Lawrason Reviews

Selections are based on quality. All wines have achieved a personal 91-point (Gold Medal) or higher, level of excellence, but ratings are not posted. Simply, all wines included here deserve your attention. Each review contains a detailed tasting note, backgrounder on the winery, winemaker and/or the wine production. There will be a five-star value rating beside the price. Other accolades may be displayed, but not point scores by other publications. Wines are tasted in controlled conditions (often more than once). Although I strive to present new and current releases, availability for purchase cannot be guaranteed, especially with very small lot wines. Each review directs you to the winery website to follow-up on where the wine might be purchased, or found in the retail and restaurant markets.

A Eclectic Selection of New Releases with Some Value Selections Under $40

Black Bank Hill Liberte 2023

Tasting Note This is a southern Rhone–inspired blend of viognier, marsanne and...

Blomidon Cuvée L’Acadie Brut

Tasting Note There is terrific tension and poise here, with immediate fruit....

Cave Spring Dolomite Cabernet Franc 2023

Tasting Note  For context, I tasted this amid the current range of...

Fort Berens Riesling Reserve Wild Ferment Riesling 2023

Tasting Note This is a solid, barely off-dry riesling — a classic...

Last House Vineyard Hillier Rouge Hommage à James Lahti Pinot Noir 2024

Tasting Note For starters, this is a real youngster, with a certain...

Malivoire Genova Gamay 2024

Tasting Note: Malivoire is a standard-bearer for Niagara gamay, now making six...

Muscedere Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Tasting Note Canada in general is not cabernet sauvignon country. But a...

Norman Hardie Greer Road Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Notes Both the 2023 Greer Road Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, sold...

Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2020

Tasting Note This deeply hued, big wine, shows low intensity on the...

Trail Estate Chardonnay Nord 2023

Tasting Note: The WineAlign Crü recently tasted several small lot, single block...

Blue Mountain of Okanagan Falls Wine Reviews

Blue Mountain Brut Methode Traditionelle NV

Tasting Note This is always such great value, a staple traditional-method bubbly...

Blue Mountain Brut Rose Non-Vintage (RD 2022)

Tasting Note The obvious observation is that this rose is not very...

Blue Mountain Chardonnay Block 32 Alluvium Reflection Chardonnay 2023 

Tasting Note This is a solid, firm chardonnay with core power. The...

Blue Mountain Chardonnay Blossom Slope Chardonnay 2023 

Tasting Note This is a lovely, elegant, linear chardonnay — refined but...

Blue Mountain Gamay Noir Estate Cuvee 2023

Tasting Note The granitic soils of Okanagan Falls impart a certain sturdiness,...

Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note This is firm, balanced and stylish all at the same...

Blue Mountain River Flow Cuvee Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note This is “lightest,” most refined and almost ethereal of the...

Blue Mountain Gravel Force Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note This is quite powerful, rigorous pinot noir. The nose is...

Blue Mountain Wild Terrain Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note This is the most fulsome and richly fruited of the...

Lawrason Reviews: Cabernet Franc ~ Canada’s Most Useful and Prized Red Grape

Black Bank Hill Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022

Tasting Note - Just released, this is the longer aged brother of...

Cave Spring CSV Cabernet Franc 2022

Tasting Note - This is the first cab franc vintage to be...

Fort Berens 2022 Cabernet Franc Reserve

Tasting Note - When tasted directly beside the also-excellent Cabernet Franc 2022,...

The Grange of Prince Edward 2023 Aurelia Cabernet Franc

Tasting Note - A few years ago I was dining at The...

Liquidity Wines Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022

Tasting Note - This is a deeply hued, luminous cab franc with...

Maenad Wine Company Cabernet Franc 2023 Lincoln Lakeshore

Tasting Note - When I tasted this small batch wine at the...

Stanners Vineyard Devil’s Wishbone Cabernet Franc 2023

Tasting Note- Over the years Colin Stanners has had notable success with...

Stratus Vineyards Cabernet Franc Decant 2020

Tasting Note - The world's great wines fill up the senses. There...

