Ottawa, ON
February 2026
Matt’s review: A beautifully poised single-vineyard Riesling that captures both site and season with quiet confidence. Pale straw-gold in the glass, this wine opens with lifted aromas of crisp pear, white peach, stone fruit, melon, and wildflower honey, underscored by a precise wet-stone minerality.
The palate is elegant and finely tuned, delivering refreshing stone fruit and white orchard flavours in a medium-light frame. At 12 g/L residual sugar, the wine carries just the faintest whisper of sweetness through the mid-palate—enough to round the edges without ever distracting from its freshness. The finish is clean, persistent, and mineral-driven, with lingering notes of white fruit and a subtle echo of honey.
Planted in 2008 with Riesling clone 21B, the Kelson Block sits on the drier, slightly warmer northern edge of the Grimsby Hillside Vineyard, benefiting from increased sun exposure and reduced escarpment runoff. Rooted in Trafalgar clay loam with layers of red clay and green-banded shale over Queenston bedrock, the site brings both structure and finesse, expressed here with clarity and restraint.
Hand-harvested on September 28, 2024, and produced in a tiny lot of just 70 cases, this is an impressive and articulate vintage of the Kelson Block from Horseshoe Cellars. Refreshing, elegant, and remarkably versatile at the table—equally at home with seafood, spicy Asian-inspired dishes, or simply enjoyed on its own.
Tasted February 2026. 93 points. Matt Steeves – http://www.quercusvino.ca
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