By Rick VanSickle
Welcome to the 17th edition of Wines in Niagara’s Most Thrilling Red and White wines of 2025.
It has become a Boxing Day tradition, a tribute to winemaking at the highest level in the Niagara peninsula, celebrated by naming the 10 most thrilling white wines and 10 most thrilling red wines tasted in 2025, along with our two wines of the year.
This annual list features four wines from the 2020 vintage (there were 11 wines from 2020 last year, including the red wine of the year). In 2023, this list contained 15 wines from 2020 and the 2022 list featured 10 wines from that vintage. We just might be seeing the end of the 2020 late release wines (though I do know of a couple more coming) just in time for the 2025 wines to start emerging. Many winemakers feel 2025 is the “next great vintage” in Ontario.
The rest of this list has seven wines from 2022 (six reds and one white), followed by four wines from 2023 (four whites and one red), and two each from 2021 and 2024 (all whites).
The average price of the 20 Most Thrilling wines is $78.75, up dramatically from $65.45 last year, but closer to the $74.95 cost from 2023. The average score Wines in Niagara awarded the red wines is 94.6, up marginally from 94.5 last year while the average score WIN awarded the white wines was 94.7, down marginally from 94.8 last year
As I remind readers every year, the Most Thrilling Niagara Wines of the Year list only represents a fraction of the hundreds of Niagara wines released and tasted in 2025 by Wines in Niagara. While I prefer to taste wines in person with winemakers to get a feel for the winemaking behind the wines, that isn’t always possible. Some of the wines tasted in 2025 were via sample, left at my front door for tasting and possible review. That is not how I prefer it, but sometimes it is necessary to gain a more complete grasp on what’s out there. It should also be noted, samples are sent unsolicited, and Wines in Niagara does not accept requests for paid-for reviews (you have plenty of options for that). The revenue for Wines in Niagara is 100% derived from the support of our great local advertisers (thank you!), and not the Google kind, rather real advertisers, real people supporting real local journalism. It’s much appreciated when you choose Wines in Niagara when there are so many options out there.
If I had it my way, in a perfect world, I would taste all the wines reviewed on this site with the people who made the wines, or on my back porch (or theirs), so I have a better understanding of what they were trying to achieve with the wines. I crave the human connection to wine rather than the antiseptic nature of tasting wines alone in my living room with a spittoon and a very needy dog named Maisy vying for my attention.
I come from a history of loving annual best-of wine lists and chasing the wines that catch my eye. I like that they are varied, and no two lists are ever the same. I think you will find that with the choices below.
This is the 17th consecutive year for this compilation. There is no other annual wine list in Canada that has that kind of continuous longevity. I laboured over it for weeks, adding, subtracting, and slashing the list down to the No. 1 red and white wines of the year and the rest of the 18 most thrilling wines of 2023, any one of which could have been the No. 1 wine.
While many on the list are repeat performers, simply because they represent the best of the best consistently from year to year, there are many projects just starting out that show great promise for a bright future. They should be recognized and a few of them are on this list.
Heavy on my mind when constructing a list like this are two crucial questions that need to be top of mind: Is the list representative of what Niagara does best? Does it fairly represent all Niagara wines?
I think that depends on what you like to drink. The 2025 list is liberally sprinkled with Chardonnays on the white side and Bordeaux varieties and blends on the red side, with Rieslings, Pinot Noirs, Viogniers and a single Cabernet Franc appassimento style wine rounding out the collection, which just goes to show you how deep Niagara is with the varieties it can grow successfully beyond the big four of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Riesling.
There are more than a few repeat wineries and winemakers on this list, which is partially a reflection of where I go and taste in my travels around Niagara, but also because they are consistent vintage to vintage at the top end. And, let’s face it, many wineries in Niagara don’t appreciate having critics sniffing around their wines, or look to other sources who appeal to an audience they prefer to target. An increasing number of wineries pay influencers to “review” or “promote” their wines favourably. And that’s fair. Wines in Niagara avoids wineries that pay for reviews; I just can’t help them and won’t ever accept money for reviews.
