Results of the 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Pinot Noir – Love and thunder

Category Overview by judge Michael Godel

Just when thoughts had been creeping in over doubts that pinot noir is not the most viable red grape to nurture in Canadian vineyards, along came the covey of varietal wines at the 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. The dozens poured at the judging table over five days in June apprised our collective contemplation and never before had panels spent so much time deliberating which wines were the finest in flights where eight or nine out of 10 could all have easily medalled. This is a sign of good times ahead for the fickle, finicky, oft times curmudgeonly and always challenging grape. Winemakers, consumers and yes, even wine judges want to believe in the sanctity, viability and promise of pinot noir. Though we may have all questioned these convictions before, for now all is hopeful, positive and propitious.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

The judging week saw many flights, all intriguing and the cross section of wines was experienced through sensations of love and thunder. There were the lithe, transparent, high-toned, red berry, lime-scintillant examples and there were darker, brooding, seriously ripe and often tannic iterations too. Beauties and beasts, belles et bêtes, charming and bold…love and thunder. Good pinot noir can succeed both ways, so long as an equanimous state is acceded. The question on every judge’s mind was a consistent one, perhaps even more so as it pertains to this category than any other in the competition. Does this pinot noir express itself with harmony and balance?

At this year’s Nationals the medal winners were in fact those that achieved this necessary state of varietal bliss. There were 97 pieces of hardware dished out and if that is not a record haul I for one would be shocked. It was the second largest give away for any category in 2022 (after chardonnay) so congratulations to the makers for crafting and sending their best. Four Platinums were awarded, to Meyer Old Block Pinot Noir McLean Creek Road Vineyard 2020, BC VQA Okanagan Falls; SpearHead Coyote Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019, BC VQA Okanagan Valley; Fort Berens Pinot Noir 2020, BC VQA and Hidden Bench Pinot Noir Felseck Vineyard 2019, VQA Beamsville Bench. There were 16 Golds (13 BC and 3 ON), 37 Silver (27 BC and 10 ON) and 40 Bronze (24 BC, 14 ON and 2 QC). Overall British Columbia took home 67 per cent of the medals and Ontario 29. Those two Québec Bronze are a sign of things to come.

So, what is the number one takeaway from the 2022 Nationals with regards to Canadian pinot noir? The answer lies in the way winemakers approach their product. Lowest of low cropping to achieve density and concentration is no longer the launching point towards making great pinot noir. Aggressive pressing, intense macerations and long wood aging, especially in newer (and smaller) vessels all lead to astringency and imbalance. All these things are fading into the rear-view mirror, slowly but surely being replaced by, first and foremost, sustainable and regenerative agriculture resulting in healthier vines. In the winery there is less handling, more finesse and attention paid to detail leading to more purity and also clarity in the wines. This is what pinot noir needs. If the most suitable and only the most suitable sites are used, the future will move from optimistic to auspicious. The number one takeaway? Canadian pinot noir has long been searching for and is now beginning to find inner peace. Let’s just hope it keeps on this path, despite, and in spite of, climate change.


And the winners are…

Fort Berens 2020 Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Hidden Bench 2019 Pinot Noir Felseck Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Meyer 2020 Old Block Pinot Noir McLean Creek Road vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2019 Coyote Vineyard Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Closson Chase 2019 Grande Cuvée Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Horseshoe Found 2020 Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
La Frenz 2020 Pinot Noir Desperation Hill Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Le Clos Jordanne 2019 Le Grand Clos Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Liber Farm 2020 Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Lightning Rock 2020 Pinot Noir Canyonview Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2020 Micro Cuvee Pinot Noir McLean Creek Road vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nostalgia Wines 2020 Pinot Noir Flaherty Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2019 Golden Retreat Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2019 Pinot Noir Cuvée, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2020 Club Consensus Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stoneboat Pinot House 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Thirty Bench 2020 Small Lot Pinot Noir, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Unsworth Vineyards 2019 Pinot Noir, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

16 Mile Cellar 2019 Incivility Pinot Noir Single Vineyard, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
50th Parallel 2019 Pinot Noir Profile, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Adamo 2019 Adamo Pinot Noir, Ontario
Baillie-Grohman 2019 Pinot Noir Reserve, Kootenays, British Columbia
Burrowing Owl 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2019 Aspect Collection Block 2 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek Platinum 2020 Simes Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Crowsnest 2018 Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Fox&Archer 2020 3 Blocks Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fox&Archer 2020 Mountain Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Foxly 2020 Pinot Noir, British Columbia
G.Marquis 2021 Pinot Noir The Silver Line, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Garry Oaks 2018 Pinot Noir, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Jackson-Triggs Niagara 2019 Grand Reserve Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
La Frenz 2020 Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Leaning Post 2019 Pinot Noir Grimsby Hillside Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Maverick 2020 Provenance Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Organized Crime 2020 Break-In Pinot Noir, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
O’Rourke Family Estate 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Priest Creek 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2019 Richard’s Block Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2019 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Scorched Earth 2018 Pinot Noir Organic, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
See Ya Later Ranch 2020 Legacy Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2019 Club Consensus Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2020 Renaissance Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Summerhill 2020 Estate Grown Biodynamic Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Sunnybrae 2020 Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Tantalus 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Therapy 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tightrope 2019 Pinot Noir Rubis, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Trius 2020 Distinction Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Trius 2020 Showcase Pinot Noir Clark Farm, Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Westcott 2018 Reserve Pinot Noir, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Westcott 2019 Butlers’ Grant Old Vines Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wild Goose 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

13th Street 2019 Pinot Noir Whitty Vineyard, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
13th Street 2020 Pinot Noir Whitty Vineyard, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
2027 Cellars 2020 King Street Vineyard Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
50th Parallel 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
50th Parallel 2019 Unparalleled Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Arrowleaf 2020 Archive Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2020 Reserve Pinot Noir Micro Lot Series Estate Vineyard, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2021 Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Da Silva 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Dirty Laundry 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Domaine Queylus 2019 Pinot Noir Réserve du Domaine, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fielding 2019 Pinot Noir, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fitzpatrick 2020 The Elusive Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hidden Bench 2019 Pinot Noir Locust Lane Vineyard Unfiltered, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Inniskillin Niagara 2019 Reserve Pinot Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Keint-He 2019 Portage Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Lake Breeze 2019 Cellar Series Aura Home Estate, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Laughing Stock 2020 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Marynissen 2020 Heritage Collection Pinot Noir, Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Mirabel 2020 Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Monte Creek 2020 Ancient Waters Pinot Noir, Thompson, British Columbia
Moraine 2020 Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Morandin Wines 2020 County Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Pelee Island 2020 Pinot Noir Reserve, Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario
Quails’ Gate 2020 Richard’s Block Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rathjen Cellars 2019 Pinot Noir Saison Vineyard, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Red Rooster 2019 Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Rivière du Chêne 2020 La Cantina Vallée d’Oka Pinot Noir, Quebec
Seven Stones 2017 Speaking Rock Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2020 Pinot Noir Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2020 Pinot Noir Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Storm Haven 2020 Pinot Noir Storm Haven Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2019 Pinot Noir Quarry Road Vineyard, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The View 2019 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Three Sisters 2020 Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tightrope 2019 Pinot Noir Fleet Road, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Van Westen/Dibello 2020 Pinot Noir, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Vignoble Camy 2019 Pinot Noir Réserve, Quebec
Westcott 2019 Carolyn’s Block Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Westcott 2019 Reserve Pinot Noir, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario