Results of the 2017 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Pinot Noir

Intro by Treve Ring

They don’t call it the heartbreak grape for nothing. As a wine judge, we know this all too well. Pinot Noir flights can be stunning with finesse and elegance, or they can be stupefying with oak and over-ripeness. This year was hit and miss for the pinot noir flights, perhaps reflective of a challenging 2015 vintage in many regions across Canada. When it was good, it was very good, and when it wasn’t, you could hear panel hearts (and palates) break. There were no Platinum Medal winners in the category this year, reflective of our struggles in the judging room.

But it’s not just wine judges who struggle with this mysterious grape. Numerous clones, various mutations and countless synonyms over the past, oh, 1000 years or so have made it a difficult family tree to follow. What is certain however, is this low-yielding, early budding, early ripening grape appreciates calcareous-clay and limestone soils and cool-moderate temperate climates such as Vancouver Island, the upper half of the Okanagan Valley, and Ontario’s Prince Edward County and Niagara Benches. The heartbreak nickname also references this delicate grape’s susceptibility to mildews, botrytis and viruses. But in this fine-tuned grape’s delicacy also lies its strength. Fewer grapes can transmit terroir like this one, expressing the slightest change in soil and vintage – as we can attest to at NWAC17. Undeniably one of Canada’s top red varieties across all regions, we look forward to the next vintage with hopes of having our hearts filled once again.

50th Parallel 2014 Unparalleled Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Anarchist Mountain 2015 Wildfire Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2016 Pinot Noir, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Inniskillin Okanagan 2015 Pinot Noir Dark Horse Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2015 Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir McLean Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2015 Old Block Pinot Noir McLean Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Privato 2014 Woodward Collection Tesoro Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stanners 2014 Barrel Select Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario
The Good Earth 2015 Pinot Noir, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Unsworth 2014 Pinot Noir Vintners Reserve, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

50th Parallel 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2014 Platinum Block 2 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Garry Oaks 2015 Pinot Noir, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Karlo Estates 2015 Pinot Noir, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Keint-He 2014 Greer Road Pinot Noir Greer Road Vineyard, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Keint-He 2014 Little Creek Pinot Noir Little Creek, Prince Edward County, Ontario
La Frenz 2015 Pinot Noir Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2014 Pinot Noir , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Laughing Stock 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2015 Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Meyer 2015 Pinot Noir Reimer Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2015 Terroir Collection Pinot Noir Reflection Point #43, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Moraine 2015 Pinot Noir , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2015 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Red Rooster 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Salt Spring Winery 2014 Pinot Noir Reserve, Gulf Islands, British Columbia
Screaming Frenzy 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpierHead 2015 Pinot Noir Cuvée, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpierHead 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2014 Renaissance Pinot Noir Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2015 Pinot Noir Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stoneboat Pinot House 2014 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2016 Pinot Noir Unfiltered Quarry Road Vineyard, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The Hatch 2014 Birds Eye View Clone 667 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tightrope 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wayne Gretzky 2015 Estate Series Pinot Noir, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

2027 Cellars 2013  Queenston Road Vineyard Pinot Noir, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Adamo 2014 Grower’s Series Pinot Noir Lowrey Vineyard, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Arrowleaf 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Swift 2014 Long Road Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Swift 2014 Pinot Noir Stones Throw, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Ciao Bella 2014 Pinot Nero Fiume Vineyards, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir Grande Réserve 2014, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir Réserve 2014, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Domaine Queylus Pinot Noir Tradition 2014, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Flat Rock Cellars 2014 Gravity Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Flat Rock Cellars 2015 Pinot Noir, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
G.Marquis 2015 Pinot Noir The Silver Line, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Gray Monk 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
JoieFarm 2015 ‘En Famille’ Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
JoieFarm 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Leaning Post 2014 Pinot Noir Lowrey Vineyard, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Maverick 2014 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Megalomaniac 2015 Sonofabitch, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Mission Hill 2015 Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Niagara College Teaching Winery 2015 Balance Pinot Noir Trek Vineyard, Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
See Ya Later Ranch 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2015 Pinot Noir Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tantalus 2015 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2012 Pinot Noir Cherry Avenue, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tinhorn Creek 2014 Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Unsworth 2015 Pinot Noir, Vancouver Island, British Columbia