Tasting Note I was mightily impressed by this laser sparkler — a pinot-noir-heavy blanc de noirs that has spent five years ageing on its lees. Yet it pours quite youthful pale lemon. The nose is very fine and sophisticated with lemon custard, crouton/brioche, sunflower seed and caraway grains/nuttiness. It is light to mid-weight, very firm and poised with great acid balance and excellent to outstanding length. Love the focus and depth. Very tidy along the way. It is currently available (December 2025) at LCBO Vintages in Ontario. Tasted December 2025.
Backgrounder Trius is one of Niagara’s pioneering wineries, founded in the 1970s as Newark, then becoming Hillebrand and finally Trius in 1988 after winemaker JL Groux created a Bordeaux blend of three (hence, trius) varieties. The brand was so successful that the winery took Trius as its name after it was purchased by Andrew Peller. The sparkling program kicked in at same time, with the opening of what is still the largest sparkling ageing cellar in Canada. Trius Brut is the constant and reliable stable. This non-vintage Showcase Brut ups the game. It is made from a base wine combining six vintages, each spending time in neutral French oak — which is quite a blending feat. It is a blend of 89% pinot noir, 7% pinot meunier and just a splash of chardonnay at 3%. It was bottled in September 2018, then spent 60 months aging sur lie. The wine was disgorged September 2023, and a dosage of the base wine plus one gram per litre of sugar was added, keeping it on the very lean side.
Accolades:
International Wine Competition (UK) 2025 Gold Medal
