Heron Pond Benchland Vineyard is a fifty acre site located on the Beamsville Bench, a sub appellation within the Niagara Peninsula Viticultural area. The Beamsville Bench is a naturally sloping benchland bordered on the south by the Niagara escarpment and to the north by Lake Ontario. The slope of the Bench and the constant air flow from Lake Ontario provides a unique micro climate which cools the vineyard during the hottest summer months and facilitates the removal of cold air during the winter months. The character of our wines is influenced by the considerable limestone deposits found within the calciferous clay and loam rich soils which are carved out of the escarpment and forests that surround the vineyard.

Our family purchased the vineyard in 1997. This magnificent site is one of the oldest vineyards on the bench, and was a producing vineyard in the early 1960s. The vineyard is surrounded to the East by woodlands and ponds, to the north by Lake Ontario, and to the south by the protective shield of the Niagara escarpment.. After leveling, grading, and under-draining the property in 1998, we planted five varietals in 1999. We sourced Chardonnay (Dijon clone 76 ), Pinot Noir (Dijon clone 113 ) Cabernet Sauvignon (clone 169), Cabernet Franc(clone 210) and Merlot(clone 184) from the Mercier nursery in France. We planted the vineyard in the spring of 1999 with spacing at 1275 vines per acre with 8 feet wide rows.The varietal mix is 28% Pinot Noir,17% Chardonnay, 20% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.