“Collaboration is about discovery.”
Mason Collab Series Wines
Part of our mission at Mason Vineyard is to work collaboratively with peer Winemakers, both new and established, because this strengthens our region and each other.
When two Winemakers work together to make one wine, they share knowledge and inspiration resulting in exciting new approaches and discoveries. And it’s also fun.
The expression of our commitment to this mission is our Mason Collab Series: wines created out of a passion for working together with peer winemakers as well as a love for exploring other estate terroir throughout our region and beyond.
These collaborations are part of our soul and a vent for the creative energy that tends to build up while undertaking the arduous tasks that are a part of the everyday life around a hand-managed vineyard.
They’re an opportunity to stay challenged, try new techniques and share the frustration, exhaustion, and exhilaration that it takes to get a wine to bottle.
The collaborations don’t have a schedule, nor do they all come to fruition. This means that when they end up allocated here, they are truly special and worthy of getting to know.
One of the cool things about this Collab Series is that the wines are created from grapes sourced from other vineyards and the production, tanking and cellaring is at other wineries.
It’s within these variables that so much of the experimentation and creativity is put into play. These wines are stories of the vintage, expressions of the personality of each specific site, as well as the people that we collaborate with.
To date, collaborators have included Brooke Husband, Thomas Bachelder, Barb Condotta and Craig McDonald.
We hope you enjoy them while discovering the stories of the people involved.
Collab Series — Current Release Wines
Shipping is included for 6 bottles or more in Ontario.
2025 Mason + Husband — Rosé
Winemakers: Mason + Husband
Varietals: 100% Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: Grimsby Hillside.
Viticultural Appellation: Lincoln Lakeshore
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Pick Date :October 13, 2025
pH : 3.47
TA : 6.24 g/L
Alcohol : 12.6%
Residual Sugar : 2g/L
Fermentation : Wild ferment, full malolactic
Ageing : Stainless
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WINEMAKER JOURNAL:
Here we go with our fourth rendition of this rosé from Grimsby Hillside Vineyard. Every year is a a bit of a challenge when you are not sourcing from your own estate. Keeps us on our toes.
This year stayed true to its history and gave us a long slow ferment which speaks to the aromatics on the nose - really fresh notes of berries. As always, this long fermentation comes with stress for the winemaking team and I think 2025 is the last for wild – just with the rosé of course. It’s a constant rollercoaster of lab tests, tasting, checking lids are sealed and dreaming about how tank 17 is doing.
As much as we aim to avoid residual sugar, the acid is high – and perfect – but the wine just needed a subtle hint of residual sugar to round it out. Trust me, you won’t even notice it.
Similar to our past rosés, the mid-palate shows texture with layers of flavor. We hope you’ll appreciate this wine for all its nuances.
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NOTES:
These grapes were destemmed and whole berries into the press on a gentle pressing cycle. The must is then settled in a chilled tank for 48 hours and racked clean to a new tank. We aged a small portion in oak. Super light in colour as skin contact is only the few hours the grapes spent in the press.
We always like to make bone dry wines, but here we had a great backbone of acidity, so we left the smallest touch of residual sugar to offset the crispness. Similar to last year’s rosé, the profile speaks for itself and the wine in bottle is refreshing and balanced.
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TASTING NOTE:
Brilliant, pale salmon hue. Medium aromatic intensity. Nose offers up attractive notes of strawberry, melon, blood orange and rhubarb. On the palate, acidity leads the way, packing an invigorating punch; but there is ample flesh and weight to balance the brisk acid backbone. The wine is dry on the palate with refreshing flavours of cranberry, sour cherry, strawberry, lemon and a pleasing shortbread character which arises on the long finish. This rosé provides great thirst-quenching vivacity aligned with some serious intensity and depth of flavour. This would be a versatile accompaniment for a wide variety of foods such as grilled vegetables, poultry or pork or with an assortment of charcuterie and cheeses.
PRICE: $28
2024 Mason + Laundry — Cabernet Franc
Winemakers: Kelly Mason
Varietals: 100% Cabernet Franc
Vineyard: Laundry Vineyard
Viticultural Appellation: Lincoln Lakeshore
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Pick Date : October 25, 2024
pH : 3.90
TA : 5.65
Alcohol : 13.5%
Residual Sugar : 1.15 g/L
Fermentation : Wild ferment
Ageing: French Oak, Burgundy barrels, 17 months with all neutral.
