August 2026 · Pinot Noir · Burgundy & Niagara
A Tale of Terroir
Every month, my goal with Wine Club is not simply to introduce you to great wines, but to help you become a more knowledgeable and confident wine drinker. Sometimes that means discovering an unfamiliar grape variety or wine region. Other times, it means exploring the philosophy of an extraordinary winemaker.
This month, I’d like to introduce you to one of Canada’s most brilliant winemakers, Thomas Bachelder.
Thomas spent years in Burgundy, France, the spiritual home of Pinot Noir, learning from some of the world’s finest producers. There, he developed a philosophy that has become the foundation of his winemaking: the role of the winemaker is not to impose his personality on the wine, but to allow each vineyard to tell its own story.
“The winemaker whispers so the vineyard can speak.”
That philosophy is known as terroir
Terroir is one of the most important, and at times misunderstood, concepts in the world of wine. It is the unique combination of soil, climate, elevation, sunlight, and countless natural influences that gives every vineyard its own distinctive character. Rather than trying to make every wine taste the same, Thomas works to preserve those differences.
To do that, he intentionally uses a consistent approach in the winery. He doesn’t dramatically change his fermentation techniques, his oak program, or his style from one vineyard to another. Instead, he allows the land to become the loudest voice in the glass.
There may be no better grape to demonstrate this philosophy than Pinot Noir.
Often called both the heartbreak and the holy grail of winemaking, Pinot Noir is one of the world’s most beloved grape varieties, yet also one of the most challenging to grow. Its thin skins and delicate nature make it remarkably sensitive to its environment. Unlike more powerful grape varieties, Pinot Noir doesn’t hide where it comes from. It reveals it.
There is also a very personal connection behind the Burgundy chosen for this month. Among those who shaped Thomas’s winemaking philosophy was his teacher and mentor, Jean-Pierre Confuron, who would go on to serve for many years as the winemaker at Domaine Chanson. Although Confuron was no longer at Chanson when the 2023 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Réserve du Bastion was made, the domaine remains a meaningful link to Thomas’s own journey as a winemaker.
This month, you’ll experience that philosophy through the 2023 Bachelder Wild West End Pinot Noir from the Wismer-Parke Vineyard in the Twenty Mile Bench, alongside the 2023 Domaine Chanson Bourgogne Pinot Noir Réserve du Bastion from Burgundy, the region that first inspired his journey. The purpose isn’t to decide which wine is better. It is to discover how the same grape can tell two different stories, each shaped by the land from which it came.
As you taste, pay attention to the differences. Is one more floral? More earthy? More vibrant? More savoury? Those differences aren’t simply the result of winemaking. They are the voice of the vineyard.
I hope that, by the end of this month’s Wine Club, you’ll not only have experienced two very different expressions of Pinot Noir, but also gained a deeper appreciation for one of wine’s most beautiful ideas: that sometimes, the greatest winemaker is the one who allows nature to do the talking.
Two Pinot Noirs
Burgundy & Niagara
One grape. Two regions. Two distinct expressions of place.
Burgundy, France
2023 Domaine Chanson Bourgogne Pinot Noir Réserve du Bastion
Pinot Noir · Bourgogne, France
This is Burgundy at its most welcoming: a graceful, energetic Pinot Noir that introduces the classic character of the region without demanding years in the cellar. The fruit comes from vineyards across the Côte Chalonnaise, Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Hautes Côtes de Nuits, bringing several Burgundian landscapes together in one harmonious regional wine.
The place
The vines grow in clay and limestone soils, the geological foundation behind many of Burgundy’s celebrated Pinot Noirs. The wine is aged for 13 months in the Bastion, Chanson’s remarkable fifteenth century cellar in Beaune.
In the glass
Bright ruby in colour, it opens with peony, red fruit, gentle spice and fine woody notes. The palate is fresh and direct, with supple texture, integrated tannins and an energetic, spicy finish. Look for elegance and freshness rather than weight or power.
What to notice
Notice the floral lift, red fruit and supple structure: the language of Burgundy spoken through a classic regional Pinot Noir.
Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara
2023 Bachelder Wild West End Pinot Noir, Wismer Parke Vineyard
Pinot Noir · VQA Twenty Mile Bench
Wild West End is the voice of one small parcel within the Wismer Parke Vineyard, interpreted by Thomas Bachelder and Mary Delaney Bachelder with extraordinary attention to place. Only 71 cases were made, making this a rare opportunity to experience one of Niagara’s most distinctive single vineyard wines.
The place
The parcel is planted to an unidentified Pinot Noir clone on reddish soils influenced by magnesium oxide. Thomas describes these red soils as giving the wine a wild, savoury character and firm mineral grip: one grape carrying the unmistakable character of one piece of land.
In the glass
Thomas finds pomegranate, spicy rhubarb, raspberry, blueberry, forest strawberry, anise and a dark, slate like finish. Mary adds cranberry, orange peel, blackberry, rose petal and an herbal note reminiscent of Campari. The result is vivid, elegant and untamed, with savoury depth and a saline finish.
A wine with a future
Thomas recommends giving the wine at least another five years. If you open it now, allow it time in the glass so its freshness, mineral tension and complex savoury character can unfold.
What to notice
Taste beyond the fruit. Look for the wild herbal notes, savoury depth and mineral finish that make Wild West End a wine of somewhere.
At the table
Both Pinot Noirs are wonderfully versatile at the table. Serve them slightly cool alongside roast chicken, pork, duck, mushrooms, charcuterie or mild earthy cheeses. Their freshness and savoury character will complement the food without overwhelming it.
Ontario wine
The Value of Place
Why exceptional Ontario wine is worth understanding
People often ask me whether Ontario wines are really good and why they seem so expensive. The truth is that Ontario is producing some very good to truly outstanding wines, and Thomas Bachelder is one of the winemakers leading the way.
What many people do not realize is that the same cool climate that makes growing grapes in Ontario more challenging is also one of our greatest strengths. Pinot Noir ripens slowly here, allowing it to retain its natural acidity while developing the fragrance, freshness and complexity for which the variety is celebrated.
Most vineyard costs are tied to the amount of land being farmed, not to the number of bottles ultimately produced. An Ontario vineyard still requires a full season of pruning, canopy management, protection and harvesting, even when frost, weather or naturally low yields result in far fewer grapes. Fewer bottles must then carry the cost of all that work.
Thomas’s single vineyard wines generally cost between $55 and $75, yet his finest wines can reasonably be discussed alongside Premier Cru Burgundy in terms of quality, vineyard specificity and winemaking ambition. A Premier Cru Burgundy can readily cost between $120 and $250 or substantially more.
The question is not why Thomas’s wine costs $55 to $75. The question is how a wine of this calibre is still available at that price.
Ontario wine at this level is not asking us to lower our standards simply because it is local. It is asking us to recognize that truly outstanding cool climate wine is being made here at home.
On August 28, Wine Club members will have an opportunity to experience more of what Niagara has to offer through an exclusive tour featuring some of the region’s most respected and award winning winemakers. Details will follow in a separate email.