I have also a few self-imposed rules for this list (this is not a democracy over here!):
• Spread out the love, which means only one appearance on the list per winery (which I have done, however there is some repetitiveness with winemakers and consultants);
• 10 Chardonnays or 10 Rieslings or 10 Pinot Noirs or 10 Cabernet Francs would be boring, think outside the box (that being said, while Chardonnay makes up 60% of the list of white wines and Pinot Noir makes up 40% of the red wines, there are only two Rieslings and one Cabernet Franc, while Bordeaux varieties and blends dominate on the red side);
• The 20 Most Thrilling Niagara Red and White wines of 2025 are listed by score, then alphabetical order with the original scores and prices included).
• Not all these wines are likely to be available, but no wines were eliminated due to being sold out.
Fun with numbers
• Total price of white wines on this list: $650 (up from $559 last year);
•Total price of red wines on this list: $925 (up dramatically from $750 last year);
• Most expensive white: $108, On Seven Chardonnay 2021;
• Least expensive white: $25, Thirty Bench Wine Makers Small Lot Riesling Triangle Vineyard 2021;
• Most expensive red: $195, Stone Eagle Special Selection 2020;
• Least expensive red: $44, The Farm White Label Pinot Noir 2022;
• Average price for all wines on both lists: $78.75, up from $65.45 last year.
• Total price of the top red and white wines of 2025: $303, up significantly from $180 in 2024.
• Average score Wines in Niagara awarded the red wines: 94.6, up marginally from 94.5 last year.
• Average score Wines in Niagara awarded the white wines: 94.7, down marginally from 94.8 last year.
• What it would cost for you to buy them all 20 of these wines: $1,575.00, up significantly from $1,309.00 last year
• Number of Chardonnays on the list: 6 (there were four 4 last year);
• Number of Rieslings on the list: 2 (there were 4 last year);
• Number of Pinot Noirs on the list: 4 (two more than last year);
• Number of red Bordeaux variety wines or blends on the list: 6 (compared to 2 last year);
• Number of Cabernet Francs on the list: 1, but made in the appassimento style (there were 4 last year);
• 14 of the wines are from west of the canal, and 6 are from east of the canal (exactly the same number as last year);
• Number of wines from the 2020 vintage: 4 (there were 11 in 2024, 15 from 2023 and 10 from 2022).
So, without further ado …
The Most Thrilling Niagara Red
and White Wines of 2025 are …
The Most Thrilling Niagara Red Wine for 2025 is the Stone Eagle Special Selection 2020 and the Most Thrilling White Wine for 2025 is the On Seven Chardonnay 2021.
The Most Thrilling Niagara
Red Wine of 2025
The new Stone Eagle winery, the most stunning new winery in Niagara in decades, opened its doors this fall to a series of glitzy previews. Reviews poured in of an architectural marvel destined to be one of the hottest wine destinations in Niagara for years to come. What many don’t know is the winery and its talented winemaker Adam Pearce have been planning for the first show-stopping wines released, only five in total, long before the opening. The best of the best were held back and unveiled upon the winery opening.
The flagship red, the Stone Eagle Special Selection 2020, would show spectacularly with just enough age to reveal what many thought was impossible with Bordeaux red blends in Niagara. It was the most thrilling red wine tasted by Wines in Niagara in 2025, and at the risk of constantly placing Stone Eagle on this list, it could not be ignored. Here is my review:
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,” winemaker Adam Pearce (below) told me when I first tasted it years ago before it was ready to review. 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 (dried grapes) were also incorporated into the blend. 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.
The Thrill Factor: Stone Eagle is having a moment with the opening of the stunning estate this past fall. The wines from both the sister winery Two Sisters and the new estate from proprietors (and sisters) Angela Marotta and Melissa Marotta-Paolicelli have made this list consistently since I’ve been tasting them, and the Stone Eagle Special Selection 2020 is the best of the best.
