Canadian Content: Ontario

True to Formation

By: Rick Vansickle

Charles Baker raises the bar for Canadian riesling

The seeds for one of Niagara’s greatest expressions of terroir were sown some 13,000 years ago, when an enormous glacier deposited a long and narrow ridge of deep clay soils just above the apex of the Niagara Escarpment.

Erosion from several streams that cut across the area produced an undulating landscape, with many coveted south-facing slopes that provide sun and early warming for the grape vines now planted in the Vinemount Ridge sub-appellation.

Vinemount Ridge is riesling country, not exclusively, but quickly emerging as a mecca of sorts for this magnificent Niagara grape.

Riesling has the potential to be one of the region’s most important varietals, with many exceptional producers already established in Niagara. Garnering a lot of recent attention is the riesling from Charles Baker, who sources his grapes exclusively from a tiny vineyard in Vinemount Ridge.

Baker, who is also the sales and marketing director at Stratus Vineyards, is the new kid on the block and, along with Stratus winemaker J.L. Groux, makes only one wine, his namesake riesling that bears not only the Vinemount Ridge appellation on the label but also Picone Vineyard, a small parcel of land dedicated to the brand.

Mark Picone, who runs a “culinary studio” from his Vineland home and vineyard, owns just two blocks of riesling vineyards, which all go exclusively to Baker. Picone calls himself a steward of the land and combines his love of locally grown produce with a passion for wine. He and Baker found they shared a similar obsession for riesling and the two set out to showcase the terroir, the region and the varietal from the hard clay soil of the Picone Vineyard.

“I’m someone who is adamant about growing super premium fruit,” Picone says. Yields are generally around 2.5 tonnes of fruit per acre, about half of what others produce. Picone says low yields are necessary to reveal the terroir of the vineyard, which shows a strong mineral component, laser sharp acidity and a flavour profile that’s more German Mosel-Saar than Alsatian.

The Charles Baker Riesling, which retails for $35, is raising the bar for Canadian rieslings after only four vintages. The 2008 version is the best yet and shows pure varietal fruit, with the flinty mineral notes that lovers of this grape crave. It’s drier than the 2007, but has enough ripe citrus fruit to balance out the racy acidity.

It’s a wine that says a lot about where it’s from.

90 Charles Baker 2008 Riesling

Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

ON $35 winery

The 2007 version was one of the finest rieslings made in that hot vintage. But it's clear now that this wonderful grape really struts its stuff in cooler vintages, such as 2008. The '08 version of Charles Baker shows perfect varietal fruit, with the flinty mineral notes that lovers of this grape crave. It's drier than the 2007, but has enough ripe citrus fruit to balance out the racy acidity. This is a world-class riesling from one of the top three vineyards for this grape in Niagara - Vinemount Ridge. (RVS)