Hidden Bench Riesling (from Canada!)

Another little trip to the northern land of Ontario, this is the Hidden Bench Vineyards Beamsville Bench VQA Riesling. Located in an area of Ontario labeled as the Niagara Peninsula, on the southern shores of Lake Ontario.  The growing region as a whole is known as the Niagara Peninsula, while the vineyards of Hidden Bench are located in the Beamsville Bench sub-appellation.

A quick tour of the Hidden Bench Vineyards website makes it apparent that these folks are very focused on quality, terroir, and sustainability. Now there's a word that gets thrown around a lot but rarely discussed.  As best I can sum it up for you, "terroir" means a "sense of place."  It's the ultimate sum of climate, soil, environment, and other natural surroundings.  Terroir is what provides that little something extra to Maryland Crabs, French Cognac, Italian Olive Oil, etc. Serious winemakers want their wines to express that sense of terroir through their wine, not taste like everything else out on the market.  The winemaking team at Hidden Bench is very conscious of this concept, and very actively pursuing its benefits.

Now, back to the wine...I've tried a lot of riesling lately.  As a matter of fact, after my trip to Florida and my quick read of the fantastic Terry Theise book "Reading Between The Wines" I decided to drink nothing but riesling for several weeks.  I came to one major realization during this little pilgrimage, I LOVE good riesling! My favorite rieslings have been those German rieslings with such strong acidity that they balance the high sugar content perfectly.

The Hidden Bench Riesling reminds me of those awesome German rieslings.  At only 11.5% alcohol, I expected a fairly high sugar content, and that's exactly what I'm detecting.  The nose has just a touch of that petrol and minerality that I hoped for.  The acidity balances the residual sugar nicely, and the finish is clean but long.  There's a richness to the wine that's hard to pin down, and it's very enjoyable.  In my tasting notes from earlier in the day I wrote "Not quite the Dragonstone, but damn close!"  The Leitz Dragonstone Riesling has been my favorite so far, but the Hidden Bench is now a serious competitor!

Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery
Beamsville Bench Riesling
TCSH Rating - 9/10
Aka - Another Canadian wine to blow my mind

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