LCBO Find: Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé 2025

With the recent warm weather, there is no doubt that I am reaching for lighter reds, whites, and, of course, rosé. The rosé find is even better if it's one that is local to me, and when I see one of the wineries I am a fan of put their rosé on the wine store shelf, I am all in. Here enters the Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé 2025.

If Ontario rosé had a crown jewel, the Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé would be a strong contender for it. This is a wine that helps put the punctuation on the quality coming out of Niagara's Beamsville Bench.

About Hidden Bench Estate Winery

Founded in 2003, Hidden Bench is one of Ontario's most celebrated artisanal wineries, producing small-lot, certified organic wines exclusively from their estate vineyards on the Beamsville Bench. Owner and vigneron Harald Thiel, alongside winemaker Alex Baines, has built a reputation for terroir-driven wines that have put Niagara on the map internationally.

The vineyards, Rosomel, Felseck, and Locust Lane, sit on limestone-rich, clay-based glacial till soils and have been farmed using organic and biodynamic principles since 2010. Every bottle is a reflection of that commitment to the land. Hidden Bench is also a proud member of 1% for the Planet, so drinking their wine feels like a good choice all around.

Locust Lane Vineyard, the winery's original and namesake site, was the first parcel purchased back in 2003. At 21 acres, it features both a west/east and south/north slope, giving it exceptional air drainage and solar exposure as a real natural advantage.

About the Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé 2025

The 2025 Locust Lane Rosé is pale salmon in colour and immediately inviting. On the nose, you get an aromatic and intense burst of strawberry ice cream, white flowers like lilies and orchids, and a hint of flint.

On the palate, it's dry with flavours of dominant cherry, candied lime, nectarine, and pink peppercorn. The acidity is bright and clean, and the wine comes with a long and complex finish that morphs beautifully as it opens.

The Locust Lane Rosé is based primarily on Pinot Noir grown right on the Locust Lane Vineyard, blended with a touch of Viognier to lift the aromatics. The result is one of those wines that's easy to love and hard to forget.

You can find the Hidden Bench Locust Lane Rosé 2025 at the LCBO for $26.95 . Grab a bottle for the patio, a dinner with friends, or just a quiet evening with something worth drinking.