Leaning Post 2023 Cuvée Winona

Nose: Blackberry, cassis, raspberry, and mulberry instantly steal the show, with mossy/bramble, graphite, inkwell, and oregano following closely behind.

Palate: Fullness, weight, and structure impress, with the ripeness of the vintage shining through — a lovely, mid-weight palate featuring plum and wild-strawberry, layered over coffee, tan-leather, cured meat, and black olive.

Finish: Powerful but soft tannins carry a satisfying, well-structured finish.

Great with burgers, cured meat, and hard cheese.

Satisfying to drink now with a good decant, but it will certainly age well over the next 5-8 years.

Sourced across the Niagara Peninsula.

A moderate and beautiful 2023 vintage in Niagara, with the ripeness of the season shining through in fullness, weight, and structure across the blend.

From the moderate and beautiful 2023 vintage, fruit was sourced from across the Niagara Peninsula and hand-picked at optimal ripeness for each variety.

The grapes were handpicked on October 21 (Merlot and Syrah) and November 14 (Cabernet Franc). Each portion was vinified and aged separately: hand-sorted and destemmed into a stainless steel open-top tank (Merlot) and a concrete tank (Cabernet Franc). After a 2-day cold soak, fermentation began with pump-overs twice a day for 4 weeks. Each wine was then gently pressed and racked into oak barrels (15% new) for 14 months of aging, blended when racked out of barrel, and bottled un-fined and unfiltered in August 2025.

Founded by Ilya and Nadia Senchuk in 2011 on 11 acres in Winona, at the far western edge of the Niagara Peninsula, Leaning Post Wines built its reputation on single-vineyard, sub-appellation-driven Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Winemaker Ilya Senchuk sources fruit from a small circle of sites he knows intimately — the estate's own Senchuk Vineyard along with Grimsby Hillside, Keczan, Hemeris and Bock — farmed and vinified with minimal intervention so each site's character comes through clearly in the glass. Leaning Post was an early champion of the Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation designation and is Certified Sustainable by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario. The wines have consistently ranked among Ontario's top producers and are poured in leading restaurants in Toronto, Montreal, London and Copenhagen.