The Wine at a glance

The portfolio of Five Rows focuses on 6 main varietals that have been selected based on their unique style and expression of the Lowrey Vineyard, as well as their characteristic representation of the St. David's Bench Appellation. Pinot Noir accounts for the majority of our planting while Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Shiraz, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc make up the remaining rows.

Through a focus on balanced vineyard management, thinning and hand work, our yields are very low, resulting in only small batches of wine being crafted. It's our belief that this concentration results in fruit and ultimately wine that is highly concentrated with the character of the terroir — the soil, minerality, local flowers and occasional tears in the pinot.

We hope you will enjoy our wine and explore the variability of the nature of the wine in the years to come. We wish to invite you to become engaged in the evolution of Five Rows — get to know us, our land and our wine because without you, there is no winery.

The Lowrey family has farmed the area for 5 generations. Current generations, Howard Lowrey and his son Wes Lowrey tend to the vineyard with a focus on achieving the most characteristic and complex examples that their varietals can produce.

Tasting

Due to the reality of crafting very small quantities of wine, we are limited to offer tastings on weekends between 11am - 5pm, May 1 to December 31 or during the week by appointment only. 

We’re currently able to provide tasting of our Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s difficult for us to manage large groups and please no buses – when you get here you’ll see why.

We also encourage potential customers to visit our very supportive sommeliers and establishments. They are serving some of our releases that they consider to be signatures of our winery.

Purchasing Our Wine

To purchase any of our small releases, we recommend you contact us via phone or email. We try to encourage you to purchase in increments of cases of six because of the logistics of delivery and storage. It's also recommended that you cellar our reds to realize the full possibilities that our vintages have to offer over time.

We know that small batches of wine may sell out quickly so we welcome you to contact us about reserving your selections of upcoming releases.

wines@fiverows.com

You

Every person that we connect with through our winery is a partner and steward of Five Rows and we are forever appreciative of those who believed and invested in us through the wine. We invite all who have experienced our wine to register their unique bottle number and vintage release online with us - Here. This is simply a list of those individuals who have experienced our wine and the beginning of a long friendship through our craft.


Click here to register your bottle for our records
Vintage
2007
Varietal
Pinot Noir
Vineyard
Lowrey Vineyards
Product of / Produit du Canada
Barrels
2
Cases
50
Release Date
June 2010
Price
$50/bottle
Tasting notes: The hot summer of 2007 brought ideal picking conditions to the St. David’s Bench.  Roughly three tonnes of Pinot Noir were hand-picked on September 23 at just under 22 degrees brix, having TA of 6.55 and pH 3.31.  Prior to picking, seed and skin tannins were both showing excellent maturity, and flavours were reminiscent of ripe seasons past (1998, 2001).

It was decided to source equal amounts of fruit from the three Lowrey Pinot blocks of differing ages (20 years, 15 years and 10 years).  Each block was processed into open-top fermentors, with 15% of the fruit being left as whole-bunch.  Bins were then sealed and underwent a lengthy cold soak to promote extraction.

Ferments were generally quick and warm, with peak temperatures in the low 30s.  The wines were pressed into five French oak barrels (2 new, 3 old). Malolactic fermentation was carried out over the next few weeks in barrel.

After about a year of aging, it was apparent that the 2007 reds packed a real punch in both flavour and tannin.  To mellow the mouthfeel, it was decided after bench-top trials to fine the wines with small volumes of Pinot Gris lees from the 2008 vintage.  Following a few days settling, the wines were racked off all lees.

24 months and countless blending trials later, the final cut was married together in a stainless steel tank for final settling and stabilization.  99 cases of this wine were bottled on February 18, 2010.

Aromas: cherry, strawberry, raspberry, earth, and faint tobacco leaf

Palate:  flavours of luscious black cherry, great balance, and ample tannin for optimal aging potential
Vintage
2007
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard
Lowrey Vineyards
Product of / Produit du Canada
Barrels
2
Cases
50
Release Date
June 2010
Price
$50/bottle
Tasting notes: My third crack at crafting a single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from our own vineyard was by far the least stressful to date.  We hand picked just under a tonne (900kg) of ripe, clean fruit on October 25th, 2007.  This harvest date really snuck up on us, as we hadn’t really anticipated the Cab being that ripe, that early.  For growers of multiple grape varietals, harvest time is a crazy sprint from the first Pinot’s of mid-September to the last of the Cab Sauv in November.  To pick ripe Cab in October is a luxury we are rarely afforded.

Normally a row of Cabernet Sauvignon in our vineyard would yield about 500kg of fruit, but the 4 rows we sourced for this wine were thinned down to one bunch per shoot resulting in a yield of 225kg/row.  The fruit came in like sweet little black marbles, at a shade under 24 degrees brix.  After processing and a brief cold soak, the fruit was warmed back up for fermentation.  I decided to use Zymaflore F15 yeast for this wine to maximize glycerolic production.  I figured this would be a big wine from the get-go, so any added elements to help round out the mouthfeel would eventually pay dividends.  Fermentation was carried out at a nice moderate pace over 7 days, with peak temperature of 26.8 degrees Celsius.  Malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel to aid in oak integration.

