Perenelle

About Perenelle

Perenelle is a small, family-run winery rooted in Niagara-on-the-Lake, guided by a deep respect for land, balance, and restraint. Our focus is on crafting wines that reflect site over style wines that feel honest, grounded, and expressive of Niagara’s cool-climate potential.
Perenelle was founded by Melissa Beausoleil and Matt Kilkenny, whose backgrounds outside of traditional winemaking bring a thoughtful, intentional lens to everything we do. We work closely with our vineyards, prioritizing precision farming and careful decision-making in the cellar, allowing each vintage to speak clearly rather than forcing a signature.
Our wines are built around elegance and structure, favoring freshness, texture, and age-worthiness over excess.

Representative Biography

Melissa Beausoleil, Co-Founder

Melissa Beausoleil is the co-founder of Perenelle Vineyards and a driving force behind the winery’s Chardonnay program. With a background rooted in flavor, hospitality, and connection, Mélissa brings an intuitive, detail-oriented approach to winemaking. One that values patience, nuance, and the long view.
Rather than chasing trends, Mélissa is drawn to wines that feel composed and complete, shaped by thoughtful vineyard work and minimal intervention in the cellar. Her role spans vineyard decisions, blending, and shaping the overall philosophy of the brand, always with an eye toward clarity and balance.

Why We're Cool

Perenelle’s Chardonnay program is rooted in one of Niagara’s most compelling geological features: the ancient St. David’s Buried Gorge, located within the St. David’s Bench.
Formed thousands of years ago by glacial meltwater, the Buried Gorge carved a deep channel through the Bench, later filling with layers of sand, gravel, and limestone-rich material. These well-draining, fractured soils are ideal for Chardonnay, naturally limiting vigor while encouraging deep root systems and consistent ripening. The result is fruit with high natural acidity, fine phenolic structure, and a distinct mineral tension.
The Bench’s elevation and gentle slope, combined with Niagara’s northern latitude, create a true cool-climate growing environment. Lake Ontario plays a critical moderating role, softening temperature extremes and extending the growing season, allowing Chardonnay to ripen slowly and evenly without sacrificing freshness. Subtle shifts in airflow and exposure across the Bench further shape the vineyard’s microclimate, adding complexity and nuance to the fruit each vintage.
In the cellar, Perenelle’s approach mirrors the precision of the site. Chardonnay is handled with restraint to preserve clarity and site expression. Fermentation and élevage decisions are made to enhance texture and structure rather than dominate the wine, allowing acidity, mineral character, and length to remain at the forefront.
Perenelle’s Cool Climate Chardonnay is ultimately a reflection of the St. David’s Buried Gorge itself: structured, layered, and quietly powerful. It is a style defined not by excess, but by balance where geology, climate, and careful craftsmanship converge to produce Chardonnay with depth, energy, and a strong sense of place.