Leaning Post Chardonnay 2024

Leaning Post Chardonnay 2024 is a premium, artisanal white wine from the Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada.

The winery was founded by Ilya and Nadia Senchuk with a philosophy of minimal intervention and a focus on translating unique Niagara terroirs into liquid. Ilya Senchuk believes that cool-climate Chardonnay offers a perfect balance of richness and power with focus and grace. The 2024 vintage is a blend sourced from four distinct vineyards: Grimsby Hillside (85%), Senchuk Vineyard (15%), as well as portions from the Bock and Hemeris vineyards.

Wine Description

The 2024 vintage was characterized by a warm, steady growing season and a long, dry fall, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly while maintaining excellent acidity.

• Aromas: The nose features an immediate wave of pineapple, lemon curd, and peach pith, accented by sea spray and wet-stone minerality.

• Palate: It offers a beautiful richness balanced by flavours of grilled Niagara peaches, cumin, and lemon meringue, mingling with crème fraîche and roasted almond.

• Finish: The wine is silky smooth and exceptionally long, eventually yielding to a persistent wet-stone minerality and crisp acidity.

The wine is 100% Chardonnay, whole-cluster pressed and fermented in French oak barrels using indigenous yeasts and malolactic bacteria. It was aged in barrel for 10 months and bottled in September 2025. The 2024 release has an ABV of 13%, a pH of 3.15, and a very low residual sugar of 3 g/L (Extra Dry).

Food Pairing

The richness and mineral tension of this Chardonnay make it a versatile partner for structured seafood and white meats:

• Seafood: Excellent with meaty fish such as halibut or cod, as well as shellfish like lobster, shrimp, crab, and scallops.

• Poultry: Pairs beautifully with roasted chicken or turkey tournedos.

• Vegetarian: Complements savory vegetable dishes like onion tarte or quiche.

Winemaking Philosophy

Leaning Post treats each vineyard parcel separately from picking through fermentation to ensure individual terroir expression. The wines are crafted with spontaneous primary and malolactic fermentations and are released with low sulfite additions. Often, the wines undergo only a rough filtration or no filtration at all to maintain their natural texture and character.