2023 Pinot Gris
2023 Pinot Gris
“Strength in Subtlety”
I relish every opportunity I get to craft wine from Pinot Gris grapes.
It was such a disappointment not to have our usual allotment to vinify in 2022. Being unable to taste and share one of my favourite varietals with our customers was a harsh dose of grape growing reality.
A renewed excitement built up within me as the 2023 growing season unfolded. Our two distinct Pinot Gris vineyards, one old and one new, showed early signs of life and fruitfulness. Planted in heavier clay, these vines tend to exhibit stark growth variation depending on water status. In dry seasons the growth is less vigorous and drought stress is likely, while in wetter years like 2023 the vines can get a little out of control if one is not careful.
Thankfully, I enjoy spending time with my Pinot Gris. Getting to them early is critical, as they respond well to aptly-timed shoot positioning and leaf removal. Once cluster spacing is adequately set within the canopy, efforts can turn to routine hedging and exposure. Cluster and berry size was above average in 2023, making for some tense moments during late summer rain events.
The visual appeal of crimson-hued Pinot Gris clusters adorning green grapevines in September is something one has to witness in person to truly appreciate. There is almost a mystical sheen to the skins that I’m convinced finds its way into the textural elements of the wine. Moderate September temperatures and low humidity kept the dreaded botrytis at bay, allowing for gradual flavour accumulation and acid decline within those crimson berries.
In 2023, we were afforded the rare vintage where we could choose a precise harvest date at our leisure, aided by the fact that it would be some of the first non-sparkling fruit to be taken off in the region – i.e. picking crews were ready and waiting! That beautiful day came on September 25th, with both blocks being harvested, destemmed and pressed. The juice was sweet and tasty, with 20.5 °Brix of sugars and TA that seemed just right at 7.4 g/L.
Fermentations were encouraged to start wild, taking place in a combination of older French oak (67%) and tank (33%). The barrels and tank were cooled to 10°C once the fermentations were established, in an effort to stretch out the process for maximal flavour and aroma development. After 21 days, all vessels were stopped at a specific gravity of 0.998, which equated to about 8.1 g/L of residual sugar. The wine was aged a further 5 months before blending and bottling. Total production was 107 cases.
I adore the subtle nature of Pinot Gris. It will not wow crowds with aromatic intensity like Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling, but instead rewards those who are willing to look deeper behind the unassuming facade. It is both humble and complex, perhaps something many can relate to. The lovely aromas are an invitation take a sip and experience the true delights that Pinot Gris can offer.
2023 Riesling
2023 Riesling
Does Riesling have an image problem?
I’ve heard tale of debates on this controversial topic in recent years, and have been reticent to give my two cents, until now. I’ve never been one to really care about my own image, but my wines – that’s a different story!
Like anything in life that is abundant, reliable, low maintenance and versatile, Riesling tends to get taken for granted. Our region is not completely blameless in this oversight, as we’ve come to treat Riesling as a “plateau priced” varietal that is often overcropped and in surplus.
Riesling is a great blending varietal due to its intense aromatics and reliable balancing acidity. In fact, it may be such a good blender that it has exacerbated the aforementioned issues. It also tends to be a great value per price point single varietal wine, which can be a double-edged sword, making it relatively easy and inexpensive to find a decent bottle, yet hard to justify paying more to explore single vineyard terroir.
In our experience, Riesling tends to be the slowest seller of our whites each vintage, and I feel strongly that this does not reflect a quality disparity amongst the wines. The other whites tend to be more niche and get more fanfare, but the Riesling is often my preference.
There is a hidden benefit to the slower Riesling sales, however, in that it’s usually available for tastings in our barn throughout the summer. In the many tastings I’ve conducted over the years, I would say that Riesling is the wine that tends to get the most surprise reactions from our guests. Expectations of something sweet and dull or dry and bracing are quickly cast aside.
Niagara Riesling has consistently proven to be a unique take on the varietal and should continue to be celebrated as such. I encourage people to explore the many different clonal and terroir variations that we can offer throughout our region. As a grape grower and winemaker, I will continue to treat Riesling with the same reverence and effort that I afford all other noble grape varietals.
2023 “Jean’s Block” Riesling
There is usually a lot of drama and bluster in my yearly recap of vinifying Riesling. For once, I am extremely grateful to report, that was not the case. We’re talking drama free, and borderline enjoyable!
In terms of fruit cleanliness, the Riesling we harvested in 2023 stands on its own amongst previous Jean’s Block vintages. As much as I’d like to take credit for this result, it is 100% due to the lack of late season precipitation and humidity. Okay, maybe 99%.
