Stanners Vineyard
Stanners Vineyard is a family venture that began in 2003 with the purchase of a parcel of farmland near the village of Hillier in Prince Edward County. The “terroir”, that is, the soil, terrain and weather, seemed ideal for our quest to produce a Pinot Noir that would be the rival of any in the world. We love Pinot Noir, making this quest a pleasure as well as a challenge. It is believed that the best Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown in the most northerly terroir that can actually produce and ripen the grape. Prince Edward County is indeed a northerly location and the moderating influence of Lake Ontario which surrounds us makes grape growth and ripening possible. It also boasts the calcareous, limestone-riddled soils that are highly reminiscent of those in Burgundy, the home of world-renowned Pinot Noir wines. Our goal, however, is not to imitate Burgundy, but to bring out the best characteristics that our terroir can instill in the wine that it yields.
Ours is a relatively small vineyard and winery and we believe that our artisanal approach in which family members carry out most of the viticultural and winemaking tasks helps to ensure the high quality of the fruit and wine. Our vines are planted at high density and cultivated using organic (but not yet certified organic) practices, in accordance with our conviction that these measures give the highest quality fruit.
We now add three new wines: a Chardonnay, made from our own grapes, our inaugural Estate Chardonnay, a Chardonnay made from the Vinemount Ridge appellation of Niagara, and a Cabernet Franc made from a blend of County and Vinemount Ridge grapes. Introduced at the Terroir tasting event, all three wines were received enthusiastically.
We made our first wine from the 2007 harvest and the result was striking: a varietally true Pinot Noir with complex and vibrant fruit tastes that are vital and original. Our 2008 Pinot followed the same pattern but was even better balanced, being referred to as “elegant” and receiving a rating of 4.5 stars (out of 5) by wine critic Michael Pinkus.( read the review)
The 2008 sold out quickly and we have now released our 2009 Pinot, which again displays the vibrant fruit tastes of the first two wines. We now feel that these attributes represent a terroir-specific character of our Pinots which is constant regardless of yearly variations in weather, an exciting finding. Our first white wine, a 2009 Pinot Gris, made from our own grapes and grapes from another Prince Edward County vineyard, has also turned out to be a very pleasing example of this varietal with excellent depth of fruit and minerality.
Our unique winery was built in 2009 using straw bales for the walls of the barrel room, a first for Eastern Canada. The winery is now open for tasting and wine sales.