Synchromesh Storm Haven Vineyard Black Label Cabernet Franc 2022

Tasting Note: The wine opens with fresh herbal and wild strawberry aromas...

Thirty Bench Small Lots Cabernet Franc 2021

Tasting Note –This is very much a reflection of the less ripe...

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2023

Tasting Note - Following on from the smash success of a Platinum...

Two Sisters Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2020

Tasting Note - This is a very amenable, suave style of cabernet...

Best of the Canadian Culinary Championship 2026

Closson Chase Churchside Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note I have spent a lot of time with this lovely,...

Mason Vineyard The Landing Cabernet Franc 2022

Tasting Note This is a delicious and poised 100% varietal cabernet franc....

The Long Way Home Chardonnay 2023

This very textural, complex and intriguing chardonnay took top spot at the...

Bachelder Wismer Wingfield Chardonnay 2023

Tasting Note One of my favourite wines of 2025 was generously donated...

Stone Eagle Eagle Eye 2022

Tasting Note This wine opened eyes and drew breaths when poured by...

Divergence Grimsby Hillside Vineyard Frontier Block 2023

Tasting Note Every time I taste a chardonnay from this increasingly famous...

Two Sisters Eleventh Post 2020

Tasting Note This rich, ample “Bordeaux” blend from the superb 2020 Niagara...

Domaine Queylus Tradition Chardonnay 2023

Tasting Note This showed very nicely at the CCC Grand Finale and...

York Vineyard Brut Rose NV

Tasting Note York Vineyard generously poured three different sparklers at the CCC...

Rosehall Run Stardust Traditional Method Brut Zero 2014

Tasting Note This riveting sparkling wine was generously poured by Rosehall Run...

Awesome and Obscure : The Whites

Averill Creek Somenos Traminer 2023

Tasting NoteI have long been a fan of characterful, authentic gewurztraminer that...

On Seven Chardonnay “On Seven” Chardonnay 2021

Tasting NoteIt’s so rare to see this kind of richness delivered with...

The Long Way Home (Barrel-Aged) Riesling 2024

Tasting NoteOver my career I have come across experimental barrel aged rieslings,...

Terravista Vineyards Fandango 2024

Tasting Note: by Janet DorozynskiThis white is a blend of native Spanish...

Divergence Creek Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Tasting NoteThis has the stuffing that reminds me of great white Bordeaux....

Awesome and Obscure: The Reds

Domaine l’Espiègle Gamma-Rays 2024

Tasting Note: by Janet DorozynksiThis gamaret‑gamay blend, the winery’s sixth to date,...

Four Shadows Zweigelt 2023

Tasting NoteThere aren't many zweigelts in Canada, but this is among the...

Stratus Vineyards Petit Verdot 2020, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Tasting NotePetit Verdot translates as the 'the little green one". So, by...

Rosehall Run Tempranillo 2024, Prince Edward County, Ontario

Tasting NoteIt doesn’t get much more obscure than finding the Spanish tempranillo...

Prince Edward County’s Classic Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays

Closson Chase South Clos Chardonnay 2023

Tasting Note From south facing 24-year-old vines, this shows lovely richness, fruit...

Last House Vineyard Hillier Blanc Block 130 Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

Tasting Note This pours fairly deep lemon yellow/brass. The nose is both...

The Grange of Prince Edward Victoria Block Chardonnay 2024

Tasting Note This is the second season for the refurbished Grange of...

Trail Estate Winery Chardonnay VI 2022

Tasting Note Those who prize bushels of fruit in their chardonnay may...

Exultet Estate Royal Road Pinot Noir 2021

Tasting Note There is a sense of precision and purity in the...

Huff Estates Winery Huff’s Corners Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note This is a very pretty, complete and appealing pinot from...

Keint-He Winery & Vineyards Greer Road Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note First tasted blind at the Judgement of Kingston 2025, this...

Norman Hardie Winery & Vineyard Cuvée L Pinot Noir 2022

Tasting Note Encountered twice, and lifting the roof off both times, this...

