Pale in color with a mild nose of apple and pear. On the mid palate the wine matches the nose with some nice vibrant fruit, apple and pear coming through, whacked almost immediately by some strong pepper and spicy notes. On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice acidity. This is one of those cases where terroir can not, and will not be ignored. It’s from Okanagan where soil rules!! I would give it an 88 or so. I’m not sure if some aging might allow the spicy notes to soften to allow the fruit to shine through more. I was serving quails and did a search for good pairing, and it suggested a chard … To my tastes while they didn’t fight, I don’t think they complimented each other either. I think I will stick with my goto next time for poultry, pinot noir. Not in the LCBO but available for $19.95 from the winery.
From the winery’s web site:
Tasting Notes
Its golden hue shows the barrel fermentation components and gentle aging of this wine. Nose is full of spice and tropical fruit, with hints of honey, minerals and lime. Palate is rich and textured with biscotti and graham cracker, before quickly shifting to plum skin and lemon zest in the bright long finish.
Awards
SILVER – 2017 BC Wine Awards
Vineyard Notes
A record early bud break had us thinking that we were in for another hot ripe year as in 2015, but a cool June and July slowed the growing season significantly. There was some moderate disease pressure for the first time in years so diligent work in the vineyard was required to keep the fruit clean and free from mold. In September the sun came out and resulted in an excellent year for whites, with slow steady sugar accumulation and beautiful acids retained with the cool nights. This Chardonnay was picked over several weeks, with each block selected at optimal ripeness.
Production Notes
We whole cluster pressed the early harvested fruit and fermented it in stainless steel barrels and tanks with selected yeast strains, and then took the machine harvested fruit and fermented it in oak (French and American) using only native yeast. The barrel portion went through malolactic fermentation, while the stainless component did not, retaining the great freshness of malic acid in the wine.
Production
Cases made: 2054
