2023 Bachelder Les Villages Gamay | 91+pts

A super expressive wine, blended of Gamay fruits from Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Escarpment. Very versatile on the dinner table - and very well priced, over-delivering on expectations in many ways. It has very well layered floral aromas with a hint of meatiness and dark fruits, Christmas spice and herbaciousness, showing both structure and fruitiness at the same time. The palate is soft and creamy, the tannins are not agressive but present, the weight on the mid-palate is absolutely perfect, and the fruit delivery of blackberry, black cherry and blueberry liquor is so well integrated with savouriness and smokiness. On the finish, oak spice like cloves, cinnamon and black pepper linger. This is a 'buy-by-the-case' type of wine. (Carl Boucher, Nov 14, 2025). 

91+pts Carl's Wine Club | 91pts Tony Aspler | 91pts Rick VanSickle

A word from Thomas: This Les Villages Gamay Noir has an incredible nose. But it’s not as simple as a synthesis of the Bench’s linear, muscled, darker-toned fruit, married with Niagara-on-the-Lake’s deeper colour and chunky fruit: this wine is just singing. It's got a beautiful high-toned cherry nose. Our Niagara reds often seem to have a sour cherry vibe, with a hint of the black Bing or Morello cherries. I recall when we hit the right blend, it was like: “Wow, that's a super-long, deeply fruited wine that makes me salivate with its juicy savouriness!” When we were doing blending trials for this “assemblage,” we were looking for the most honest representation we could find of Niagara, with the goal of making people fall in love with Gamay Noir! 

A Word from Mary: A gulpable, delicious, and yet ageable example (It will improve over 2 - 3 years in a cool cellar). #GoGamayGo!