Wine Splash!

Thirty Bench Chardonnay

This is one of the most popular stops on the Beamsville Bench near Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. Thirty Bench Winery is very rustic from the outside with beautiful views of the town of Beamsville and Lake Ontario. But the inside of the winery is very upscale and sophisticated with hardwood floors and lots of tasting tables. You just get that feeling that you are going to get a great glass of wine here from people that take wine seriously. And they definitely do since their winemaker, Emma Garner, won the Canadian Winemaker of the Year in 2015. So consistent quality wines is what you will get when you visit Thirty Bench Winery.

Many of the wines at Thirty Bench are produced in small lots which means that each vine is custom grown, hand cropped, and then trimmed down to produce smaller crops which results in much higher quality wines. In the glass, this Chardonnay is deep straw yellow in color with an almost golden hue. Aromas of spiced apple, bright citrus, almonds, and vanilla oak. Medium to full bodied with a rich mouth-feel and low tannins. Elegant flavors of ripe pear, baked apple, grilled pineapple, and toasty oak. A wonderful tornado of flavors swirling along my tongue and across the palate! On the second sip, flavors of ripe tropical fruits came through along with some soft lemon and biscuit notes. Round and luxurious in character but well balanced. Very food friendly and would pair well with grilled chicken, pork dishes, chicken pot pie, pasta with cream based sauces, Caesar Salad, or Smoked Gouda Cheese. This Thirty Bench Small Lot Chardonnay is a definite winner and rates at a strong 92 points! The 2012 is wonderful and is still available around Canada or online but the 2013 is now out and is just as good. The 2012 will age nicely through 2018. Average of $28 a bottle. WineSplashing!!