Tasting Note Some like their viognier blowsy fragrant and lush; others like a slimmer, juicier version. This slips into the middle ground, tilting to the leaner side but in-filled very deftly by oak texture and spice. No showboat. It needed about 30 minutes to bloom in the glass, showing viognier’s tropical star anise, apricot and wildflower notes, amid the considerable nutmeg from partial fermentation and ageing in French oak. There is a hint of orange as well. What I like most is the sense of textural compactness, firmness and evenness. The 13% alcohol is perfect, the acidity, as well, trailing some lemon. But the fruit and wood hold their focus together so well, and travel from excellent to outstanding length. This will drink well through a rich seafood or poultry meal.

Backgrounder Stonebridge is a mature vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake that was purchased by Faik Turkmen at the same time that he purchased the pioneering Lailey Vineyard. Consultants Peter Gamble and Ann Sperling have guided both projects. There are older vine chardonnays and cabernet francs in the Stonebridge portfolio (which we will review here in due course), but viognier is a bit of a newcomer, planted seven years ago. This grape is famous in the south of France for exotic, almost tropical full-bodied whites, so Ontario seems like a misfit at first. But gems do show up. After two experimental harvests, the third harvest from the 2023 vintage was wild-yeast fermented and aged for 11 months in 65% French oak and 35% stainless steel, then longer in bottle.