Kirby Estate Pinot Blanc 2023

This wine is made from 27-year old vines sourced exclusively from Kirby Vineyard in the Niagara Lakeshore sub appellation in Niagara-On-The-Lake.  

The vines are grown on transitional soils - sandy loam to silty clay - situated on a slope with rows running from east to west.  Bloc#2 is situated on the south bank of 4 Mile Creek and surrounded on 2 sides with oak, maple and sumac.  Turtles have been observed laying eggs immediately adjacent to the vines in the sandier reaches of the soils.

The vines are sturdy owing to age and typically produce super clean fruit owing to meticulous care by Glen Elgin Vineyard Management.  Harvest generally happens in the first week of October once the berries achieve optimal ripeness.  This bloc is prone to noble rot (botrytis) which is generally considered desirable and adds complexity to the resulting juice.  The berries are hand harvested into baskets, hand sorted and lightly pressed and transferred immediately to new and neutral French oak barrels for wild fermentation and aging for 9 months.

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Historically the fruit from this bloc was blended into white table wines produced by others until 2018 when Shauna White, winemaker at Adamo Winery chose to purchase the fruit for use in a very popular and award winning Pet Nat which continued until 2021.

Kirby Estate decided to pursue its first traditional method blanc de blanc sparkler from its 2022 vintage pinot blanc and the base wine is to be bottled this month.  2023 was Kirby Estate’s first cru-style vintage of pinot blanc .  This followed research on 14 different pinot blancs from a host of countries including Canada, France, Italy, US and Austria all of which were tasted in the summer of 2023.

The preferences of our tasting group were virtually unanimous in choosing the pinot bianco style lightly oaked wines from the Alto-Adige region of northern Italy.  These wines were elegant, clearly elevated and more complex than most of the others.  Winemaker Matt Smith has used new (20%) and neutral French oak for fermentation and aging (9 months).  The resulting wine has a nose of citrus and orchard fruit.  The palate shows notes of peach, lemon and almonds.  The finish lingers and the wine exhibits delightful overall balance.

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The wine was bottled in late July and is now released and can be ordered here.  

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You may also read Rick Van Sickle’s review at Wines In Niagara at this link.

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(93) The inviting nose shows stony/saline minerality, white peach, pear, lanolin, citrus and light spice notes. It has gorgeous texture and concentration on the palate with stone fruits, a touch of flint and rousing saline, lemon tart, a bit more spice and lifted, finessed and long finish. This is serious Pinot Blanc and has enough structure and acidity to cellar until 2028.

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We look forward to you experiencing our latest release the 2023 Estate Pinot Blanc, from our family to yours!

-Scott