Harvest date was October 11, and the pressed juice was cool-fermented with W15 yeast in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation was slow and steady over 26 days, then stopped at a specific gravity of 1.004 and 10.7% abv. Total production was 100 cases.
I think the cleanliness of fruit is reflected in the purity of the aromatics. There are distinct layers of apple, citrus and floral notes. I always associate Riesling with Springtime in Niagara, as it abounds with freshness and hints of tree fruit blossoms.
2021 Syrah
2021 Syrah
The nadir of the 2021 vintage on our farm was surely encountered in the days leading up to the Syrah harvest.
Soaking rain, followed by consecutive days of dense fog and stagnant air combined to put our nearly-ripe Syrah on the precipice of breakdown. I remember taking pictures of the pea soup fog and the mushrooms sprouting out of the vine trunks, just to have record of how dire the situation was. Beset by an unsettling feeling, I began to notice that the skins on a few, then many berries were starting to lose their integrity and become discoloured and mouldy. It was evident that some kind of fungal pathogen, likely Botrytis, was taking over and there was little time to act.
I’d seen this many times before, but not with such rapidity. The only course of action was to get the grapes off as soon as possible and deal with the soggy consequences in the winery.
The vigilance in fruit selection we employed that foggy October day bordered on silliness, with all clusters having to be methodically pored over to remove the worst-affected berries. The Syrah clusters were abnormally tight in 2021, which only added to their susceptibility. We ended up with less than one tonne of fruit when all was said and done, our lowest yield to date, but to have any fruit to vinify in this freak scenario was a victory in itself.
My first concern as a winemaker when working with “soft” skins is the unknown extent of the botrytis. Unlike white grapes that are pressed off the skins before fermentation, red grapes are fermented with skins and even given some extended maceration time afterwards if so desired. Having a high percentage of compromised skins in the must can lead to many issues with fermentation dynamics and eventually fining or filtration. So, with that in mind, the remedial protocol I employed was to forgo a cold soak, expediate the fermentation process and lightly press at dryness to limit overall contact with the skins.
The finished wine was pleasantly smooth from the get-go, likely due to a combination of limited skin contact and the clarification enzymes I added to remove unwanted botrytis metabolites. I think the saving grace for this wine (but the kiss of death for the greater crop) was just how ripe the fruit was when the rains came and the fog eventually rolled in. All components, including tannins, acid, pH and sugars were at or near optimal levels by the time we rushed in to hand pick.
It’s crazy to say, but at the moment this might be my favourite of the 2021 reds. It features invitingly smooth tannins, but doesn’t lack structure or length. I love the cool climate Syrah staple of pepperiness and blackberry, and the savoury components present on the palate. Total production was 42 cases, two of which will be set aside for my own personal collection.
Just another unique entry into the ever-widening Syrah vintage variation spectrum. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Life on the Farm
The end of a growing season is always a natural time for reflection, and this year I find myself contemplating larger themes and looking for meaning amidst the rows and barrels. Inevitably, I come to the conclusion that I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend my days working on a family farm.
Life on a farm is all I’ve ever known. It has been the constant that has shaped my personal relationships, my career and my thoughts. Sure, there were brief times when I seriously considered other callings, but a sense of duty and the love of a challenge eventually superseded any alternative ambitions.
My thoughts on farm life, stewardship and succession have evolved through the years as I’ve grown and matured. A young child can’t help but be ignorant to the challenges of succession, and is likely to perceive the passing down of land as a given part of the family story, the way things have always worked. But with each passing year and vintage, one becomes increasingly aware of how tenuous and vulnerable a farm can be, and how relatively small a window of time each steward occupies in the grand scheme of things.
I draw inspiration from the previous generations and land inhabitants whom I envision living a more mindful, “in the moment” lifestyle, one that I strive to emulate. Enjoying the here and now can add fulfillment to our lives, while devoting enough time to future planning is our moral obligation. The balance between these two is the burden that can weigh heaviest on farmers. One of my biggest faults is worrying too much in the moment, which is not beneficial to either of these pursuits!
Fretting about the failure of a crop can sometimes blind me from the mind-nourishing aspect of vineyard work. Just being outside, genuinely endeavouring to help things grow should be considered a triumph, not whether your Pinot Noir is squeaky clean (although that would be a nice consolation). Working in a vineyard can be equal parts exercise, meditation and stimulation – a payoff, of sorts, for the sacrifices that accompany a year-round farm operation.
