Leaning Post The Fifty Chardonnay 2024 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 91/100

Leaning Post The Fifty Chardonnay from Ontario V.Q.A. is a dry, medium-bodied white of lovely freshness and precision, vinified with ambient yeast in concrete and aged nine months on its lees without any oak influence, drawing fruit from two distinctive Niagara sites, 63% from the Hemeris Vineyard on the Beamsville Bench and the remainder from the Grimsby Hillside Vineyard in the Lincoln Lakeshore, producing a wine that is fragrant and focused with a captivating nose of sun-warmed apricot, candied citrus peel, fresh jasmine blossom and a cool vein of crushed wet limestone that carries through to a taut, mouthwatering palate and a clean, persistently mineral finish. Winemaker Ilya Senchuk, who launched Leaning Post with his wife Nadia in 2009 out of their shared passion for terroir-specific winemaking, operates out of a lovingly restored 1850s barn in Niagara and has built the winery steadily without outside investors, relying on talent and the exceptional character of trusted vineyard partners like the Hemeris family, whose over-40-year-old Chardonnay vines on the Beamsville Bench are among the most prized sources in the region. Originally from Winnipeg, Senchuk discovered his vocation through a magazine article about Brock University's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Program in 1998, a chance encounter that set him on the path to becoming one of Niagara's most respected terroir-focused winemakers. Serve it well chilled alongside grilled salmon steaks with a lemon herb crust, where the wine's citrus-laced mineral freshness echoes the delicacy of the fish beautifully; it is equally compelling alongside a roast chicken with tarragon pan jus, the wine's bright acidity and textured finish cutting through the richness with effortless grace. Cellar through 2032.

Chardonnay food pairings: grilled salmon steaks, roast chicken, quiche, onion tarte, pork chops, roast chicken, turkey tournedos.

Scrumptious Seafood Wine

Natalie MacLean reviewed this Leaning Post The Fifty Chardonnay 2024 for the Vintages release of July 4, 2026.

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Please note that our reviews are based on a variety of sources: samples sent to our team, those we purchase in store, tasting events, those tasted in restaurants and while traveling domestically and internationally.

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