The rest of the Most
Thrilling Red Wines of 2025
Fielding Estate Chosen Few 2020 ($110, 95 points) — The flagship red from Fielding is only made in what winemaker Richie Roberts feels are the best vintages, of which the 2020 is certainly one of them. The blend of Cabernet Franc (34%), Merlot (26%), Cabernet Sauvignon (26%), and Syrah (14%) is aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, one-third new with the rest older barrels, and another 18 months in bottle, and a sneaky Roberts delayed it further while “waiting on the labels.” Only 150 cases were made. Blockbuster comes to mind, as it did when I reviewed the last Chosen Few from the 2016 vintage. Such an enchanting nose of ripe Morello cherries and compoted wild black raspberries before the dark berries join the party with cassis and black currants and then the earthy, subtle herbaceous notes, toasty vanilla and spice kick in. It’s massive on the palate, a big, highly concentrated wine with ripe red and dark berries that come at you in layer after layer, all wrapped up in grippy tannic power, toasted spice notes, a touch of pepper, savouriness and a finish that goes on and on with enough mouth-watering acidity to give it lift and finesse to the last drop. Resist drinking it right now, or at least save a bottle for a special occasion a decade down the road. Can cellar to 2040 (maybe more).
The Thrill Factor: I returned to Fielding Estate for its 20th anniversary after a couple of years of missing them for whatever reason. We tasted a wide swath of Robert’s wine and the Chosen Few got my full attention. It’s a blockbuster and worth every penny.
Foreign Affair L’Eredita 2023 ($110, 95 points) — This flagship wine, at one time simply called Cabernet Franc, is named in honour of the founders Len and Marisa Crispino. The name L’Eredita means legacy and it’s only made in what the team determines is a vintage worthy of the top wine. None was made in 2021 or 2022, but there will be one in 2024. The blend is 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged in American and French oak (mostly new) for 18 months with 100% of the fruit dried for 30 days to 27 Brix and 15.5% abv. So, yes, it’s a big, bold, sturdy wine that will appeal to lovers of full-bodied reds. On the nose look for compoted blackberries, kirsch, jammy black currants, raisins, pomegranate, figs, and persistent toasty spice notes. It has a velvety texture on the palate with ripe tannins and concentrated dark berries, anise, crème de cassis, cherry liqueur, plum pudding, raisins, dark chocolate and rousing, toasted spice notes on a luxurious finish with length and finesse. If ever a wine was destined for the cellar, this is it. Should improve through 2035 and beyond.
The Thrill Factor: This stands as the only full appassimento wine in the Foreign Affair portfolio that has moved to fewer dried grapes in their wines since the winery was purchased from the original owners. But at this level, winemaker René Van Ede sure knows how to impress with this one.
Icellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2020 ($106, 95 points) — Only made in “exceptional” vintages, the estate’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were sourced from the oldest vines and aged for 24 months in 100% French oak. 2020 was one of the warmest and near perfect vintages in Niagara’s history and late-ripening grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon benefitted most from the heat even though yields were tiny. This has been held back from retail shelves and tastings at Icellars until the winemaking team feels it’s ready to be enjoyed at its peak (but ask at for it at the winery and they reluctantly part with a bottle or two). It has a stunningly beautiful nose of lifted oak perfume, concentrated cassis and kirsch notes in tandem with dense blackberries, dried tobacco, wild Muskoka blueberries, saddle leather, underlying herbaceous and forest floor accents and fine, toasty-vanilla tinged spice notes. It’s highly structured on the palate with grippy tannins that still need time to melt into the heady range of dense dark berries, thick dark cherries, cedar plank notes, toasty vanilla and all spice all culminating in a super long, echoing and lifted finish. Another thriller of a Cabernet Sauvignon from a region not noted for big cabs. Maybe that is changing? Can cellar through 2040.
The Thrill Factor: This was one of the last Niagara wines tasted in 2025 by Wines in Niagara after visiting Icellars for the first time in a few years. It is heartening to see the family of the late founder Adnan Icel, above with his wife Elif, continuing the legacy he was just beginning to build in Niagara-on-the-Lake before he passed away at such a young age. Bravo to the winemaking team, now led by Mark Williamson with assistance from consultant Peter Gamble.
