A sense of place in each and every sip.
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...because we have been dying to share this exciting discovery with you since we went to the winery in June this year.
...because these are small-batch wines showcasing many of Niagara's top single vineyards and you can choose from nine wines rated 91pts or higher!
...because national and international critics have also been raving about this winery in recent years...truly a winery on the rise.
...because winemaker Ilya Senchuk is a freaking genius when it comes to winemaking. It shows in the quality of his terroir-driven wines.
...because you can get reduced shipping with 6+ bottles, plus a free corkscrew with 12+ wines!
Carl's Top Picks for You...
Bonus Picks
✔️2019 Senchuk Vineyard Chardonnay | $50.20
✔️2018 Senchuk Vineyard Pinot Noir | $65.20
✔️2018 Blanc de Blanc Traditional Method Sparkling | $55.20
Shipping for 6+ Bottles: $10 ON | $15 QC | $30 BC AB SK MB NL NB NS PE NT YK
*Get a FREE corkscrew with 12+ bottles!*
Shipping Methods: ICS/Canpar/Loomis | FIL Delivery for Toronto (yay!) | Canada Post for PO Boxes or by request
Carl's Notes
2020 Leaning Post Sauvignon Blanc
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Niagara Lakeshore
100% Sauv Blanc| Dry Wine | 13% ABV
91+pts Carl’s Wine Club | Bronze, WineAlign National Wine Awards
Here we have a rich, Loire Valley style Sauv Blanc, reflecting all the splendour of the historic 2020 Niagara vintage. Richness, power and concentration, with a wonderful minerality that I feel is the very best attribute of this wine. There is nothing shy on the nose, with guava, orange blossom, pink grapefruit, light gooseberry, plus the classic and expected grassiness of a Sauv Blanc. Six months of lees aging has provided depth and complexity to the palate, which showcases passionfruit, green apple, starfruit, nectarine, and wet stone, and a flinty and chalky minerality which brings a great sensation of dryness. The medium acidity keeps the whole experience fresh, lifted, mouth-watering…and juicy! (CWC, 09/11/22). 120 cases produced.
Food pairing: sushi platter, smoked pork chops
Drink now until 2026
Winery Price: $29.20 incl. tax/dep
2019 Leaning Post Gamay
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Twenty Mile Bench
100% Gamay Noir | Dry wine | 11.5% ABV
91pts Carl’s Wine Club | 91pts WineAlign, Silver Medal
This Gamay is long, long, long…very long and complex! This wild-ferment took me right to the heart of Beaujolais. Earthy, mushroomy, tomato leaf, with graphite and licorice on the nose. The palate is linear and focused, with nicely defined raspberry, strawberry and dark cocoa flavours, well-rounded with a bit of cracked pepper, tea leaves, tomato and basil sauce, and loads of complexity. This is a serious Gamay at a great price. We enjoyed it with the ENOVINO wine aerator and it shone even more on the second day. Serve slightly chilled. (CWC, 09/03/22). 300 cases produced.
Pairings: margarita pizza, zucchini steaks with parmesan
Drink now until 2025
Winery Price: $25.20 | including tax & deposit
2020 Leaning Post Pinot Noir | New Release!
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Niagara Peninsula
100% Pinot Noir| Dry wine | 13.5% ABV
92pts Carl’s Wine Club
The grapes in this wine are from four vineyards, nicely split between three sub-appellations known for their outstanding potential for Pinot Noir: St. David’s Bench, Lincoln Lakeshore, and Beamsville Bench. This new release is approachable, soft, supple, and a great reflection of the 2020 vintage. The nose is generous with cherry, black raspberry, tomato leaves and licorice. On the palate the wine is intense, well-defined, with ripe fruit flavours like the aforementioned cherry and raspberry but also an element of complexity with milk chocolate cocoa, slight earthiness, licorice, a great spicy finish with white pepper and cloves, and a perfect amount of acidity throughout. (CWC, 09/09/22). 205 cases produced.
Food pairing: roasted duck, veal schnitzel
Drink now until 2028
Winery Price: $33.20 incl. tax/dep
2020 Leaning Post Cuvee Winona
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Niagara Peninsula
61% Merlot, 39% Cab Franc | Dry wine | 14% ABV
92pts Carl’s Wine Club
Mentioning this wine over-delivers for its price-point is an understatement. An outstanding wine for under $30. A very exuberant nose of cassis, raspberry, bing cherry and chocolate lead the way for a plush and generous palate. This is vintage 2020 in a nutshell. Flavours of sweet ripe fruits like ripe raspberry, blueberry jam and crème de cassis are elevating the front palate and demonstrating perfect ripeness levels. The mid palate stays fruity with the addition of licorice, fresh herbs and dark cocoa while the finish is long, spicy and complex, animated by energetic but already soft tannins. My smoked ribs brought the spicy finish of this wine to another level. This wine can be defined more as “New World Style” compared to the rest of the portfolio…
(CWC, 09/03/22). 620 cases produced.
