Tasting Note For starters, this is a real youngster, with a certain fruity innocence. Yet it is also a typically light, tender and precision-balanced Prince Edward County pinot noir. It shows pale, slightly hazy (unfiltered) appearance with deeper ruby colour than expected. The nose shows delicate, fine raspberry patch/mulch, red rose, a touch of spice and tea. Aromas are riper than expected, thanks to an excellent if smaller vintage. Likewise, the flavour depth is excellent. It is light bodied, very even and almost crisp, with a fine tannin coat that should only take a year or two to meld. I would like to see it about 2028–30 when its youthful tones have settled. Long aeration is recommended due to its youth. 

Backgrounder Last House was founded in 2019 by retired grocery executive Andre Gagne and his wife Debra Matthews. They hired the original County pioneer and mentor Geoff Heinricks as consultant. They purchased the property with its one-acre of vines in 2016, planted another 3.5 acres in 2018–19 and released their first vintage in 2019. The vineyard is metres from Lake Ontario in shallow clay loam over limestone bedrock (shown below). This bottling is made in tribute to Prince Edward County another pioneer, James Lahti, a friend of Geoff Heinricks, who had founded Long Dog Winery in 2002. He passed away in 2024. Lahti was a passionate and relentless visionary who actually influenced my decision to live in the region from 2005 to 2010. Before he passed away, he gave two old “stubby” Hungarian barrels to Geoff Heinricks. This wine was aged in those two barrels.