2020 Charles Baker Riesling, Twenty Mile Bench

Youthful apple/quince fruit needs a moment in the glass to warm up and expand, showing lemon, tarragon, peach Melba and a whiff of Niagara limestone like hose-dampened gravel on a summer’s night. The palate has lovely, lightly sweet Riesling fruit of lemon and apple, reined in as brisk, refreshing acids rise to meet them. Still quite primary, the fruit rolls on to a lovely finish that bodes well for the Ivan’s
evolution, corroborated by the promise of the
nose’s complexity. Does it matter when it’s this
delicious right now? This would be magical
with crispy Thai shrimp spring rolls or Rabbit
rillettes spooned on to a Bibb lettuce leaf with
a dollop of peach mostarda.

2020 was a remarkable year for weather and wine in Ontario. Warmer than average winter months led to a cool dry April and May. The approach of summer brought a return of the hot weather with low
precipitation and humidity. Similar conditions
continued through August with only short,
isolated, but intense thunderstorms. While temperatures began to naturally cool, sunshine remained throughout the autumn. The dry, sunny conditions were ideal for the full and complete maturation of grapes and contributed to a smooth harvest. Across the region, unseasonably warm weather delayed the icewine harvest, resulting in a loss of tonnage. These temperature conditions
postponed picking into the last week of January. While the overall grape crop was low, quality across all varieties was exceptional.