Chardon'Eh!

There are so many great new BC Chardonnay releases making their way to market from the excellent 2014 and 2015 vintages. Too many for one post, so here are a few of my favourites to seek-out at your earliest convenience.

SpierHead Winery 2014 Chardonnay - $22
A partially oaked (20%) Chardonnay with a focus on clean, crisp fruit and cool mineral characters, using grapes sourced from the winery's East Kelowna vineyard. A masculine, yet, generous wine with loads of apricot, nectarine and citrus aromas and flavours all wrapped in the firm, supportive embrace of river stone and steel notes.
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Upper Bench Estate Winery 2014 Chardonnay - $25
A consistently well produced Chardonnay that is full-bodied and loaded with juicy orchard fruit flavours and tangy citrus acidity which invigorate the palate and begs, no, demands to be paired with smoky Gouda cheese. Finish is long and mineral-y with rich, leesy brioche notes and some lingering spice.
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Black Hills Estate Winery 2014 Chardonnay - $26 + taxes
The palate is vibrant and alive with Chardonnay's naturally high acidity suggesting the wine saw little-to-no malolactic fermentation. Good consistency carries the aroma profile of the nose through as flavours on the palate, with citrus fruit playing a more prominent role. Intensity of the finish fades quickly, though, a vein of mineral and spice notes linger patiently until the next sip.
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Maverick Estate Winery 2014 Chardonnay - $26.50
A delicious, single-vineyard Chardonnay with excellent balance on the perfumed, feminine nose and the expressive, orchard'n'citrus infused palate. Sourced from the winery's Golden Mile property, the juice was fermented in French oak and then spent a further 6 months in barrel, on lees, which helped impart some body and texture to the palate and contributed warm, nutty-baked good notes to the nose.
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Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2014 Oldfield Series Chardonnay - $35
Sourced from the winery's Golden Mile Bench vineyard from youthful vines, the juice was barrel fermented in French oak then aged for 16 months in a 50/50 split of oak and stainless steel vessels where the wine underwent a softening of the acids via a secondary, malolactice fermentation. The result of all this work is a beautifully constructed Chardonnay with ample, peach, caramel-golden delicious apple, lemon rind and sweet nutty-brioche notes on the pleasing nose.
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Painted Rock Estate Winery 2015 Chardonnay - $35
The finished wine is as complex as its ever-evolving, multifaceted recipe with aromas and flavours of honeydew, pear, tangerine, lemon/lime, vanilla, stonefruit, spice and brioche. Pure, refined and elegant with a harmonious balance of its core elements: fruit, acid and texture. An effortless intensity which will help the wine hold for many years and develop further over time as the intensity is slowly dialled back to reveal layers of dried and candied fruit aromas and flavours.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2016 IconWines.ca