The Essence of Beamsville Bench
The winery is located in the tiny appellation called Beamsville Bench. This narrow strip of land near Lake Ontario boasts sloping vineyards and deep, dry soils; a valuable terroir that shapes the exceptional taste of its wine. The winery is committed to ‘small lot’ winemaking. Grapes are hand-picked and hand-sorted from vineyards that produce very low yields with incredible quality. The wines are always made in small batches, reinforcing the belief that less is more. Each wine made at Thirty Bench is distinctive - a unique expression of their vineyard and their small lot approach to winemaking.
Unveiling the Phenomenal 2020 Vintage
From the phenomenal 2020 vintage, they hand-picked Cabernet Franc from two organically grown, low-yielding vineyard blocks; Crabtree Vineyard (3.2 acres, planted in 1999, in Beamsville), and one of their own on-site estate vineyards. The grapes received an 18-day maceration in open wooden fermenters, with a twice daily pigeage (punch downs) to break surface cap and wild yeast fermentation. The wine was then barrel aged in premium 100% French oak for 12 months (Taransaud Reference 102, St. Martin T+J (Tronçais and Jupilles) medium toast). Full malolactic fermentation was encouraged. Top barrels were selected to determine the final blend. Once bottled the wine received an extended period of bottle ageing before release. Limited production of 422 cases.