After 24 months in one old and one new French oak barrel, this wine was blended to a stainless steel tank for final settling.  50 cases were eventually bottled on February 18, 2010.  My only regret at the end of this process is that I didn’t have the foresight to make more Cabernet Sauvignon form this superb vintage.

Aromas: blueberry pie, black cherry, mint, oak spice, red licorice

Flavours: raspberry, blueberry, dark chocolate, powerful length

Cellaring: Drinking well now, but should age gracefully for 20+ years
Vintage
2008
Varietal
Sauvignon Blanc
Vineyard
Lowrey Vineyards
Product of / Produit du Canada
Barrels
–
Cases
64
Release Date
October 2009
Price
$25/bottle
Tasting notes: Crafting aromatic white wines requires good fruit, patience and above all temperature control! In small wineries like ours we aren’t afforded the luxury of temperature-controlled tanks to aid in maintaining the ideal fermentation conditions. Instead, my barrels of 2008 Sauv Blanc went on a merry-go-round tour of our barn for about a month until ferment was over. First outside to settle after pressing, then inside to warm for yeast inoculation, quickly into the cold room as the the ferment really starts to rock, back out of the cold room to finish-up as yeast start to become stressed, finally back into cold room at 4 Celsius to stop ferment at the desired sugar-acid balance.

I decided to use a yeast called X5 for this wine because it boasts to "help reveal varietal aromas rich in citrus, boxtree and tropical fruit while contributing light fresh floral notes". In the early stages it was apparent that X5 was the right choice. I was impressed with the lychee and pineapple aromatics that got stronger with each successive day. There was still some classic cool-climate Sauv Blanc citrus (lime zest) detectable as well, with hints of vanilla, fig and flint. The use of older French oak barrels was most evident on the palate, softening the edges of this zesty wine. Bottled on September 14th, 2009.
Vintage
2008
Varietal
Pinot Gris
Vineyard
Lowrey Vineyards
Product of / Produit du Canada
Barrels
–
Cases
57
Release Date
October 2009
Price
$25/bottle
Tasting notes: In an effort to instill confidence, I tell my wines that it is never fair to compare themselves to their predecessors. For that reason we won't speak further of the effusive praise garnered by the 2007 Five Rows Pinot Gris. Some shoes are just too big to fill.

Harvested on September 19, 2008, this Pinot Gris began its life fermenting slowly in stainless steel and older French Oak. The oak component was added in an effort to further enhance mouthfeel and increase aromatic complexity. A nice cool ferment, dotted with periodic lees stirring, was complete by mid-October. The finished wine was blended, then fined with bentonite for protein stability.

Early tasting sessions showed strong notes of McIntosh apple and anise, while one panelist was sure he could smell "catbox" (depending, of course, on the type of litter you prefer). The French Oak and lees stirring helped create rounder texture and seemed to lend tropical nuances such as star fruit. The wine was left with just enough residual sugar to balance the acidity. Lemon-lime citrus flavours are predominant. Bottled September 14th, 2009.
Vintage
2005
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyard
Lowrey Vineyards
Product of / Produit du Canada
Barrels
2
Cases
45
Release Date
October 2009
Price
$50/bottle
Tasting notes: A severe winter led to an average of 50% bud damage in the Lowrey Vineyard. This Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from vines that were shouldering a much lighter load than they were used to, hence a greater opportunity for ripening was in the cards. Thankfully, the growing season weather co-operated and the resultant fruit was as good as has ever been produced on our farm. The St. David’s Bench microclimate really strutted its stuff, with even the later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon reaching optimal sugar and TA levels. Like our first "Five Rows" vintage in 2004, we took equal portions of Young and Old Cab Blocks to maximize clonal complexity. Following traditional small batch punch downs, the wine was aged in a 50-50 blend of American and French Oak with an average age of 1.7 years per barrel. A comparative barrel tasting took place on July 5, 2007 and as with previous years, the highest rated wines were housed in two-year old wood (a 2003 Barrel Associates & 2003 Berthomieu). These two superior bottles were bottled on July 18, 2008. This wine showcases the potential of minimally-cropped Cabernet Sauvignon from warm vintages in the Lowrey Vineyard. Aromatic highlights include wild blueberry, ripe cherry and vanilla. Very ripe and jammy on the palate with soft, mature tannins and excellent length. Although hard to resist its youthful charm, this Cab is only entering its prime.
Vintage
2004
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Price
SOLD OUT
Vintage
2004
Varietal
Cabernet Sauv. (unfiltered)
Price
SOLD OUT
Vintage
2007
Varietal
Pinot Gris
Price
SOLD OUT
Vintage
2007
Varietal
Sauvignon Blanc
Price
SOLD OUT