By Rick VanSickle
When Stone Eagle opens to guests in early November it will mark the most exciting and luxurious Niagara winery debut in recent memory.
Stone Eagle is a spectacular 36-acre estate winery located on Niagara Stone Road and founded by sisters Angela Marotta and Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli (below), who are also co-proprietors of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Two Sisters winery. They announced at a media preview of the new winery on Monday that the likely official opening is scheduled in the first week of November.
“Stone Eagle Winery is defined by our family’s dedication to crafting exceptional wines and creating experiences where hospitality and cuisine come together in a setting that feels both inviting and refined,” the sisters said.
Marotta-Paolicelli called the opening of Stone Eagle a “dream” that is finally being realized after creating the first Stone Eagle red wine in 2012. At the time, winemaker Adam Pearce was asked by the Marotta family’s patriarch, Benny, what he thought about the potential of Niagara wines, particularly, those made at Two Sisters.
Pearce told him that Niagara could “rival the best wines in the world.” Marotta simply told him to “prove it.” The first Stone Eagle wine was his proof, and the seeds were sown for the sister winery Stone Eagle to soar all on its own.
The end result of that dream is nothing short of spectacular. From the giant stone eagle at the end of the curved, tree-lined driveway that leads to the estate, to the stone, marble and wood design inside and out, guests will be taken aback by the beauty and seamless function of Niagara’s newest winery. The soaring architecture and flawless finishes, every detail of the event spaces, ballroom and outdoor terrace is meticulously curated.
The property has been designed as both a working winery and an event venue. Its features include a grand ballroom for weddings and large gatherings, seven private tasting rooms, a restaurant serving Mediterranean-inspired menus with locally sourced ingredients, a tasting bar, and a covered outdoor terrace overlooking the vineyards.
Stone Eagle is also certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario, with vineyard practices that include canopy management and the use of vegan-friendly, plant-based fining agents.
According to the founders, the estate reflects both their family’s passion for wine and hospitality, as well as their commitment to advancing Niagara’s position in the Canadian and international wine industry.
As we toured the 60,000-square-foot facility during our media preview (while workers were still adding finishing touches), at every turn, every new door that was opened, it was nothing short of awe-inspiring. No detail has been forgotten, from the grand ballroom that provides stunning views of the vineyard, to the seven intimate tasting rooms that will allow guests to enjoy exclusive wine-tasting experience in a quiet, luxurious setting, to the restaurant and Mediterranean-inspired menus with meals made with locally sourced ingredients, and finally, the outdoor terrace that overlooks the lush vineyards and offers a relaxed atmosphere for visitors to enjoy their wine amid the natural beauty around them.
Estate sommelier Dieter Unruh oversees the tasting program, which emphasizes food pairings designed to complement the five wines that will be featured at Stone Eagle. On our tour, we tasted some of the pairings, such as the braised lamb shoulder risotto, the miso glazed sea bass, and the roasted delicata squash.
Hospitality is woven into everything Stone Eagle wants their guests to experience, from curated tastings to signature events that celebrate the connection between wine, food and the shared moments that unfold in a space designed to invite them, according to the winery. “Events and experiences are guided by the same standard that shape our portfolio — a dedication to quality, to intention, and to creating something meaningful.”
For Pearce, he is busy bringing all the winemaking for Two Sisters and Stone Eagle into one grand, high-tech working cellar. The winemaking facility was previously located in a non-descript warehouse off-site. On our media tour, the collection of French and American barrels was still being moved into place and the winemaking team was busy bringing in the current harvest.
The working cellar is massive and consists of two levels where guests can also enjoy elite tasting experiences while surrounded by oak barrels.
Stone Eagle will offer a portfolio of five exclusive wines when it opens in November, all under its own proprietary labels and all not offered by the winery before. “The idea is to stick with a focused effort on five wines,” Pearce said. We tasted the five wines alongside a preview of some of the bites that will be served alongside the wines. Here’s what you can expect.
The five wines to debut at Stone Eagle
Stone Eagle Sparkling NV ($120, 94 points) — It’s labelled as a non-vintage traditionally made sparkling wine, but it’s primarily from the 2019 vintage with just a bit of 2020. The blend is 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay. The base wine was 100% barrel fermented and spent 36 months on its lees with a 2 g/L dosage. It has a lovely mineral, floral opening on the nose with bright lemon, pear, subtle brioche, saline and flint. It has luxurious texture and mouthfeel with flinty notes, layers of saline minerality, lemon, toasty brioche, apple tart, a touch creamy but finessed and lifted through a long finish. Paired with pan con tomate, and white anchovies.
Eagle Eye 2022 ($90, 95 points) — Eagle Eye is the only still white wine made under the Stone Eagle label. Previous vintages were released through Two Sisters with the 2019 vintage named as the Most Thrilling White Wine by Wines in Niagara. The 2022 version is a blend of 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Semillon with each of the grapes barrel fermented separately and aged on its lees for 10 months. It’s a beautiful wine, reminiscent of the very best white wines from Bordeaux. “This has a been a labour of love for me,” Pearce said. “I’m trying to drive the texture.” The aromas jump from the glass with fresh pear, quince, kiwi, passionfruit, exotic tropical fruits, lemon zest, minty herbs and subtle spices. It has lovely texture, an almost creamy feel on the palate, with a layered medley of pear/apple, passionfruit, bright lemon verbena, mulled herbs, a touch of flint and a finessed, long, and lingering finish. Can cellar this through 2035. Paired with Himachi crudo, juzu kosho cilantro and lemon.
