Results of the 2018 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Pinot Noir

Category Overview by Judge Michael Godel

Where does Canadian pinot noir fit in the global spectrum? If it were just a simple matter of Ontario versus British Columbia that would be one thing but there are Nova Scotia and Quebec to consider and within the provinces so many sites of origin and stylistic variegation making it really difficult to identify the source. It may be a challenging and oft-times heartbreaking grape but in Canada it increasingly finds a way to ripen from coast to coast. Even if that were less true just five years ago the tenets of experience, acumen and passion have taken pinot noir to heights few believed it was capable of going. That winemakers can now produce so many varied examples tells us it’s here to stay.

Bourgogne uses the word Climat to define vineyards or rather the DNA of the vineyards and the official term is specific to wine while the reference lieux-dits is an administrative one. Many would argue that while dirt makes an impact it is climate that inflicts the most drama on a wine but even more important than climate and soil, it’s the people who give the terroir its cultural identity. In Canada these notions of accumulate knowledge that can be transmuted from generation to generation are developing so that each appellation or sub-appellation is managing to produce a specific style of wine from vintage to vintage.

In Ontario there are pinot noir crus few would argue against the probability that in most vintages quality will be a guarantee. Crus like Lowrey Vineyard on the St. David’s Bench, top blocks in Prince Edward County, several vineyards up on the Beamsville Bench, Wismer-Foxcroft and many plots on the Twenty Mile Bench. In the Okanagan Valley there are many premier growing sites; East Kelowna, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Falls, Summerland, Lake Country, the Similkameen Valley and increasingly on Vancouver Island.

Producers in British Columbia may have more merlot planted than they can or want to have to deal with but in red grape terms, pinot noir is it. There are more single-vineyard, name-assigned, block-designate, terroir collection, (x) series and (Y) cuvées attributed to the grape than any other. Granted some passion projects are giving some love to gamay and cabernet franc but the attention doted upon pinot noir is unequaled and unprecedented. Proof is in the tabulated pudding, so to speak, with the final results at NWAC2018 showing what’s what.

= Click on the shopping cart to purchase conveniently through WineAlign. Once you have clicked on the wine, click on the “Buy a Case Now” button.

Averill Creek 2015 Somenos Series Pinot Noir , Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Blue Grouse 2016 Quill Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Ciao Bella 2016 Pinot Nero, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir , Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Flat Rock Cellars 2016 Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Flat Rock Cellars 2014 Gravity Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Gray Monk 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hidden Bench 2016 Unfiltered Pinot Noir, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Howling Bluff 2014 Pinot Noir Acta Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kew Vineyards 2014 Pinot Noir, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kitsch Wines 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2016 Pinot Noir Cuvee, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2016 Pinot Noir GFV Saddle Block, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2016 Micro Cuvee Pinot Noir McLean Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2016 Reimer Family Vineyard Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mirabel 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2016 Terroir Collection Reflection Point Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Moraine 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Privato 2015 Tesoro Pinot Noir Woodward Collection, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2016 Richard’s Block Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Red Rooster 2016 Rare Bird Series Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Roche Wines 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rosehall Run 2016 JCR Pinot Noir Rosehall Vineyard, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Singletree 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2015 Renaissance Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
The Farm 2015 Neudorf Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2015 Small Lot Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thornhaven 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tightrope 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Anthony Buchanan 2016 Pinot Noir Ashlyn, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2017 Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Country Vines 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Domaine du Nival 2017 Les Entêtés, Quebec
Fielding 2015 Pinot Noir Lowrey Vineyard, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Henry of Pelham 2016 Pinot Noir Estate, Short Hills Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hidden Bench 2015 Pinot Noir Felseck Vineyard Unfiltered, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hillside 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Inniskillin Okanagan 2016 Pinot Noir Dark Horse Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mirabel 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2016 Pinot Noir Golden Retreat Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tantalus 2015 Pinot Noir Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
The Farm 2015 Mason Single Vineyard, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The Farm 2015 Pinot Noir Mason Vineyard, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wild Goose 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

16 Mile Cellar 2015 Tenacity Pinot Noir Susan’s Vineyard, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
50th Parallel 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Anarchist 2016 Wildfire Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Arrowleaf 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Baillie-Grohman 2015 Pinot Noir Terraces, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Daydreamer 2016 Tay, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Domaine Queylus 2015 Pinot Noir Signature, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
EauVivre 2017 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Emandare Vineyard 2015 Pinot Noir, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Inniskillin Niagara 2016 Montague Vineyard Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
JoieFarm 2016 En Famille Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
JoieFarm 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
La Frenz 2016 Pinot Noir Desperation Hill Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
La Frenz 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Laughing Stock 2016 Pinot Noir Mill Road, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Monte Creek Ranch 2016 Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Nighthawk 2015 Pinot Noir , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2016 Qwam Qwmt Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Red Rooster 2016 Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Skimmerhorn 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2016 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2015 Pinot Noir Cherry Avenue Vineyard, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Upper Bench 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wayne Gretzky Okanagan 2016 Signature Series Pinot Noir, British Columbia

= Click on the shopping cart to purchase conveniently through WineAlign. Once you have clicked on the wine, click on the “Buy a Case Now” button.