Tasting Note Sourced from five-year-old vines in the Wismer Wingfield vineyard, this is an energized, compact and flavourful gamay that should age well. The nose brims with red fruits — strawberry, red cherry, pomegranate seed — with red rose and light cinnamon spice from 12 months in barrel. It is medium weight with some gloss to the texture, gentle warmth from 12.5% alcohol, sourish acidity and fine tannin. Nicely balanced overall with very good to excellent length.
Backgrounder Divergence is a relatively new label by winemaker Jeff Moote, who is making the wines within the Collab Wine & Beverage Project at Marynissen Estates. He is sourcing fruit from some of Niagara’s best sites, including Wismer Wingfield in Twenty Mile Bench. Keeners may spy that there are five Wismer gamays in this post. Jeff reports that 2023 growing season was challenged by wet and warm weather that resulted in disease pressure, then in mid-summer by wildfire smoke reducing sunlight hours. “September was a saviour,” he said. Grapes were hand-harvested and destemmed into one large fermenter. The wine was pressed after two weeks then transferred to French oak barrels: 40% in a new 500-litre puncheon and the remainder in neutral barriques. After 12 months, it was racked out of barrel and gently filtered prior to bottling.
