Living With the Ghost of Warm Lake Estate Vineyard & Winery

Driving past the “Wine Tasting Today” sign on the side of Lower Mountain Road in Cambria, I’m reminded of my first months in the Niagara Region – a feeling that’s compounded when my eyes invariably train toward the “Help Wanted” sign right next to it.

It’s the same sign that I read four years ago that led me to my first job in the wine industry. As I follow the arrows pointing up the hill toward Warm Lake Estate’s tasting room, I don’t remember the road being as potholed and bumpy as it somehow feels today. When the winery itself looms into view, what I’d been hearing is seemingly confirmed: Warm Lake Estate has stopped production.

It’s not so much the desolate parking lot that leads me to the conclusion that operations have ceased so much as the 35 acres of neglected vineyards. I’m reminded of that dystopian Discovery Channel show “Life After People” as I pull up and snap a few photos of overgrown weeds and decaying clusters left on the vine from the previous growing season. The winery, once open seven days a week, is locked up in the middle of a sunny summer day.

A quick phone call to its listed number indicates the line has been disconnected.

When my wife and I moved to the Niagara Region from New York City in 2007, these vineyards looked nothing like they do today. The winery’s outlook was fairly positive. Warm Lake was still selling its 2005 vintage for $40 a bottle while still ultimately making a case for pinot noir on the Niagara Escarpment; the 88-point score from Wine Spectator definitely didn’t hurt its fledgling reputation.

Back then there weren’t a dozen wineries educating their customers on the microclimate created by the escarpment and Lake Ontario, and the benefits of limestone soils or talking about clay versus sand or gravel.

Today, the outlook for Warm Lake doesn't appear as bright. Even after successfully raising enough money to plant the largest continuous planting of pinot noir east of the Rockies, building a winery filled with vats and the best oak barrels you can buy, receiving the highest Wine Spectator score for a pinot noir from New York and after inextricably tying the name “Warm Lake” to the Niagara Escarpment region, it appears as if the rumors of an investor buyout, restructuring and ceasing of production are true.

I personally don’t place all that much importance on why or how it happened so soon -- especially because the Niagara Wine Trail itself is booming. I see it like the details of a bad divorce whereby at the end of the day the result is the same no matter who’s fault it was or what series of events led to it.

Put simply, I think the winery was before its time, and it tried to be too big, too fast and too soon.

How do you market a $40 bottle of wine from an unknown region tens of thousands of times? I’m not sure anyone could have pulled that off in Niagara back in 2007. So when I look at what Mike Von Heckler did with Warm Lake I view his accomplishments in the broader sense: he established an AVA, helped to form the wine trail as it is today, planted an amazing vineyard on prime Escarpment land and placed Niagara wines on the radar of yours truly.

Hell, I was sold on the region enough to move here and buy land.

Before I started contributing to the NYCR, most everyone I’d met in the Finger Lakes and Long Island knew Niagara only as Warm Lake Estate; the two were synonymous and virtually interchangeable. I’d commonly get questions like, “What’s the deal with Warm Lake?” “How’s Mike doing?” “You have that pinot noir winery there, right?”

Indeed, for better or for worse, Niagara’s fate and Warm Lake’s were intertwined.

In my opinion when Warm Lake started having consistency issues with a tough 2006 vintage -- including but not limited to early browning from early pH levels being too high -- retailers and customers that committed to orders and futures orders seemed to start jumping off the bandwagon. Any momentum from previous vintages was lost and the news of dissatisfied customers spread quickly.

Since then, anytime I’ve poured or talked about Niagara pinot noir, people’s expectations have been based on the worst vintages of Warm Lake wines. Snarky comments like “at least its red” were a favorite and I came to realize that marketing pinot noir, even under a different brand name here would be an uphill battle.

Since I still pour in a tasting room down the road I get questions weekly about the winery. These days, the most common revolves around why there’s a wine tasting sign out if they’re closed. But many are interested in what happened and why. I usually just mention that there were a lot of grapes to take care of and a lot of wine to make without a large trained staff.

What’s done is done, though and the region is looking forward, even as the future of Warm Lake remains uncertain. From conversations I’ve had with people close to the situation -– but who also want to remain anonymous –- the winery’s short-term goal is to get the vineyards back in shape and sell grapes as it works toward going back into production under a different name.

I see the distribution of their grapes to a variety of winemakers across the state the best possible scenario for improving the image of pinot noir here.

Driving back down the hill away from the winery you can almost see and feel the hopes and dreams that were lost when these vines stopped being cared for.

I recall my first experiences cleaning barrels and talking about the geology of the escarpment with visitors for the month I spent employed here. I remember thinking that the winery and the region itself is such a cool story that the only thing it needed was people to get the story out and the business side would work itself out.

Having a more realistic view of the industry today I know that it’s just not that simple and I realize that no one winery will define this diverse region. But with the possibility of Warm Lake’s grapes being spread out among wineries and in the hands of careful winemakers, it may ultimately help strengthen the case for Niagara pinot noir once again.