Stone Eagle Rosé 2024 ($58, 93 points) — While the grapes for Stone Eagle wines will generally be sourced from any one of the four estate vineyards, this rosé, made from 100% Cabernet Franc, is the first wine sourced entirely from the Stone Eagle Vineyard. The wine was finished for 5-7 months in small acacia barrels. It shows a pretty pink colour in the glass and a harmonious, elegant nose of fresh raspberries, strawberries, red currants, pomegranate, garden herbs, floral notes and just a touch of spice. It has a silky texture on the palate that you don’t normally find in rosés with a mélange of fresh red berries, a touch of anise, herbs and a pinch of spice that is layered and finessed through the luxurious, lifted finish. A nicely structured rosé that can take a bit of aging. Paired with Neapolitan zucchini, mint and goat cheese.
Stone Eagle Red Label 2020 ($150, 94 points) — The top red wines from Stone Eagle are big wines, and generally unabashedly high in alcohol, with both these wines approaching 15% abv. Pearce told me the last time I sat down and tasted back vintages of these wines with him that “we want to make age-worthy red wines. These are showing that those who bought them will be rewarded if they are in their cellar.” The 2020 Red Label is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant at 40% with 39% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc all from one of the best vintages ever in Niagara. It’s aged in 100% French oak for 36 months. Such a beautiful red wine with an intense nose of ripe blackberries, black currants, dark cherries/kirsch, anise, glycerin, dried tobacco, tar, and leather notes with rich and savoury oaky/toasty vanilla spice accents. It’s layered and highly structured on the palate but also blessed with a concentrated array of dark berries, gritty tannins, ripe cherries, cocoa, savoury herbs, toasted vanilla, charred cedar, dried tobacco, and elegant spice notes that culminate on a long, luxurious, and echoing finish. Can cellar this beauty through 2038.
Stone Eagle Special Selection 2020 ($195, 96 points) — The Stone Eagle name was originally derived from the two Italian stone eagle carvings that stand proud at the entrance of the Two Sisters winery and now the single eagle that welcomes guests at the new winery. “This is the wine Benny (Marotta, winery owner) challenged me to make … but it’s Niagara,” Pearce told me when I first tasted it years ago. Marotta likes his reds big and bold (a hint might be found in the name … the “special selection” used by Napa’s Caymus Vineyards), and Pearce has done that while keeping the integrity of its Niagara roots (which shows in the finesse of his bigger red wines). It’s hard to imagine a better Bordeaux style Niagara wine made from the 2020 vintage, and there were many, but this is my highest scoring one to date. It bests the 2013 Special Selection I rated 95 points and named the Most Thrilling Red Wine in 2018 by Wines in Niagara. It’s a blend of 46% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc. The Special Selection is only made in what Pearce feels are the best vintages. The grape varieties were aged individually for three years in French oak barrels, then carefully blended to reflect the vintage. A bit of American oak is used in the Merlot portion of the wine, and a small amount of appassimento style wine was also incorporated. It’s deeply coloured in the glass with a powerful, intense nose of macerated black currants, cherry/kirsch, black raspberries, crème de cassis, plums, cocoa, roasted espresso bean, damp earth, dried cigar leaf, eucalyptus, and an intriguing array of sweet baking spices. It’s highly structured, and built for the ages, but swirl and taste deeply and the melange of super-ripe dark berries emerge on top of the grippy tannins along with kirsch, dark chocolate, toasty vanilla, and savoury herbs, with lavish oak barrel spices all leading to an extremely long, echoing finish with sizzling acidity to keep it lively and integrated for many years to come. This is a wonder, a truly great wine that will age like a great Bordeaux for the next 20 years.
Wow! An amazing looking venue. I truly wish the sisters well in this venture. Amazing to see what they have created here under the Stone Eagle moniker. They have consistently produced some great wines from their ‘Two Sisters’ label and I have a good number of them in my cellar. I doubt, though, that I will be looking to buy much from this venture. I don’t as a regular habit purchase wines over the $100 level but as well as a select few others, I do indeed have a few Stone Eagle reds from the 2016 vintage [issues under the Two Sisters label at that time] in my cellar.
Certainly hope they do find the market they believe is out there for these wines.
Firstly, let’s take a moment to recognize the difficult, selfless, and simply outstanding contribution of Rick Van Sickle to the Niagara wine region.
Now, the Main Event! A local winery, with a powerful financial base has moved one of its product in the just under $200.00 zone.
From a business proposition this is a Milestone. Local perhaps, but Milestone nevertheless.
The Stone Eagle terroir is not Margaux, not Pauillac. The wine making neighbours are, some, not all, making some pretty run of the mill product.
At their price point, Stone Eagle is moving into some Bordeaux 2ème cru territory and many 3ème crus. On the world wine stage is that realistic?
What is realistic, from a positioning and overall marketing stand point this is absolutely brilliant.
I come from the up-scale hotel business, and as our teams met to establish our room rates, the fundamental question was: how far can we push our rates without the ‘market’ wanting to burn our hotels down……
Price-value is not a logical exercise and Stone Eagle will probably do well.
Good news for the up-market competition, reasons obvious. Good news for the local buying market……