183 products
183 products
- White Wine
- Chardonnay
- Sustainable, Vegan-Friendly
- Dry
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 13% alc./vol
About the Winery
Leaning Post
A leaning post is what you find at the beginning of a row of grapes, anchoring the wires that are the frame-work for growing grapevines. It is the beginning of an obsession to translate a time and place into liquid. Leaning Post wines take you to that beginning by finding small, unique plots of land in Niagara and putting them in bottle. Because after stripping away all the fancy buildings and high-tech equipment you are left with a place on this earth that grows wine unlike any other. When you taste that in a glass you just know it. Nadia and Ilya have had to rely on the support of family, friends and financial institutions to make the dream of owning a winery a reality. Leaning Post began as a virtual winery and is so proud to now have the quaint tasting room at 1491 Hwy 8 on their home property in Winona, Ontario.
Ilya and Nadia are the brains and passion behind Leaning Post Wines. It started with a dream to take unique, interesting single vineyard blocks in Niagara and turn them into distinctive, terroir driven wines. Nadia and Ilya first met in their hometown of Winnipeg, MB where their passion for wine and each other was born.
Ilya has been a winemaker in the Niagara Region for the last 17 vintages working at Daniel Lenko Estate Winery, Foreign Affair and now at Leaning Post Wines. Ilya is also a consulting winemaker at the Good Earth Winery. Ilya’s true passion in life is to make world renowned wines from Niagara that really showcase the distinct terroir that Niagara offers.
Press Reviews
Wines in Niagara
93 points - Rick VanSickle
This single-vineyard Chardonnay from the Frontier Block in the Grimsby Hillside Vineyard is sourced from two blocks with different Chardonnay clones: clone 76 and clone 96. The clones were kept separate throughout pressing and oak aging. The fruit was whole cluster pressed and allowed to settle for a couple of days before being put into barrel for spontaneous fermentation. The wine remained in French oak barriques on its lees for 15 months. This is much more subtle and elegant than the estate Chardonnay and shows overt minerality qualities such as seashells, flint and saline, then fresh pear, bergamot, lemon zest and savoury spices notes kick in as you swirl the wine in your glass. It shows pure elegance on the palate with lovely savoury (touch of reduction?) minerality, quince, lemon, subtle white peach and a big flinty, lifted and long finish. Can cellar through 2030.
- White Wine
- Pinot Gris
- Sustainable
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 5.00 g/l
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 13.90% alc./vol
About the Winery
Paddy Borthwick
Proudly family owned, the Borthwick vineyard is an established vineyard situated in Gladstone, the heart of the Wairarapa. Producing quality wine for over a decade, Paddy, an experienced wine maker, has gained a reputation for producing consistently great wines. The twenty seven hectares of vines bordering the Ruamahunga River are growing on stony, free draining, alluvial soils, with a micro climate giving warm daily temperatures, cool nights and low rainfall; perfect conditions for producing distinctive, quality wines.
In line with the family’s legacy of international trade, 90 percent of the wine is exported around the world. Paddy believes in sustainability and best practice within a vineyard, developing an asset for generations to come.
Press Reviews
Wine Orbit
94 points - Sam Kim
It's splendidly ripe and inviting on the nose with poached pear, mango, Gala apple, and warm spice aromas. The palate delivers excellent weight and succulent fruit intensity, beautifully supported by silky texture and fine acidity, finishing delectable and lingering. At its best: now to 2028
Camdouglasms.com
92 points - Cameron Douglas, MS
There's no mistaking the variety with this wine showcasing flavours of sweet green pears and apple, there's fresh quince and honeysuckle quality, a touch of sweet lager and a fine lees texture. Nice weight and youthful tension along with a satin mouthfeel. Well made with a medium+ acid line. Best drinking from 2023 through 2026. Premium.
WineAlign
91 points - Michael Godel
Paddy Borthwick knows pinot gris, and completes his assigned task, vintage in, and vintage out. From 2025 there is the added bonus of an extra layer of ripe, very fleshy, and clearly riveting fruit. A substantial pinot gris, bloody delicious and better for it all. Drink 2026-2028. Tasted July 2026.
90 points - Megha Jandhyala S.J.D., DipWSET
This is a lightly fleshy pinot gris, with a touch of sweetness, and that characteristic bitterness I associate with this variety. It is cast in the hue of an Alsatian-style pinot gris, with a sense of richness and ripeness. I like the texture of this wine most of all. Engaging flavours of tart orchard fruit and juicy lemons only add to its appeal and linger on the long finish. Tasted July 2026.