Thomas Bachelder is one of the leading producers in Canada’s Niagara region, and he’s doing very good things with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He also works in Burgundy and Oregon, which probably helps. He’s focusing on good vineyard sites, and to this end a few years back started dividing up his holdings in the Wismer vineyard. This is the Foxcroft Block Chardonnay.

Bachelder Wismer Vineyard #2 Foxcroft Block Chardonnay 2013 Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara, Canada
This is quite lovely: it’s fresh and well defined with a salty, limey underpinning to the crisp apple, yellow plum and pear fruit. There’s a slight hint of pineapple, too. Boasting a smooth, broad, textured mid-palate, this flirts with richness but never really strays from its lean, mineral tendencies. It’s not immediately obvious or terribly complex, but it grows on you and puts on weight in the glass. Lovely stuff. 94/100