Mason Vineyard wines are sold online or by appointment.Mason Vineyard/Supplied
On a warm July afternoon, Kelly Mason is eager to show new ways she’ll host guests at her Beamsville, Ont., vineyard. “We really want to attract people who care about the wine,” she says, striding toward two custom parson tables crafted from burnt ash and steel sitting beside rows of chardonnay vines. There’s room for 10 people to sit comfortably at each.
Across the way, sets of stone steps lead down to two smaller, shaded seating areas, outfitted with Muskoka chairs facing the vineyard. There aren’t any social-media-friendly adornments, floral walls or neon signs broadcasting playful sayings, such as Sip, Sip, Hooray or I Make Pour Decisions, to zhuzh up the setting.
Just thoughtfully chosen furniture and an immaculately tended vineyard that reflects Mason’s dedication and expertise as the owner of the property, the vineyard manager and the winemaker.
“I see this every day and I see it as work,” Mason says, motioning toward the 13-acre property she bought in 2012. “Sometimes, I see it as being beautiful; sitting here, looking out on the vines, makes me happy.”
This casual tasting experience is offered alongside two structured tasting seminars, including one hosted by Mason on Saturdays and Sundays. (Booking information is available at masonvineyard.com.)
Born in Montreal, Mason’s passion for wine led her to Niagara. Following graduation from Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute in 2010, she started working at Tawse and Le Clos Jordanne, where she found a mentor in winemaker Thomas Bachelder. She joined the team at Domaine Queylus in 2013 and became head winemaker in 2018, a position she still holds while growing her small-lot estate winery.
Kelly Mason purchased the 13-acre property in 2012.Mason Vineyard/Supplied
Without a tasting room or wine boutique, Mason Vineyards needs to get creative to make its wines accessible. In the past she has staged winemaker’s dinners and continues to find creative ways to host wine lovers in the summer months before her attention turns toward the annual grape harvest in the fall.
“We don’t want to rush through a bunch of wine or get as many people on the property as we can,” Mason explains. “We want them to come and enjoy and leave with a story.”
A finely tuned palate and gentle hand in the cellar has made Mason a rising star in Ontario. She specializes in low intervention and wild ferment winemaking, avoiding the use of commercial additives, such as cultivated yeasts that help winemakers maintain a consistent product year after year. Mason wants to embrace vintage variation, the attributes that make her 2020 pinot noir different from the 2023 vintages she’s selling now.
Her drive and determination to produce only the best quickly made Mason Vineyard one of the top producers in the country. Every wine in her portfolio is delicious and dialled-in. The current offer is nine wines, six made from the estate and three so-called Collab wines that Mason produces with a partner with grapes grown elsewhere in Niagara. There’s a rosé and viognier from the 2024 vintage made with Brooke Husband, Mason’s assistant winemaker at Domaine Queylus, and a petit verdot made in 2023 with Stratus Vineyards’ founding winemaker, Jean-Laurent (JL) Groux.
Mason says when she heard there was some petit verdot grapes available from a nearby vineyard, she instantly thought of asking Groux. “I wrote him a long e-mail, saying I haven’t had the chance to work with him and would love to have this learning opportunity.”
Previous Collab wines have been a cabernet franc made with Barb Condotta (owner of Honsberger Estate) and a chardonnay produced with Thomas Bachelder in 2020. More recently, there was a sauvignon blanc crafted by Mason and Craig McDonald, executive vice-president of Andrew Peller Ltd.
Mason Vineyard wines are sold online or by appointment, Thursdays to Sundays between now and mid-September.
Two of Mason’s new releases are featured reviews this week, with two other Niagara wines produced from single vineyards owned by the winery.
Black Bank Hill Cabernet Franc 2022 (Canada), $39.95
Rating: 91
Located in Beamsville, Black Bank Hill was founded by Taylor Emerson in 2018. He and winemaker Jonathan McLean work with grapes grown on the 19-acre estate.
A gold-medal winner at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards, this expressive cabernet franc offers nice fruit intensity with minty, herbal and stony notes. The style is richly concentrated with youthful tannins that promise potential for aging.
This has 13.8 per cent ABV and 2 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2035. Available at the above price in Ontario, $40 direct, blackbankhill.com.
Cave Spring CSV Chardonnay 2022 (Canada), $34.95
Rating: 92
Produced with vines planted in 1978, the CSV Chardonnay represents the Beamsville winery’s top-tier of production.
Made in a rich and restrained style, this suggests a mix of apple and citrus fruit with toasty, nutty and spice accents. Barrel fermentation and aging in older French oak have added texture, with subtle vanilla and caramel notes on the nose and palate.
This has 13 per cent ABV and 2 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2032. Available at the above price in Ontario or direct, cavespring.ca.
Mason Vineyard L’Avenir Chardonnay 2023 (Canada), $48
Rating: 95
Produced from eight-year-old vines on the estate, this is chardonnay at its highest expression, offering amazing depth, intensity and length.
Its flavour delivers ripe pear and yellow apple with caramel, stony and creamy accents. The wine’s rich texture and citrus refreshment combine for a thrilling white wine with persistence and classic character. Stunning value at this price.
This has 12.5 per cent ABV and 1 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2035. Available direct, masonvineyard.com.
Mason Vineyard The Matriarch Pinot Noir 2023 (Canada), $60
Rating: 94
This is refined model of pinot noir that’s ripe and fragrant. There’s a silkiness to the red fruit that’s balanced by serious structure that makes for a charming and satisfying red.
At this early stage of development, it offers freshness and earthy and ferrous complexity. It’s pleasurable now but promises to mature gracefully.
This has 12.4 per cent ABV and 1 g/litre r.s. Drink now to 2035. Available direct, masonvineyard.com.