Solo Per Amici Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($85, 95 points) — Let’s be perfectly honest here, Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Niagara, generally speaking, is hard to ripen in anything but the warmest of vintages. What winemaker Kevin Panagapka has achieved here with this blockbuster wine is a perfectly ripe, concentrated and complex Cab Sauv that will stand the test of time and challenge any pre-conceived notions that it can’t be done in Niagara at the highest levels. Our sample was decanted for a minimum of three hours. The nose is densely fruited with ripe cassis, blackberries, leather, cocoa, graphite, dried Cuban tobacco, roasted espresso bean, a hint of black cherries, almost kirsch-like, with such beautifully elegant barrel spice notes. The fruits on the complex, textured and supple palate are deep, rich and layered with crème de cassis, ripe, plump blackberries, saddle leather, dark chocolate, boozy black cherries, vanilla-tinged spice notes, and subtle eucalyptus accents on a sturdy frame with ripe, fine-grained tannins and a such a long, echoing and lifted finish that shows both power and finesse. So much to love about this big, yet approachable, Cabernet Sauvignon that has a long, promising future ahead. I can’t remember tasting a better Cabernet Sauvignon from Ontario ever before. Can cellar through 2040 and maybe beyond, but don’t be afraid to open a bottle now with the right cut of red meat.
The Thrill Factor: The first wine from this small, mysterious Beamsville Bench project is a marvel. All those critics and consumers who believe 100% Cabernet Sauvignon can’t be made in Niagara only need take a sip of this ethereal wine crafted by the skilled Panagapka, also owner of 2027 Cellar wines.
The Farm White Label Pinot Noir 2022 ($44, 94 points) — The Farm White Label is a selection of the finest barrels from the 2022 vintage. Composed of two vineyards, including the original plantings on the Neudorf farm. The growing season in 2022 progressed favourably allowing for ideal ripeness at harvest and exceptional Pinot Noir fruit. It was aged in 228-liter barriques (90% neutral) for 15 months and bottled unfiltered. As mentioned above, this is the last wine with fruit from the original Neudorf Vineyard in it. The vineyard has been replanted and will come on stream sometime down the road. This shows a darker shade of red in the glass but an elegant approach on the nose with pretty violets, raspberry/cherry fruit, woodsy perfume, mushrooms, forest floor and spices. It caresses the palate perfectly with its silky texture and shows poise and elegance with a melange of red berries, a touch of cassis and anise, subtle earthy/savoury notes and integrated spices on an echoing, finessed finish that lasts for minutes. Really nice Pinot Noir and a fitting swan song for the original vines.
The Thrill Factor: Morgan Juniper, winemaker at 16 Mile Cellar and The Farm, knows her Pinot Noirs and the vineyard she works with, and that’s quite evident with this thrilling wine. Juniper has two wines on this list from two different wineries.
Leaning Post Senchuk Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 ($85, 94 points) — The 2022 home vineyard expression is the eighth vintage of its flagship Pinot Noir. It’s unlike any other Pinot being made in Niagara, representing a terroir all its own. The enticing nose shows pure elegance with persistent black raspberries, summer cherries, violets, beetroot, red currants, brambly/earthy notes and perfumed spice notes. That elegance carries to the palate with just a bit more grit and structure that highlight the ripe red berries, underbrush, umami/savoury notes, anise, polished tannins, subtle herbaceous notes and fine oak spices on a long, echoing and lifted finish. Really beautiful, unique Pinot Noir. Can cellar to 2035.
The Thrill Factor: Leaning Post winemaker Ilya Senchuk makes such a broad selection of top wines from his winery in Winona, but it is the estate vineyard that he and his wife Nadia planted themselves that deserves the most attention.
16 Mile Cellar Tenacity Pinot Noir 2022 ($60, 94 points) — The top tier Tenacity is only made in the what the winemakers feel are the best vintages. The last Pinot made at this level was in 2016. 2022 was also the first full season that assistant winemaker Eamonn Donnelly helped make with winemaker Morgan Juniper. He said that the Tenacity was on the skins for less than two weeks and achieved a high degree of ripeness in 2022. Only three barrels (no new oak) were made at this level from yields of 1.1 tonnes per acre. This is impressive from the first sniff, showing a robust and ripe nose of savoury Morello cherries, red currants, pomegranate, earthy savoury notes and fine oak spices. On the palate it’s bold and sassy with mouth-coating red and black berries, currants, a touch of anise and then a long, luxurious finish with finesse for days. A beautiful Pinot Noir that struts its stuff and should do so proudly for the next 5-7 years.