Comments

[Ed Draves]

I still quote Mike Von Heckler's explanation of the Escarpment to my customers and students. Mike could talk Escarpment for hours and keep an audience riveted. I'll miss Warm Lake.

[Duncan Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards]

Hopefully, the investors will be able to re-form and do something with it. There is 30 acres of Pinot in those weeds.

[Maria]

We remember reading the large article in the Buffalo News some years back, thinking "if you build it they will come." Back in the day, he was the only one. Von Hockler was the one to pique the interest of the masses to the interest level that the Niagara Escarpment wines would soon come to offer. And pique the interest he did! We remember going to the winery to sample all the wines he had lined up along his bar, which introduced and offered red and white wines-the very best of what New York State had to offer at the time- along with opportunities to buy his "futures" of his Estate Grown "Pinot Noir" and promises of upcoming festivals in the vineyards. One thing was certain, the man dreamed big. In the future,I will always draw a correlation to Von Hockler and the growth spurred on by the initial presence of Warm Lake Estates. May whomever buys the vines of his Estate dream big as well.

[Julia Burke]

Love this story, Bryan - Warm Lake's influence on our region is too complicated to overstate, and for that reason this is an important post. Following Warm Lake's reputation is a love/hate experience; the winery put Niagara USA on the map but problems with production consistency clouded perceptions of pinot's future in this region.

Just the other day a customer at the store lamented Warm Lake's demise and sighed, "I guess pinot just doesn't work here." Though I convinced him not to give up on the varietal because of one failed producer, it's not an uncommon observation among local consumers - especially those who were Warm Lake investors.

For his vision and tireless promotion of a region with no initial voice, we owe Mike von Heckler respect, but now it's time to look forward. I'm hoping someone has the energy and expertise to take control of the vineyard and coax that pinot to the greatness that the grape is obviously capable of achieving in Niagara.

[Nunyo]

My experience with Mike was that he was a jerk of epic proportions.

Will the "new" Warm Lake, or whatever it will be called, involve him?

[Bryan]

Nunyo

I'm sorry to hear about your experiences with Warm Lake, I've heard many stories both good and bad.

I'm not sure what his future involvement may be but I assume that the winery will try a new direction in the future.

Maria

Thanks for commenting! I hope the area attracts many "big dreamers" in the future. I'm not only talking about wineries, but B&B's, restaurants, farms, ect...

There are several people working in the industry here that got their start at Warm Lake. We all learned a lot in such a short time and we all feel a connection to that dream.

[patrick mack]

bryan, nice write..so glad to have you in our area, i worked at warm lakes. this was sent to me from a past worker there also, we enjoyed working there, i to took a ride up there one day this past summer and it was sad, the dogs, angel and noir were not there to greet me, the vineyards were overgrown with weeds, it depressed me...it made me sad..but pinot noir didn't keep it afloat., you could'nt tell mike von heckler that he needed more than one wine..it was pinot noir or the highway..the highway won...

[J]

Von Heckler was a passable winemaker but a fantastically unpleasant person to be around and a totally incompetent manager - a typical engineer who believed that anything he didn't understand must be easy. I'm sorry to hear that people are conflating his inability to run a business with the Escarpment's ability to produce excellent wine.

[Leland Mote]

Mike Von Heckler was a promoter first, and engineer second. He was not a viticulturist as he tried to use every grape the vines could grow therby lowering the quality of the finished product. He certianly wasn't a manager. Most of the good people he hired left disgustedly; nor was he a marketing man evidenced by the lack of sales and being "taken" by con salesmen. His wineemaking skills were rather poor; having t least two years of wine that went bad; oxidized withyin a year and 1/2 due to high Ph. I just hope someone can revive the vines and put it back in production.

[Randy Biehl]

I am always surprised at how many people want to glorify the past even in the face of information to the contrary. If you do 40 bad things and 1 good thing should we focus on the one good thing ? Fools. Fast talking and charming just makes the deception easier to believe. I feel very bad for the investors who must have believed. I wish Leland all the best to bring life back to those vines

Niagara Escarpment wines would have moved forward without Hecklor and those left behind have to explain why he was the way he was. If anything, he has done more damage than good. Just ask those who trusted him with their money

[Peter L]

I was an investor and can tell you that we all wanted to believe in Von Heckler and sadly we did. The comment about diversifying the portfolio is on point as well as the price point. I mean who in their right mind is going to pay $40 for New York wine from an area no one has ever heard of? I think its fantastic that other wine enthusiasts are developing the region, but it is abundantly clear that Von Heckler was too idealistic to make this work. I live in So Cal - close to Temecula - it is a region with similar challenges as Niagara, but working together with master wine makers and master marketers, the area is a world class destination. Cheers to you all.

[RD]

Anyone know if the winery is for sale?

[michael]

Does anyone know if the winery is for sale. I visited the property the other day. Vineyard completely overrun with weeds and i'm not sure if the vines are even still alive. If they are it would be nice if someone could bring the operation back to life. With the proper winemaker , i really think their product could succeed.