Queenston Mile Pinot Noir 2017 (Niagara) - Wine Review

I first tasted this lovely 2017 Queenston Mile Pinot Noir back in June 2019 and for tonight's red wine review I'm delighted to see it return to the LCBO this weekend as part of the February 18th LCBO VINTAGES Release as an Online and Flagship Exclusive.

It is produced by Queenston Mile Vineyard, a 50-acre vineyard and winery that launched as a brand in early 2019. Queenston Mile is located in the St. David's Bench sub-appellation of Niagara Peninsula, within the Niagara-on-the-Lake region. They are located just 10 kilometres south of the shores of Lake Ontario, an area formed when glaciers carved out the Niagara Escarpment and arose from the historic shoreline of Lake Iroquois towards the base of the Niagara Escarpment. Today, the escarpment's steep ridge collects winds off the lake and circulates them back over the low-lying plains of Niagara-on-the-Lake, creating a warmer climate that extends from early in the spring to lengthen the entire growing season.

The small, dedicated team behind Queenston Mile Vineyard is led by talented winemaker Rob Power of Creekside Estate Winery. Rob and his team had been growing grapes and making wine from the land where Queenston Mile resides for over twenty years, with the first ten years spent waiting for the newly planted vines to mature. They discovered that Queenston Mile has one of the warmest and longest growing sites in the Niagara Peninsula. During the next ten years, they began to see the special qualities of the vineyard, with soils consisting of red sandstone bedrock and rich layers of silty clay and loam. Today, they grow seven varieties on the property, with the primary focus on crafting wines mainly with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, including sparkling wines.

Crafted with 100% Pinot Noir, the fruit in this wine is from their estate vineyard in the St. David's Bench sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula. It was small-batch fermented in stainless steel tanks after a 3-day cold soak, and aged for 16 months in French oak barriques and demi-muids, 40% new.

The 2017 growing season near the estate featured a rainy spring and moderate summer. But things turned around in the fall when the sun started to shine brightly and delivered a hot and dry September, bringing extended heat to record one of the nicest fall seasons on record. Although this vineyard always creates a powerful wine, this particular vintage produced a Pinot that not only comes across as more restrained and smooth, but also elegantly styled with balanced structure. Let's see how this 2017 Pinot Noir from Niagara is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

QUEENSTON MILE PINOT NOIR 2017 - Estate bottled, VQA St. David's Bench, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#10138) (XD) - $40.00
Screw cap. Evolved to a medium-pale garnet colour, this has a beautifully fragrant and highly aromatic nose of black cherry, raspberry, Damson plum, and subtle spice with some earthy and mushroomy characters while continuing to evolve in the glass. It's mid-weighted and well-structured on the palate with lovely black cherry, sour cherry, raspberry, and Damson plum flavours joined by savoury wet earth, beet root, and subtle spice and smoky notes adding further complexity. Touches of tea leaf on the mid-palate. It's nicely textured with some grip and a pleasant, lightly chalky mouthfeel, while acids are fresh and succulent. Smoky and savoury on the long, juicy finish. Wow! Highly recommend buy! Score: 93 pts

Other fine wines by Queenston Mile Vineyard come through the LCBO from time to time, but can also be ordered direct from the winery in Niagara.