Poplar Grove Winery Pinot Noir 2023 Wine Review

Poplar Grove Winery Pinot Noir 2023

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada

Community Score:92/100

Community Reviews: 3

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Price: $35.00

Drink: 2025-2027

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 13.5%

Sweetness: Extra Dry

Wine Type: Red Wine

Winery: Poplar Grove Winery

Agent: Select Wine Merchants Inc.

Natalie's Score: 93/100

A graceful and expressive red with aromas of ripe cherry, raspberry, and cranberry, woven with hints of rose petal, clove, and forest floor. It’s medium-bodied, dry, and silky on the palate, with fine tannins, lively acidity, and 13.5% alcohol bringing balance and finesse. Serve it slightly below room temperature to highlight its bright fruit and delicate spice. Fascinating fact: Founded in 1993, Poplar Grove is one of the pioneering wineries on the Naramata Bench, and winemaker Stefan Arnason crafts this Pinot Noir from hand-harvested estate fruit that reflects the region’s cool climate and mineral-rich soils. This wine will age gracefully for 4–6 years, developing savoury and earthy complexity. You can order this wine directly from the winery at www.www.poplargrove.ca.

Pinot Noir food pairings: roasted duck breast and cherry glaze, where the wine’s red fruit and spice echo the dish’s richness. Or enjoy it with wild mushroom risotto, where its earthy notes and lively acidity create a harmonious match.

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This Poplar Grove Winery Pinot Noir 2023 was reviewed on October 11, 2025 by Natalie MacLean

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Pricing & Stock Information

LCBO
696852044202
$35.00
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Reviews and Ratings

Craig Haynes - WSET3 FWS SWS IWS rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

This Pinot Noir checks so many boxes on the must-experience-this-wine chart. For me, this wine from British Columbia, Canada radiates elegance and dialed down magnetism. I like the expressions of ripe red berries and red licorice teamed up with low-key stitches of slate and lightly smoked herbs like fennel and its siblings. All this shows up in the scent and in the taste. And the taste, it is in no rush to head for the exit. This is a good thing.

The mouthfeel is lovely. It has liveliness, warmth, a down-right dryness, and it is velvety with a slight edginess. So nice.
Medium bodied but leans toward the lightness end of that spectrum, in my opinion. That wasn’t what I had anticipated because the label displays 14.3%ABV. However, there is no cause for alarm. This weight is a bonus, adding to the overall experience.

How did this deliciousness happen? Here’s the Reader’s Digest version: it started with a blend of six Pinot Noir clones all grown on Poplar Grove’s own vineyards. Then, the winery’s wizardry came into play after the grapes had been harvested, drawing on the magic of hand sorting, whole berry fermentation, and 14 months of aging on French oak barrels (25% new) followed by six more months of aging in the bottle before the cases of this red were placed on the shelf to be purchased.

If appellation awareness turns you on, this creation is classified as British Columbia VQA Okanagan Valley (sub-appellation, Naramata Bench). It is located on the picturesque eastern shore of Lake Okanagan just north of the City of Penticton.

Tasted June 2025

Jennifer Havers - WSET Level 3 rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

This is a gorgeous Pilot Noir from British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, blended from Pinot Noir grapes harvested across Poplar Grove's properties. Aromas of red cherry and raspberry, with hints of candied strawberry, mingling nicely with hints of leather, wet stone and some slightly smoky hints. Medium bodied with vibrant acidity on the palate, and light to medium dusty tannins on the palate, balancing nicely with ripe red berry notes, and a hint of minerality. Just lovely! Pair with grilled pork or just enjoy with a charcuterie plate.

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Poplar Grove Winery Pinot Noir 2023 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 93/100

Pricing & Stock Information