Hidden Bench Fume Blanc Rosomel Vineyard 2020 2020 : Heavenly Vines

Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Niagara Peninsula
Producer	Hidden Bench Estate Winery
Vintage	2020
Color	White Wine
Varietal(s)	Sauvignon Blanc

Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Niagara Peninsula
Producer	Hidden Bench Estate Winery
Vintage	2020
Color	White Wine
Varietal(s)	Sauvignon Blanc

Data

Closure	Cork
Volume	750ml
Alcohol	13%
Product Code	A020W00420
UPC	NA
Inventory	In Stock (40)

Owning & Enjoying

Tasting notes

Pale gold in colour with a subtle nose of flint, green apple and fresh grass. Gentle flavours on the palate of fresh grapefruit, manadrin, and herbaceous notes of fennel and thyme are all complimented by refreshing acidity and minerality. Drinking beautifully now, this wine will reward those who cellar it for
the next 3-5 years.

Pairing

Enjoy with all sorts of fish including sushi, salads and cream sause based dishes.

Cellaring

Enjoy through 2028

Press

94Wineanorak (Jamie Goode)

Jamie Goode - Lovely grapefruit and smoke on the nose with well integrated oak and some spicy detail, as well as bold fruit. Nice depth to this: it has presence and good acidity, and rich citrus and pear flavours. Classic, in a white Bordeaux style. 94/100

Production

Appellation

VQA Beamsville Bench

Vintage Notes

Bud swell started in early May which coincided with frost events in early May, meaning we had to take measures to protect low lying spots in both the Felseck and Locust Lane vineyards. Over three nights, our team burned hay bales to create a warm blanket over low spots. On the last night of the cold snap a helicopter was used to blow warmer air down into the vineyards.

Thankfully, by the third week of May, budbreak was complete across all grape varieties with no apparent significant damage. By summer solstice on June 21, all blocks in our vineyards were in full bloom with decent conditions for “berry-set”. Come July we knew it was going to be a very hot, dry summer with an early harvest. We took measures in our canopy management to provide shading to the young berries to prevent sun burn while still allowing good airflow. Having learned from the previous ‘extremely hot’ vintages such as 2012, 2016 and 2018, we knew that the ongoing drought conditions would lead to smaller berries and ultimately a reduced crop.

By mid-September we started harvesting Pinot Noir for Rosé, and then transitioned into vineyard blocks for table wine, such as Chardonnay. We have never experienced fruit at the physiological and sugar ripeness levels we achieved and with incredible fruit integrity that allowed us to sort more quickly than is typical throughout harvest. Harvest was complete November 4th and while not the largest harvest for Hidden Bench, we believe 2020 will be a benchmark vintage which we anticipate will yield full bodied, age worthy wines.

Viticulture

Harvest Dates: September 21 - October 2 ,2020
Brix at harvest: Average 21.3
Blend and grape source: Organically certified and estate
grown Sauvignon Blanc.
Alcohol: 13.4%
pH: 2.97
Residual Sugar: 2.95 g/L
T.A. 7.27g/L
Oak regime: 100% French Oak; 11% New, 6% 2nd Fill; 11% 3rd Fill, balance Neutral.
Vine Age: 6 to 27 years
Bottling Date: June 15, 2021
Certified Organic by Pro-Cert

Vinification

In 2020 we exposed Sauvignon Blanc bunches at fruit-set to sunlight by removing leaves on the east side of the canopy only, while providing some shade on the west side to protect against sunburn from afternoon sun. Green harvest was performed at the start of véraison and we only left the healthiest bunches on the vine in order to promote ripeness, concentration of flavours and the expression of terroir.

The grapes were handpicked, hand sorted and gently whole bunch pressed. The juice was then left to settle at 5⁰C for 24 hours prior to racking and then warmed up to 16⁰C and transferred to barrel. Fermentation then occurred naturally with indigenous yeasts. The 2020 Fumé Blanc was blended in May 2021, prior to bottling in June.

Producer

Producer Description

About Hidden Bench Estate Winery Owner

Harald Thiel's uncompromising attention to detail has landed Hidden Bench in the Canadian Wine Awards' top 10 every year since the winery opened in 2007 - with Nuit Blanche named Canadian White Wine of the Year. This small, yet modern and sophisticated, estate winery is tucked away on Locust Lane in the Beamsville Bench appellation, essentially hidden by vines. HB's primary focus is to showcase the terroir of the Beamsville Bench through their award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling offerings.

Each and every wine at Hidden Bench is made under strict conditions:

Sustainable practices, which means 100% organically certified fruit from only estate vineyards.
Individually bunch sorted white wine varietals and bunch sorted and then individual berry sort all of the red wine varietals.
Non-interventionist, minimalist winemaking approach with gentle handling of the wine throughout the winemaking process.
All wines are made with wild yeast and anything that doesn’t ferment naturally is inoculated and declassified into the winery’s bistro label.

VINICULTURE

All grapes are handpicked from their estate vineyards into 10kg baskets and then carefully sorted at the winery by their “triage team” so as to ensure that only the cleanest and best fruit is used to make their wines. All white wine grapes receive a single “triage” and then are whole punch pressed to assure the gentlest extraction of juice. All red grapes, particularly Pinot Noir, are bunch sorted and destemmed and then receive a secondary individual berry “triage” prior to being placed in their oak and stainless steel fermenters.

The winemaking team benefits from all the latest technology, such as geothermal cooling and heating with precise temperature control installed in all tanks to permit extended natural settling and natural yeast ferments of whites and appropriate pre-natural ferment, cold maceration of the reds.

As estate winegrowers their goal is to have ther wines reflect the unique individual terroir of the Beamsville Bench sub-appellation parcels that they call home. Accordingly, they eschew non-organic additives and commercially selected yeasts and strive to bottle their wines un-fined and unfiltered whenever possible. All wines are bottled with minimal sulphur dioxide (SO2) to preserve their freshness and quality and to permit them to age gracefully. This approach has permitted the vast majority of theri wines to be vegan friendly and to be certified organic by Procert as of 2015/16.

We believe that real “Natural Wine” has its origin in certified organic and/or biodynamic estate fruit and a non-interventionist approach in the cellar with an acute and precise attention to detail from vineyard to bottle.

Jay Johnston - Winemaker

Following an inspiring food and wine trip to Canada’s west coast in 2002, Jay returned to Toronto with one thing in mind: Leave the software industry behind for a life in vines and wines. Since then Jay received his formal wine education through Niagara College’s Viticulture & Winemaking program, graduating in 2005. Jay was a part of the Hidden Bench team previously, and we are thrilled to welcome him back as our winemaker. Passionate about cool-climate varietals, with their finesse and their delicacy, Jay feels back at home to be focused on Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Chardonnay in the HB estate vineyards. With a deep passion for terroir, a desire to farm our vineyards to their greatest potential and a profound respect for cellarwork, Jay is extremely excited to be returning to the Hidden Bench family.

Customer Reviews

Hidden Bench Fume Blanc Rosomel Vineyard 2020