Rosehall Run JCR Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note I was fortunate to taste this new vintage at the...

Stanners Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023,

Tasting Note I tasted this beside the supple, generous 2022 that charmed...

Canada’s Sparkling Specialists. Introductory Limited Access. For full access including prices and value ratings please subscribe.

Ailm Estate Brut Reserve 2020

Tasting Note I have had two opportunities — pre-release in autumn 2024...

Blue Mountain Vineyards Blanc de Blancs 2016 R.D.

Tasting Note I tasted this beautiful 100% chardonnay Blanc de Blancs soon...

Evolve Sparkling House Brut Libre 2017

Tasting Note This is a traditional method blend of 54% chardonnay, 25%...

York Vineyard Brut Reserve

Tasting Note This is one of four bottlings from a new sparkling-only...

Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Blanc de Blancs 2018

Tasting Note The newly released 2018 vintage of this Niagara classic has...

Trius Winery Showcase NV Blanc de Noirs

Tasting Note I was mightily impressed by this laser sparkler — a...

Domaine Bergeville l’Intégrale 2021

Tasting Note This traditional method sparkling wine is pale yellow in colour...

Blomidon Estate Winery Blanc de Blancs 2011

Tasting Note I’ve tasted this sparkling wine numerous times over the past...

L’Acadie Vineyards Prestige Brut Estate 2013

Tasting Note This wine is a limited library release that I was...

Canada’s Expensive ‘Bordeaux’ Red Blends. Introductory Limited Access. For full access including prices and value ratings please subscribe.

Mission Hill Oculus 2021

Tasting Note During the National Wine Awards of Canada my role as...

Mission Hill Compendium 2020

Tasting Note My favourite Compendium to date! I am particularly enthused with...

Ailm Estate The Connemara 2021

Tasting Note This is one of Canada’s biggest reds! The 2021 Connemara...

Black Hills Nota Bene 2022

Tasting Note This has become one of the most recognized and collected...

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2022

Tasting Note This is a very generous, ripe and rich Bordeaux blend...

Corcelettes Estate Winery Talus 2022

Tasting Note I encountered this surprising, energized yet sophisticated wine twice in...

Stone Eagle 2020

Tasting Note This proprietary namesake red is a surprising, energized and intriguing...

Stratus White Label Red 2020

Tasting Note This has been designed to provide decades of ageing, so...

Dobbin Estate Cabernet Blend 2020

Tasting Note Of all the selections in this post, here is the...

Icellars Estate Winery Wiyana Wanda 2020

Tasting Note So here is a wild card selection, an expensive Ontario...

Ten Exciting Pinot Noirs. Introductory Limited Access. For full access including prices and value ratings please subscribe.

Alderlea Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 2022

Tasting Note: The quality and consistency of Island pinot noirs I encountered...

1 Mill Road Home Block Pinot Noir 2023 

Tasting Note: It was a hotter, earlier harvested vintage in the Okanagan,...

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery Richard’s Block Pinot Noir 2022

Tasting Note: This pinot hits a different dimension of flavour and weight...

Solvero Wines Garnet Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022

Tasting Note: At this point this is a bit reserved, and I...

Henry of Pelham Family Estate Speck Family Reserve Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note: This lovely, pleasant pinot builds on my impression that winemaker...

Bachelder’s Toussaint 2023 Pinot Noir Release (Nov 2025)

Tasting Note: I tasted this nine-bottle collection at the Bachelder Bat Cave...

Malivoire Cat on the Bench Pinot Noir 2022

Tasting Note: This tiny production of 42 cases is only sold at...

Broken Stone Winery Pinot Noir “The One” 2023 Pinot Noir

Tasting Note: This exciting pinot pours with more colour depth than the...

Vignoble La Cantina Pinot Noir 2023

Tasting Note: A well deserved Gold and great value from a fairly...

Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards 2022 Ancienne Pinot Noir

Tasting Note: This is a pale and light bodied pinot, typical of...