Domaine Queylus Droite 2023 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 93/100

Domaine Queylus Droite from the Niagara Peninsula V.Q.A. is a dry, medium-bodied Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend of genuine elegance and precision, opening with a fragrant nose of wild cranberry, dried cassis, fresh thyme, damp forest floor and a ribbon of pencil lead minerality that gives way to a taut, concentrated palate with silky, fine-grained tannins and a long, focused finish. The name Droite pays homage to Bordeaux's Right Bank, where Merlot reigns, while the wine itself delivers something entirely rooted in Niagara's cool-climate character and clay-rich soils atop the Escarpment. Head Winemaker Kelly Mason, who took over from legendary founding winemaker Thomas Bachelder in 2018, uses low-intervention techniques and wild fermentation to craft wines of uncommon restraint and terroir clarity, and in 2024 Domaine Queylus swept the Ontario Wine Awards, taking White of the Year, Winemaker of the Year and the Lieutenant Governor's Award. Fascinatingly, the winery takes its name from Gabriel Thubières de Levy de Queylus, a 17th-century Sulpician priest from France believed to have overseen the very first wine vinification on the shores of Lake Ontario, roughly 350 years ago. Serve it slightly below room temperature alongside a grilled striploin steak with a mushroom and shallot pan sauce, where the wine's earthy depth and firm structure are a natural fit; it is equally at home with a hearty vegetarian chili loaded with smoked paprika and black beans, the wine's herbal freshness and bright acidity weaving through the spice beautifully. Cellar through 2030.

Food pairings: gourmet burgers, grilled steak, vegetarian chili.

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This Domaine Queylus Droite 2023 was reviewed on April 28, 2026 by Natalie MacLean

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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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