many consider to be the ultimate expression of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, is a lofty goal.“ But we all need goals,” he says,“ and growing conditions here [ on the Niagara Bench ], the soils, and the protection we enjoy from the escarpment, are all similar to the conditions in Burgundy. This is a serious wine making force.”
From their fine vineyards Tawse takes care to produce the best fruit possible. They use organic and biodynamic methods— the highest ecological standards. Sending sheep out into the vineyard early in the growing season means that leaf-trimming is done naturally. During the growing season, crop thinning( also known as green harvest) reduces the crop considerably, but increases quality by intensifying the flavours of the fruit that remains. In the fall, the fruit is harvested and sorted by hand.
The winemaking process starts at the top level of the Tawse building. Each stage of fermentation, ageing, blending, and bottling takes place at the next lowest level of the building. This gravity-based system is the gentlest way of moving the juice and wine from tank to barrel to bottle, and it shows in the finished product.
Tawse’ s stars are their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Winemaker Paul Pender uses French oak judiciously, and produces Chardonnay wines with elegance, spice, and a timeless style; his Pinot Noirs hold a fine balance of fruit, minerality, and structure.
There is no pumping of juice or finished wine. When they need to move the wine up a level, the wine takes the elevator and the people take the stairs.
Another winery that reflects the growing excitement of Niagara is Stratus, near Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Stratus approach has also been to produce high quality wines through careful, sustainable viticulture and winemaking, and in a few short years they have achieved cult status.
The Stratus difference is that their aim is proprietary blends rather than varietal wines.“ We have a focused estate model,” remarks Suzanne Janke of Stratus. Their approach is the Bordeaux model: the top tier is a blend of some half a dozen grape varieties, either white or red, enigmatically labelled Stratus White and Stratus Red. Each year these wines are a special expression of the best of the harvest.
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