The Thrill Factor: The second wine on this list from winemaker Morgan Juniper, above. Same grape, different expression, and equally worthy of the thrilling wines of the year list.
Southbrook Poetica 2022 ($70, 94 points) — The blend for the flagship red at Southbrook is 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. It spends 18 months in French oak, with 25% new barrels. “We are trying to make a very ageable Bordeaux style red wine,” winemaker Casey Hogan said. To make the Poetica, the winemaking team carefully chooses the best grapes from the estate’s biodynamic and organic vineyards, and then picks from the best barrels. Such an intriguing nose of ripe cassis, blackberries, cherry/kirsch, charred cedar, violets, a touch of earth and generous sweet spice notes. It’s already nicely integrated on the palate with firm structure and ripe tannins married to ripe dark and red berries, subtle licorice, earthy/savoury notes, elegant spices and remarkably balanced for a wine that will improve for 15 years or more. The vibrant, lifted finish lasts for minutes. One of Niagara’s top red blends that will continue to integrate and get better through 2040 and maybe beyond.
The Thrill Factor: The flagship red from Southbrook is always one of the top Bordeaux blends in Niagara, and winemaker Hogan is doing a great job living up to its lofty reputation.
Westcott Carolyn’s Block Pinot Noir 2022 ($60, 94 points) — The fruit was whole cluster pressed and foot stomped to gently crush whole bunches of red grapes prior to fermentation. This has such an enticing, lifted and intense nose of ripe red berries, truffles, forest floor and perfumed spice notes. The palate shows a melange of perfectly ripe raspberries, cherries, strawberries and earthy/savoury notes with integrated spices, silky tannins on a long, vibrant finish. Beautiful expression with room to age through 2035. Winemaker Casey Kulczyk noted that “Carolyn’s block is 100% whole clusters (and) by far the most gently handled and extracted process when completed correctly. That’s why we use only gravity and our feet to complete the extraction work.”
The Thrill Factor: Westcott is no stranger to the thrilling wines of the year list, but it’s usually the Block 76 Chardonnay that gets our full attention. This time around, it’s the Pinot that steals the show.
The Most Thrilling Niagara
White Wine of 2025
On Seven farms a tiny vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake planted to only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There have been twists and turns with the vineyard and extensive replanting in its short history. Consulting winemaker Peter Gamble and proprietor Vittorio De Stefano, both in above photo, only make wines when conditions are perfect. The plan was to have two levels of quality with the Pursuit and Devotion tiers, but during the 2021 vintage they discovered their first “ultimate” expression of Chardonnay simply called “On Seven.” This is one barrel of pure joy, and a testament to winemaking and perseverance at the highest level.
On Seven Chardonnay 2021 ($108, 97 points) — The hand-inscribed bottle, the signatures from De Stefano and his wife Sula and the wax topper hint at luxury and that something very special awaits. And, yes, at $108 a bottle, it will also test consumers as one of the most expensive Chardonnays ever offered for sale in Niagara, likely the first of many from across the region as those winemakers who are committed to further exploration of terroir dig deeper into the soul of their vineyards. This is one barrel (30 cases) of precious Chardonnay, a “classic expression of the terroir,” says winemaker Gamble and the epitome of elegance, purity and finesse coaxed from the tiny On Seven Vineyard that’s cropped to a stingy 1.3 tonnes per acre. From the first sniff, it oozes elegance and nuance, from the purity of river rock and saline to the golden apples, lemongrass, verbena, white peach and ever so perfectly balanced vanilla bean and spice. It’s hauntingly persistent on the palate, with perhaps a wisp of flint, but zero reduction, with a buttery smooth texture, pure orchard fruits, hazelnuts, stony/saline minerality notes and spice all working in harmony as it wends its way to a beautifully long, echoing and lifted finish that I can still taste as I write this. This Chardonnay walks on hallowed ground, a new frontier from a master of terroir, Gamble. I sense this will go through many evolutions between now and 2034 and to watch it will be fascinating. Bravo!
