WineAlign - Awards - 2024 NWAC Pinot Noir

Results of the 2024 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Pinot Noir

Category Overview by Judge Michael Godel

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

No other grape causes more of a stir, is responsible for more hair to fall and breaks more hearts. Does not play well with others, refuses to share, to be blended, to give anything less than 100 per cent. For many, there is no other grape variety. How often does a conversation begin with “what is your favourite wine” and end invidiously with “Burgundy?” While Bourgogne certainly persists as the historic locale possessive of the title “when it’s great, it’s the best,” pinot noir has found immense global success and Canadian soils are largely responsible for that.

Thoughts with doubts about pinot noir’s viability in Canadian vineyards have long been laid to rest with proof arranged and clarified after yet another edition of the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. The judging week saw the fourth most number of flights, all intriguing and arguably the finest collective showing of bottles poured from the fickle grape. From lithe, transparent, high-toned, red berry charmers to darker, brooding, seriously ripe and often tannic iterations. As it has been said, “beauties and beasts, belles et bêtes,” pinot noir the good can succeed one way or another, with harmony and in balance.

Let’s look at the numbers. The proof is, as they say, in the pudding. Why do they say in the pudding? Is it a dessert metaphor? No matter because facts provide evidence and evidence begets validation. The proof for perpetuating the planting, growth and certification of not only a preference for the variety, but also its necessity lies in the analyses of where it stands by comparisons. At the NWACs 2024 pinot noir accounted for 8.7 percent of all entries. Only sparkling wines (9.0), red blends (10.4) and chardonnay (10.8) were higher in record. Here are the individual medal numbers:

Total Medals: pinot noir (8.4), sparkling (8.7), red blends (11.2) and chardonnay (12.6)
Bronze: pinot noir (8.6), red blends (8.8), sparkling (9.5) and chardonnay (11.8)
Silver: pinot noir (6.3), sparkling (8.1), riesling (8.7), red blends (12.6) and chardonnay (13.2)

In the Gold Medal category pinot noir moved ahead of sparkling wines, riesling, and also syrah with 18 of the 173 medals.

sparkling (8.3), syrah (8.3), riesling (9.5), pinot noir (10.7), chardonnay (12.4) and red blends (12.6)

In the top Platinum category pinot noir shared top billing accounting for four of the total 18 medals awarded.

cabernet franc (11.1), chardonnay (16.6), pinot noir (22.2), and red blends (22.2)

A huge congratulations must be given to Spearhead, located on the benchlands of South East Kelowna and you may recall they took home honours as the Best Performing Small Winery at the 2022 National Wine Awards of Canada. Spearhead concentrates on pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling with approximately 80 percent of their 15 acres of vines being planted to pinot noir. In addition to receiving three of four Platinum Medals, the winery was also awarded one Gold, three Silvers and a Bronze for their pinot noir. Unprecedented success in any single category in the 20 year history of these awards. Meyer Family Vineyards from Okanagan Falls was also triumphant in 2024, coming away with seven medals; one Platinum, three Gold, two Silver and one Bronze. Ontario’s Hidden Bench saw two Golds, along with one each by Organized Crime, Riverview Cellars, Rosehall Run and Domaine Queylus. In the end British Columbia took away 58 of 80 pinot noir medals.

And the winners are…

Meyer 2022 B Field Blend McLean Creek Road Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2022 Club Consensus Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2022 Pommard Clone Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2022 Saddle Block Pinot Noir, East Kelowna Slopes, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

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