 29:
Note 1: Only 150 cases of the Pursuit and under 100 cases of the Devotion are available.
Note 2: The labels weren’t printed yet for the bottles we tasted.
On Seven Pursuit Chardonnay 2021 ($40, on release, $50 after, 93 points) — The Pursuit is made the same way as the top Devotion expression with aging in French oak (25% new oak), for 20 months, all wild fermented, hand harvested, and hand sorted. It shows a light golden colour in the glass with a rich and savoury nose of succulent ripe pear, yellow apples, lemon curd, peach skin, fresh salinity and fine oak spice notes. It’s highly extracted on the palate with layers of orchard fruits, zesty lemon, flinty/reductive accents, spice and defined by its rush of racy acidity on the back end, giving it poise, balance and finesse through the long finish. Can cellar to 2029.
On Seven Devotion Chardonnay 2021 ($68 on release, $78 after, 94 points) — The top tier Devotion is a blend of Chardonnay from the finest barrels, the finest blocks, and made only in what De Stefano and Gamble believe are the finest years. A touch tight on the nose at first, but with swirling, the aromas unfold to show pristine, elegant notes of perfumed pear, apple, apricot, bergamot, sea breeze salinity, elegant spices, and never-ending persistence. It’s much more open knit on the palate with ripe pear, lemon tart, quince, a creamy texture, saline freshness, toasted hazelnuts and spice in a layered, complex style highlight by freshness and finesse on a long, luxurious and lingering finish. A soulful Chardonnay that will reward with 3-5 years in the cellar.
Note: These wines will be allocated first to the On Seven mailing list on Aug. 18 at the prices posted above. Prices rise after the mailing list allocation has been fulfilled. To get on the mailing list, go here.
Show your love for Ontario wines
Let’s show the great 100% Ontario grown wines a little love this November, shall we? After a three-year hiatus, #openlocalwine, an international celebration of local wine (wherever local is for you), will return on Nov. 9, 2024. And you are all invited to the party.
For the full story and how you can help celebrate, go here.
The post Kirby, On Seven play a big role in the Ontario Chardonnay crusade appeared first on Wines In Niagara.