The Thrill Factor: On Seven’s De Stefano shows the patience of Job with his premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay project in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He makes his wines with Gamble only when the grapes are at their peak and is not afraid to de-classify an entire vintage if warranted. This first top tier expression spoke to both De Stefano and Gamble and one remarkable barrel was produced, representing the best of the best of Niagara Chardonnay in 2025 (at least according to our notes), and prompting the highest score ever for a non-icewine white wine in Ontario).
The rest of the Most Thrilling
Niagara White Wines of 2025
Bachelder Hill of Wingfield Chardonnay 2023 ($75, 95 points) — Thomas Bachelder sources the grapes for this single-block wine from seven rows of the Wismer-Wingfield Vineyard, at the south-west side of the vineyard, set aside for just him. What he doesn’t use ends up going into a different expression, sourced from other rows in Wingfield. Bachelder has called this one of his “grand cru” parcels, even though it is a classification that still has no standing in Niagara (but should). It is the epitome of elegance and poise every vintage and always imparts a stony/mineral/saline (akin to a babbling mountain brook) opening note that draws you into the glass, followed by white flowers, bergamot, lifted pear, golden apples, lemon curd and lingering fine oak spices. It’s rich and layered on the palate with just a touch of reduction and flint adding complexity to go with golden apples, ripe pear, stony minerality, lemon curd, integrated spices and mouth-watering acidity all leading to a long, lifted finish. A sensational wine that will age nicely through 2034.
The Thrill Factor: Not sure Bachelder needs an introduction or anymore praise. His relentless pursuit of top terroirs from both sides of the canal has made him and his Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Gamays legendary. The Hill of Wingfield is consistently among the best Chardonnays every vintage in Niagara.
Hidden Bench Téte de Cuvée Chardonnay 2022 ($65, 95 points) — This top Chardonnay from Hidden is a blend of the top barrels from Rosomel (nearly 50-year-old vines) and Locust Lane vineyards. It was aged in 100% French barrels (22% new) for 16 months and bottled unfiltered and unfined. The Téte de Cuvée is one the most consistently highly awarded Chardonnays on this website, and for good reason. Top, old-vine vineyards, meticulous winemaking and expressive of where it’s grown, this is what Niagara Chardonnay can be in the right hands and the 2022 vintage is no different. It always has air of sophistication and elegance on the nose with profound saline/seashell minerality, essence of pear, white peach, orange blossoms, lemon curd and toasted nuts and spices. It’s rich yet poised on the creamy palate with layers of primary orchard fruits, profound flinty/savoury accents, lemon butter, toasted almonds and integrated spice notes with mouth-watering acidity, elevated finesse and length. So good! Can cellar through 2034.
The Thrill Factor: Proprietor Harald Thiel and winemaker Alex Baines make terrific wines from 100% estate fruit in three of Niagara’s most exciting vineyards year after year. The portfolio is deep, exciting and made at the highest level across the lineup every vintage, but it is the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, led by the Téte de Cuvée that are most expressive of his proven terroirs.
Mason Vineyard L’Avenir Chardonnay 2023 ($48, 95 points) — The estate Chardonnay was planted in 2017-2018 to Clone 76 with the first vintage released in 2021. The wine is wild fermented and aged in mostly neutral French oak barrels for 17 months. “There’s something cool within this block,” estate owner and winemaker Kelly Mason says. “Yield and growth are becoming more balanced compared to its more unruly early years. With no changes in the winemaking approach, I can’t help but wonder if the site itself is starting to speak — shaping a style that gently shifts with Mother Nature’s influence yet remains anchored by the consistency of clone and place.” The nose is bright and minerally laden with saline, and stones followed by fresh pear, yellow apples, lemon biscuit, white flowers and integrated, elegant spices. It turns more concentrated and creamier on the palate with ripe orchards fruits, flinty/stony notes, lemon zest and just hinting at spice through a long, lingering and lifted finish. A beautifully constructed Chardonnay from young vines that will only get better as the vines age. Can age well through 2031.
