Hidden Bench, Locust Lane Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula

Locust Lane is the home vineyard for Harald Thiel’s Hidden Bench, stretching away on gentle slopes from the winery and tasting rooms. The vines were planted in 1998 and are green-harvested. In the winery, the wine’s cultural contours are provided by destemming and a cold soak, followed by hand-plunging during fermentation then ageing in mainly neutral oak. This translucent Pinot Noir has both plum and raspberry fruits as well as a sweet, floral note to the aroma. The palate, meanwhile, has surprising depth and intensity of fruit with some palpable tannins, in a satisfyingly firm, searching style. Few Ontarian Pinots can match the finesse and assurance of the Hidden Bench wines.