Pairings: smoked pork ribs, spaghetti and meatballs
Drink now until 2027
Winery Price: $29.20 | including tax & deposit
2019 Leaning Post “Keczan Vineyard” Syrah
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
100% Syrah| Dry wine | 13% ABV
93pts Carl’s Wine Club | 93pts WineAlign
Finesse and elegance is the name of the game here, and a perfect representation of the 2019 vintage. Surprisingly, the wine shows full ripeness and outstanding complexity. The nose displays savouriness, raspberry, dark cherry and slight meaty components. The palate offers nice texture and soft tannins with flavours of black cherry, blueberry pie, dark chocolate and tobacco leaves. The finish is lightly peppered, completing the circle on the full Syrah spectrum. One of Ontario's finest Syrahs!
(CWC, 07/31/22). 55 cases produced.
Food pairing: beef kabobs, smoked brisket
Drink now until 2029
Winery Price: $55.20 incl. tax/dep
2018 Leaning Post “Senchuk Vineyard” Pinot Noir
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore
100% Pinot Noir| Dry wine | 13.4% ABV
93pts Carl’s Wine Club
This wine shows a true and great expression of Pinot Noir, with an “Old World” influence like the region of Cotes de Nuits in Burgundy. Floral, leathery and earthy on the nose, this quintessential Pinot delivers defined and precise flavours of red cherry, strawberry, mushroom, tobacco leaves, cocoa, Provencal herbs and dried violet. The finish is very long and complex, offering light white pepper, cloves and cardamom and a judicious amount of oak flavours floats throughout the wine supporting a tremendous texture and mouth-watering acidity. A sensational sense of place!
(CWC, 09/09/22). 185 cases produced.
Food pairing: wild mushroom risotto, stewed game meat
Drink now until 2028
Winery Price: $65.20 incl. tax/dep
2018 Leaning Post Traditional Method Blanc de Blanc
Ontario, Niagara, VQA Beamsville Bench
100% Chardonnay| Dry wine | 12% ABV
92pts Carl’s Wine Club
100% Hemerus Vineyard from the Beamsville Bench. This traditional method sparkling is bone dry, and has aged for 36 months on lees, providing a beautiful creamy texture, outstanding length, and precision. The nose offers biscotti, brioche, fresh baked croissant, that mingles with expressive lemon, lime, and white flower aromas. The palate is classic on citrus, orange blossom, white peach, almond cookies, and the bubbles are perfectly sized and tenacious. This is a terroir-oriented traditional method, and a great example of how close we can get from classic Champagne. (CWC, 06/21/22). 125 cases produced.
Food pairing: oysters on the half-shell, bacon wrapped scallops
Drink now until 2030
Winery Price: $55.20 incl. tax/dep
The Story & Winemaker
Leaning Post Wines is located in Stoney Creek, ON in the Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation of Niagara.
We stopped by the winery in June 2022 and tasted through their entire portfolio of 25+ wines. There was not one wine that didn't stand out with a sense of place, excellent value, and delicious qualities. We also enjoyed meeting Ilya and Nadia Senchuk and their family, and learning about their story to build their winery dream.
I'm thrilled to bring you this discovery this week from a winery obsessed with making small batch wines that reflect the Niagara terroir.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Carl
Carl
Leaning Post was founded by winemaker Ilya Senchuk and his wife and business partner, Nadia Senchuk.
Ilya hails from the grape growing mecca of Winnipeg and dreamed of a career in food and wine. In 1998 Ilya read a magazine about the Brock Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture program and he knew that was the path to take.
After being a winemaker in the Niagara Region for 12 years, Ilya dreamed of starting his own project alongside his family. Starting Leaning Post as a virtual label in 2009, he has now spent over 20 years making wine and exploring terroir in Niagara.
Since buying the farm in 2011 that now houses the winery, Ilya has become both a talented winemaker and project manager to make his dream a reality.
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Questions? Drop us a line at carl@carlswineclub.com or call 587-899-8249