The Thrill Factor: Superstar winemaker Mason, above, has nothing left to prove. As the winemaker at both Domaine Queylus and her own farm and estate, she has learned her craft from the best and is now writing her own legacy from an extraordinary vineyard she has full control over.
Stonebridge Chardonnay Reserve East Chardonnay 2020 (in the $87, 95 points) — This bottling might be the latest of any Niagara Chardonnay released from 2020. And it arrives with a lot of hype behind it, all of it justified, when they are released this spring. The Stonebridge Reserve East 2020 is a freak of nature and for lovers of those big, juicy examples from Napa Valley, this is your muse. But when I say BIG and JUICY I mean it in a Niagara way. Juice with finesse. Balanced. Textured. Nuanced. Layered. The nose asserts itself with ripe pear, apricot, peach, yellow apples, subtle flint, and toasted spices. It fully reveals itself on the creamy palate with a bold array of stone fruits, luxurious mouthfeel, welcoming salinity, and a super long and lifted finish awash in mouth-watering acidity. It’s drinking amazing right now and will likely be hitting full stride by the time it’s released. Do not sleep on this Chardonnay that doesn’t need a lot of time in the cellar to fully wake up.
The Thrill Factor: Stonebridge is the sister winery of Lailey, owned by Faik Turkmen with winemaking in the hands of consultants Peter Gamble and his wife Ann Sperling, who are no strangers to this annual list. Some of the top wineries in Niagara benefit from their veteran expertise and passion for making extraordinary wines, applied here with an unlikely nuanced and elegant expression of Chardonnay from one this region’s warmest, and best vintages ever. Oh, and by the way, this was just released today. Go get it!
Divergence Signature Series Bock Vineyard Viognier 2023 ($71, 94 points) — The Bock Vineyard is located in the St. David’s Bench sub-appellation. This is a selection of the best of the three barrels of Vio. There is some French oak aging here (30% new oak) for 10 months, plus a further 10 months in bottle. This makes a big statement on the nose with ripe apricots, white peach, mango, honeysuckle, poached pear, nectarine and nutmeg spice. This Vio is generous and full-bodied on the palate with bold exotic flavours of apricot tart, nectarine, mango, poached pear, a touch of reduction, lanolin/stony minerality and spice that comes at you in layer after layer through a long, rounded finish. One of the best Viogniers I have tasted from Ontario.
The Thrill Factor: The ever-growing, ever-exploring Divergence brand, owned and made by Jeff Moote through the Collab Wine and Beverage collective of winemakers, is forever tweaking and broadening his eclectic portfolio of wines. This vineyard-focused Rhone-inspired Viognier is a prime example of what the younger generation of Niagara winemakers are doing to blaze a trail into the future of the region by stepping outside the tried-and-true grape varieties.
Dobbin Estate Chardonnay 2021 ($75, 94 points) — The Chardonnay grapes are from the estate’s original planting in the organic Charlene Vineyard, which was planted in the mid-1990s. It was wild fermented and aged on its lees in second fill French oak barrels for 18 months. In a contrasting style to the more opulent expression from 2020, the 2021 version is more typical of what to expect from this vineyard in more classic Niagara vintages. This leans more toward Cru Chablis with racy saline, wet stones and chalkiness on a minerally rich nose that also imparts fresh pear, lemon grass, white flowers, bright apple notes and subtle spice notes. It’s punctuated by freshness and finesse on the palate with flinty notes, saline, orchard fruits, lemon cream, underlying toasty-spice notes with a vibrant, lifted and lingering finish. Just a beautiful, pretty Chardonnay that will gain complexity and weight in the cellar through 2033.
The Thrill Factor: Yes, yet another winery that benefits from the Peter Gamble/Ann Sperling team in the vineyard and in the winemaking. Dobbin is a high-end, premium project that entered the scene with a splash and will continue to raise the bar as the younger vineyards mature.