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WINEMAKER JOURNAL:
In a small industry like ours, you tend to keep track of the pickup trucks that roll up to a crush pad during harvest. Back in 2010, as an intern at Tawse Winery, it wasn't very common to see a female grower dropping off her own fruit, and that brief encounter left a lasting impression on me.
For Heather, the trellis in a vineyard is an easel, a place to harmonize colour, texture and shape in nature. She started driving orchard tractors at twelve and now does all the vineyard and tractor work herself across two distinctive sites in Lincoln Lakeshore and Vinemount Ridge. Mentored by industry pioneer Debra Paskus, she farms organically with the tenacity and creativity of the art teacher she once was.
Fast forward to 2024, a blockbuster year for Cabernet Franc, and our paths crossed again in a very different way. When Heather approached me about her fruit, I hadn't planned on bringing it under the Mason label, but instinctively knew it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. For Heather, it always comes back to the fruit; what did the vineyard produce that year, and was Mother Nature collaborative or adversarial? If ever there was a year to showcase the pure expression of her vineyard, it would be 2024. This collab is a testament to trusting your intuition, honouring humble beginnings, and celebrating the tireless efforts of the growers who make this industry what it is.
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NOTES:
Hand harvested, destemmed and whole berry to tank for wild fermentation. This wine was in tank for primary and secondary fermentation with an extended maceration post fermentation. Then pressed out and barelled down to age for 16 months. The oak is mainly neutrals with some second and third fills. Just perfect to give structure and ageability, while still letting the varietal and vineyard show.
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TASTING NOTE:
A perfumed nose delivering alluringly pure red fruit and floral notes: framboise, strawberry, sour cherry, roses and violet. These fruit notes are complimented by leather, graphite, dried herbs and a whiff of clove lending more dimension and complexity. Dry with rather soft acidity and a shocking weight and richness on the palate that is an interesting counterpoint to the ethereal, fragrant nose. The aromas initially suggest something lighter and more delicate, but there is real power and structure here with flavours that are deeper and more brooding than the laser-focused, pure red fruit of the nose indicates. Cassis, and earth flavours dominate with such intensity and really outstanding length. This has tremendous potential for development in the cellar. With time and aeration, the nose deepens to show more of those dark characters present on the palate. There is exciting complexity, balance and a real sense of place in this wine. Bravo.
PRICE: $55
2024 Mason + Husband — Viognier
Winemakers: Kelly Mason + Brooke Husband
Varietals: 100% Viognier
Viticultural Appellation: Lincoln Lakeshore
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Pick Date : October 3, 2024
pH : 3.68
TA : 6.1
Alcohol : 12.5%
Residual Sugar : 1.48 g/L
Fermentation : Wild Ferment
Ageing : 18 months in neutral barrels on lees.
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WINEMAKER JOURNAL:
Winemaker truth - if you’re not inoculating and making a quick and simple white here, this grape is super difficult to work with. We are learning and this is our fifth year. Who would have ever thought? There are some other white varietals that Brooke and I would like to work with so I could see us making a switch next year.
Pick day is still exciting as we know those amazing peach and nectarine aromas will fill the cellar and this is still one of the favorites to taste throughout ferment.
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NOTES:
As always, we just love the smell of wild ferment Viognier! Our tonnage was low so we proceed with a straightforward wild ferment in tank with a few whole clusters to kick start the fermentation. Once primary and malolactic were complete we used only neutral barrels for ageing - again about 16 months. The fermentation on this grape is always slow and we watch it closely. Not sure which one is more stressful - the Viognier or the Rose...well here you have it, check marked and done - the 2024 Collab Series Viognier.
As always, we only have a limited number of cases of this wine, so be sure to grab yours before it’s gone.
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TASTING NOTE:
Medium straw hue. Ripe aromas of white flowers, apricot, peach cobbler, almond, vanilla poached pear and baking spice. Soft and round on the palate, but balanced with just enough acidity to provide freshness with beautiful weight and a commendable intensity of flavour. There is a cornucopia of flavours which largely mirror the nose along with gentle hints of coriander seed and nutmeg arising on the long finish. This is a voluptuous, vital, energetic and harmonious wine showing impeccable balance between freshness and richness.
PRICE: $39
“A wine should express the land where it’s made.”