In short, 2023 marked a wonderful year of rejuvenation for our vineyard. Young blocks that had struggled to get established, finally flourished, while the older blocks that were decimated by cold-induced trunk damage returned to full production. The crops were bountiful and we experienced a dream September for ripening grapes that made up for a less than ideal summer. The wines show great promise!
So my resolution, as I set out to make the first pruning cuts of 2024, is to view time in the vineyard as the unrelenting yearly cycle that is made up of individual vintages whose varied characteristics are formed through memorable daily experiences, both positive and negative. In other words, life.
It is filled with tremendous volatility, but there is also comfort in it’s reliable churn.
2020 Pinot Noir
It is perhaps unfair to compare and contrast the work that goes into growing Pinot Noir with that applied to other varietals, but that is exactly what I intend to do here.
The only time I don’t wake up thinking about Pinot Noir is the short window of time between bottling day (early April) and budbreak (late April) – a most joyous stretch that I cherish akin to The Masters each Spring. The other 11 months and change can only be described as an all out battle of wills that would provide a fitting test for even the “Tiger Woods” of grape growers. For the record, I’ve had my share of Greg Norman-esque collapses through the years.
In the Lowrey Vineyard, the cycle begins in December with the first pruning cuts of the season. Traditionally, we opt to prune our old Pinot block first each winter, as the vines usually winterize and harden off earlier than our other varietals. Excess wood is trimmed away from the vine until we are left with four canes to choose from, each housing 8-10 buds. Two of those four canes will be tied down and two left as insurance, to be removed after a successful budbreak in Spring.
Budbreak is always a nervous time, especially in early awakening varietals like Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Minor frost damage is usually inevitable, so it becomes more about avoiding the killer frost. Windmills can be handy in this pursuit, but they are not the magic shield that they are sometimes made out to be.
Once the frost worries subside, the real fun begins. I would estimate that I average at least a couple of hours each day through the growing season tending to Pinot Noir. It is at this point where every vine becomes a puzzle that needs to be solved, but with a solution that is constantly evolving based on the conditions. Pinot Noir vines grow very vigorously, and it is easy to get behind in taming the growth should you get complacent. Recent research has shed light on the benefits of early season basal leaf removal in berry set of Pinot Noir, so that is now a focal point along with regular thinning practices. The ultimate goal is establishing proper shoot spacing, cluster load and berry set prior to bloom phase.
As the canopy takes shape, the bloom through veraison stage shifts focus to disease prevention and maintenance. Depending on the day, I might be tinkering with shoot positioning, removing leaves, cluster thinning or hedging. Although all varietals have need of these jobs in varying degrees, no varietal demands the attention to detail required in Pinot Noir. It is reflected in the make or break nature of Pinot, which is certainly not for the faint of heart. I may have alluded to this once or twice over the years.
The “easy” stage of Pinot growing ends abruptly, as the berries fully colour up and start to accumulate enough sugar to entice a shocking number of pests to have a taste. It is a time when the tightness of the cluster, and any trapped debris within, can pose a potential threat of Botrytis. It is important to be especially vigilant with both your eyes and nose when walking through the vineyard on the hunt for any signs of rot. If found, the offending clusters are removed promptly to prevent disease spread via fruit flies. This constant daily search for rot can take a mental toll, so I make sure to break up my days by working in easier varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon.
The final gauntlet of Pinot Noir growing revolves around when to harvest the crop. I’ve written about this agonizing decision many times in the past, but there are so many variables at play it doesn’t hurt to review. Every vintage presents a new set of parameters that you must adapt to: cluster tightness, skin thickness, crop load, weather conditions, disease pressure, seed ripeness, flavour development, berry composition (sugars and acids) and stem ripeness (should you choose to include whole clusters in your fermentations).
Once a picking date is settled upon, or more likely forces itself upon you, we now enter the thorough Pinot Noir sorting process. Ours is three stage: a walkthrough visual inspection of every cluster in the rows we choose to harvest, a second closer inspection of each cluster by the hand-picking crew and, finally, a third rotten berry inspection en route to the destemmer. Only then can I feel confident that the fruit we’ve worked so hard to keep clean and ripen is fit to be vinified.
The 2020 vintage was characterized by an early budbreak and some long stretches of the hot and dry conditions that winemakers dream about. There were the usual challenges (detailed above), but ultimately the fruit came in ripe and beautiful on September 18th (21.6 degrees Brix, 7.0 g/L TA). Our fruit was harvested from rows 2-5 of our oldest vines and rows 8 and 15 from the slightly younger plantings. Whole clusters were added to two separate bins (10%) and then filled with destemmed berries (90%). The clean fruit was allowed to soak in the bins for seven days before natural fermentation began.