Horseshoe Cellars Kelson Block Riesling 2024 ($35, 94 points) — As with all Horseshoe Rieslings (released or not) made to date, brand co-owner Scott Woody is most interested in harmony in his wines. “I’m not looking for sugar, I’m looking for balance. That is the key for me.” The technical details are as follows: picked on Sept. 24 at 19.6 Brix, finished at 12 g/L of residual sugar, titratable acidity at 8.2 g/L and abv at 11.1%. All great Rieslings, especially in Niagara, begin and end with saline freshness, and this has that in spades, to go with stony minerality, juicy lime, pear skin, peach pulp, floral notes, honeysuckle, apricots, guava and just a hint of ginger spice. It’s pure and racy on the palate and begins with profound wet stone minerality, more tropical notes and mango and guava, then pear, flint, nectarine, wild honey notes, and pulpy grapefruit in a rich, layered and textured style that absolutely sings on the finish with mouth-watering acidity on a long, echoing finish. An ethereal wine and one that fans of this Niagara style will want to buy and hold through 2038, tasting a bottle or two along the way.
The Thrill Factor: We simply need more Scott Woodys and his fellow Riesling “nerd” John-Daniel Steele, who co-own the virtual brand, to fly the flag for this grape in Niagara. They both have such overwhelming enthusiasm for all things Riesling, and it shows in this tantalizing expression sourced from the Grimsby-Hillside Vineyard. We may have lost both Woody and Steele to the Okanagan Valley wine industry, but they vow to keep coming back to make delicious Riesling. For that we are grateful.
Kacaba Small Batch Viognier 2024 ($60, 94 points) — This wine, the first 100% Viognier made from estate grapes and the first Vio made by Chris Robinson ever, really shows the direction the new winemaker is going to steer the white wine profile at Kacaba. Viognier was planted at the estate in 2007 and makes up 2.5% of the total vines, which until now was all blended into the extensive Syrah production. Only 240 bottles were produced, and each is numbered and signed by Robinson. It was aged in 100% acacia wood, all second fill, for 133 days. It has a gorgeous nose of pure apricot, nectarine, grapefruit, guava, honeysuckle and perfectly integrated wood spice and nutmeg. It has gorgeous texture, creamy pear, apricot tart, mango, wild honey notes, toasted almonds, guava and spice that is revealed in layer after layer, all leading to a long, echoing and luxurious finish. Such a beautiful and full-bodied example of this exotic grape.
The Thrill Factor: Two Viogniers made this list. WTF? Maybe it’s the fact that I appreciate winemakers looking beyond what has historically worked best in Niagara. Maybe it’s because I personally love a well-made Rhone white wine and happen to believe it does well here. And, finally, maybe I believe in equality of grape choices for all. Good for Robinson to think outside the box with this exquisite expression of Viognier.
Thirty Bench Wine Makers Small Lot Riesling Triangle Vineyard 2021 ($28, 94 points) — I would call the Triangle Vineyard Riesling a classic Niagara “cru” among a handful in all of Niagara. It comes from grapes planted in 1981 to the 21b clone and dazzles from vintage to vintage and has the stuffing to cellar well for a decade or more. The nose is gorgeous with pure wet stone and seashells followed by lime, floral notes, crisp apple, peach and lemon tart. It’s quite concentrated and juicy on the palate with notes of white peach, zesty lime, bergamot, ripe apple, nectarine, waves of fresh minerality, honeycomb, a touch of ginger and a long, lifted and finessed finish. Just a gorgeous Beamsville Bench Riesling that will only get better through 2035.
The Thrill Factor: Winemaker Emma Garner, above, is as passionate about Riesling in Niagara as any winemaker in the region, and in particular the three distinct blocks within the Thirty Bench Vineyard — Wood Post, Steel Post and Triangle. She has been banging the drum for the importance of Niagara Riesling ever since I’ve known her, and I share her disappointment that the grape has fallen out of favour with consumers. It would invite any consumer who doubts the magic of Riesling to try any of Garner’s expressions and have their minds blown. Enough said.
To review previous lists of the of our most thrilling wines, go here.
Note: A special thank you to Chef Andrew McLeod for the backdrop at his Bolete restaurant for the main photo and bottle photos of the two wines of the year.
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