2016 Chardonnay Old Vines

A.B.V: 12.6%

R.S.: 3.7 g/l

T.A.: 5.44 g/l

SOURCE Hunter Farms Vineyard - Niagara Lakeshore

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: As per usual, we hand-harvested the fruit. It was a hot summer, but due to the vine shut-down, we waited until October to pick. We didn’t want any botrytis, so the picking was meticulous and we dropped a fair bit of fruit. The pressing was done without de-stemming to preserve fruit character and minimize oxidation. After a 24 hour cold settling, we racked the must off the heavy lees and put it into 1000L new French oak Garbellottos. Primary and malolactic fermentation occurred spontaneously in wood. We bottled after 10 months to avoid oak over-powering the delicate fruit.

SOMMELIER'S NOTES: I enjoy both oaked and unoaked examples of Chardonnay. If the oak is well-integrated, and compliments as opposed to dominates the flavour profile, I get great pleasure from those styles. This is such a wine. The vanilla and cardamom spice character is there, but just lightly blanketing the powerful golden pineapple, tangerine, hazelnut and lemon tea aromas. On the palate, the wine is dry. The pineapple and tangerine fruit comes through strong, and you have to make a strong effort to find the oak, which only presents itself at the end with a vanilla kiss and slightly coarse texture, a white tannin, reminding of tea. Don’t serve this wine too cold. Decant it. All things rich come to mind like lobster, crab legs, scallops, and clarified butter. Fettuccine Alfredo or Carbonara seem like a great idea right now as well.

Spec Sheet: – Download PDF –