Fermentations were punched down by hand three times daily, reached a peak temperature of 30C, and were dry after seven days. The new wines were pressed after a five-day post ferment maceration. Five French oak barrels were filled (20% new oak) and allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation over the next couple of months. The wine spent 24 months in oak before bottling 122 cases on April 6th, 2023.
I am in love with this Pinot Noir right now, mainly due to its striking aromatics of ripe cherry, black currant jam and truffle/mushroom. It is very tempting to advise enjoying it now, but I’m sure it will evolve and improve over the next few years. If you like a Pinot that exhibits a bit of youthful tannin, then by all means give it a go!
2022 Riesling
2022 “Jean’s Block” Riesling
There is just something all around comfortable about Riesling. From its reliability in the vineyard to its versatility in the winery, I can’t help but get the warm and fuzzies when I think of this varietal.
Sure, there are the inevitable yearly Botrytis issues, but after facing those conditions so often it starts to become part of the routine and a subtle component of the wine.
The 2022 vintage marked the earliest harvest date we’ve ever had for this varietal – September 16th. This was mainly due to the light crop in Jean’s Block, approximately 25% of our normal yield. It is generally preferable for Riesling vines to carry a slightly higher crop load than our other aromatic white varietals, in an effort to maintain acidity through ripening. Therein lied the challenge in 2022, and we opted to harvest earlier than normal to preserve the delicate flavours and acidity (18.0 degrees Brix, 10.4 g/L TA).
I employed the usual regimen of two separate fermentation tanks, each inoculated with a different yeast strain (W15 and X5). I love the dynamic complexity that using these two yeasts provides. The X5 tank shows beautiful, intense tropical and floral aromas, while the W15 tends to have more of a traditional Riesling profile of green apple, pear and peach. Together they are fermenting bliss!
Fermentations were carried out cool (10C) for about a month until the wines tasted balanced at a specific gravity of 1.005. The tanks were then blended and allowed to bulk age until bottling on April 6th 2023. Total production was 126 cases and final alcohol was 10.5%.
The knockout aromatics of this Riesling are the real standout of this vintage. I tend to lose myself a bit while nosing this wine before the crisp natural acidity snaps me back to. This Riesling has become my go to wine for settling in to watch a Leafs playoff game after putting the kids to bed. I can’t think of anything more comfortable than that…
2020 Syrah
2020 Five Rows Syrah
“Could this be right?”
I was astonished when I looked into the eyepiece of my refractometer and saw a line between 25 and 26 degrees Brix. In an instant, I had officially vacated my Syrah comfort zone and entered some kind of wild outback of unknown possibilities.
Having just collected and prepared my first berry sample of 2020 Syrah, I had hopes of 22-23 degrees Brix based on the way the berries tasted. The staggering results of the test meant the grapes had accumulated much higher sugar than we had ever seen before and were likely ready to harvest anytime, pending TA and pH analysis.
In the lead up to harvest, the sugar content of berries, measured in degrees Brix, is just one of several variables we monitor to give us an idea of overall ripeness. Depending on the varietal, I generally use degrees Brix as a gauge of when to start paying attention to more important parameters like acidity, seed ripeness, skin consistency and flavour development. Syrah has an interesting way of showing intense pepper flavour early in development that resolves into a combination of dark fruit and less intense pepper at peak ripeness. In 2020, we were deep into the dark fruit zone by the time I started sampling.
One culprit for the high sugar result was the noticeable onset of berry shrivel. In vintages where the hot and dry conditions persist into the fall, berries can start to shed water and “raisin” a bit. This is particularly common in our Syrah vineyards and usually a good indicator of when they should be picked.
It was thus decided to hand harvest 850kg of fruit from our Clone 7 block and 850kg from our Clone 100 block on October 14th. The sample proved accurate as the Syrah came in testing 25.8 degree Brix. Only after consulting literature on fermenting must with high sugar content, did I feel confident that I could handle these conditions. The increase in alcohol produced by the excess sugar can cause havoc with yeast struggling to finish a fermentation, so selecting proper yeast strains and nutrients, and managing fermentation temperature became even more critical than usual.
Following a five day cold soak, the two bins were allowed to start fermenting naturally for the first third of sugar depletion. The Clone 100 bin was then inoculated with RX60 and the Clone 7 with FX10, to aid in achieving dryness. As expected, the fermentations were long (10 days) and ran pretty hot (34C), but did finish nicely. It was apparent in tasting at the press tray that this new wine was something different and potentially very special. Malolactic fermentation took place in four French oak barrels (25% new oak) where the wine was allowed to age for 24 months, before blending and bottling on April 6th, 2023.
