2019 Chardonnay Select
Appellation: Niagara Peninsula
A.B.V: 12.0%
R.S.: <2 g/l
T.A.: 5.6 g/l
Winemaker’s Notes: Most of the fruit for this Chardonnay was from our own vineyard at Line 6 as well as Cherry Ave. For this harvest we lucked out with the fruit being very clean. Our Cherry Ave Fruit ripened earlier then our other sources, so we harvested a month sooner than everything else at the end of September, while the rest of the Chardonnay was harvested towards the end of October. As the fruit came in, we let it sit whole cluster for 7 days with CO2 in stainless steel tanks. As soon as the last bunch was pressed into tank, we blended them together and transferred them to three 1000L Slovenian oak vats to finish fermenting and then aging for 10 months. It went through full malolactic conversion.
Sommelier's Notes: This is our first carbonic Chardonnay. I will be honest; I was giddy with excitement when I tried this from barrel halfway through its maturation. I am a fan of wines that have a specific aroma of struck match, or some call “reductive” (I’ll argue it’s from excess sulphur during fermentation). This Chardonnay will not disappoint. It has just the right amount of oak to balance that smokiness and the concentration of fruit from a good vintage, not to mention the resulting intense fruit aromas from carbonic fermentation. Ripe yellow pear, fresh pineapple, and tangerine all take turns in your nose, with a slight baking spice and pie crust envelope that tries to keep the fruit and match bomb contained. The palate is full, concentrated, balanced and long. It is dry, but has a ripeness that balances the fresh acidity, and I can’t find a single imperfection. This is delicious. I will be drinking this on its own, or with my favourite dish: crab legs dipped in butter