One thing I love about making Syrah in a climate like Niagara is the vast array of wine styles possible based on vintage variation. The core terroir elements (pepper, floral notes, smoked meat, dark chocolate) are always present, but there appears to be an endless continuum of fruit components and savoury textural elements based on the vintage. As a youthful winemaker, I used to worry that this meant inconsistent wines, but now I fully embrace the differences. Enjoying a 2019 and 2020 Syrah side by side can illustrate this wonderful contrast in styles.
The 2020 Five Rows Syrah is a bold, ripe wine; exhibiting flavours, textures and colour that probably make it a bit of a one-off based on previous vintages. For those who prefer a more mellow Syrah, you may want to give it some time in bottle (3+ years).
2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
The story of Cabernet Sauvignon on our farm dates back to the mid 1990s, when my parents were looking for potential vinifera varietals to plant that would best suit our vineyard site. They had had success with Pinot Noir, but were looking for something perhaps a little less mercurial that could optimize the warmer conditions they enjoyed on the St. David’s Bench.
I think it’s safe to say that the benchmark for Niagara Cab Sauv at the time was John Marynissen, who happened to be a good friend of my grandfather, Howard Sr. I’m sure my parents were influenced by the success of John’s wines in some way, if only to give them the confidence that this late ripening grape could make a great wine in the right hands.
Our oldest Cab Sauv block was planted in 1998, and began to produce a decent crop by the turn of the millennium. The block has its share of eccentricities, including varying row widths and lengths, as well as a mixture of clones. It also represents the last block my grandfather helped us plant, a treasured memory that I will always carry with me. Shortly before we harvested the first crop, he expressed to my Dad in his uniquely humble, understated way, “Howie, you’ve really got something here.” It is a sentiment that still rings true to this day.
The 2020 Cab Sauv is a wine that validates the legacy of that fateful decision to take a chance on this varietal. The vintage conditions in 2020 were the perfect recipe to unlock the potential ripeness of Cab Sauv in Niagara. Having said that, there is still an underlying elegance to this wine that belies its bold exterior. The aromas are intense, invoking notes of black currant, cherry, violets and vanilla. Given the requisite time to fully mature, this could be a wine that we look back on as a benchmark among those made from our fruit.
2022 Pinot Gris
2022 Five Rows Pinot Gris
When our newest block of Pinot Gris was planted back in 2019, the original plan was to allow it to establish over the next couple of vintages then flourish into a full crop in 2022. Mother Nature had other plans, and those vulnerable young vines were forced to bear the brunt of a brutal winter.
The idea in founding a second block of Pinot Gris (Clone 53, rootstock 3309) was to provide a complimentary 8-row parcel to our original planting, which was starting to show signs of decline in both yield and vine health. The two blocks would co-exist for some time until the older vines needed to be pulled out altogether, hopefully later than sooner.
As it turned out, the only fruit available from either block in 2022 was that provided by the sucker shoots sprouting up from the bottom of the vine. Any clusters provided by these future trunks are a bonus, but can be challenging to keep clean growing so close to the ground. The number one concern for the vines at this stage is re-establishing trunks for next season, so this bonus fruit inevitably becomes a bit of an afterthought through the growing season.
That low hanging fruit was hand harvested on September 14th, 2022. We ended up with about 45 picking boxes in total or 542kg to be exact. After whole cluster pressing, the juice yield was a whopping 370L. It was decided to ferment 220L in neutral French oak and 150L in tank, using X16 yeast. The fermentations were conducted at an average of 9C and stopped at a specific gravity of 0.997.
The small volume winemaking employed in crafting this wine brought me back to the early days of Five Rows. Something about having an entire year’s production housed in one barrel and a very small tank rekindled those initial feelings of anticipation I experienced when making my first Pinot Gris in our “new” barn some 15 years earlier.
In the end, I’m very happy that we undertook the effort to vinify that small amount of Pinot Gris, as it would have been very easy to let the birds or the wasps have their way with the tasty, sweet clusters. Sentimentally, this vintage will always mark the first time we blended the fruit from both of our Pinot Gris blocks into one wine. The result is a beautifully complex and compelling white wine, with typical Pinot Gris aromatics of pear, apple, peach and honey. The texture is delicate and the wine comes across slightly off-dry on the palate. Best enjoyed at 50-60F, or just above typical refrigerator temperature.
Winemaker’s Journal
Please see my Five Rows Winemaker’s Journal for all future posts. Thanks for reading!