REW 2019 Christine Chardonnay

THE VINTAGE

The 2019 Vintage had many twists and turns in Niagara, the season started with a cool, wet spring that put the vintage generally behind by about two weeks across all appellations. The peak summer months were warm and sunny, with several heat waves that brought high humidity across southeastern and southwestern Ontario, and with some disease pressure in the vineyards. The harvest season was chaotic weather wise, with warm spells in September, intermitted rainy periods and sudden cold snaps in October and November, keeping winemakers on their toes.

VINIFICATION

100% Chardonnay grapes that were hand-picked on October 15 from the Heron Pond Benchland Vineyard on the Beamsville Bench in the Niagara Peninsula. The grapes were then placed in our drying chamber and dried for 2 weeks with 10% weight loss. The grapes were then whole cluster pressed and drained to 3 French oak barrels which included 1 new barrel. The wine began with a natural, wide yeast ferment and finished with a yeast inoculation. This chardonnay was allotted to age in barrel with monthly battonage for 6 months. Total aging on lees in barrel was 19 months. The wine was bottled July 2021.

IMPRESSIONS

Golden straw colour in the glass, this Chardonnay has a lush nose of starfruit, orange marmalade, peach, baking spices and a creamy note of vanilla. This wine boasts a well structured palate with a creamy vanilla custard middle, fruit flavours of fresh apple, apricot  and citrus notes and finishes with bight lemon acidity balanced by chalky minerality and subtle oak. Drinking wonderfully now, this wine will continue to develop in bottle to 2028 and beyond.

Alcohol/Volume: 13.5%

Appellation: VQA Beamsville Bench VQA

Residual Sugar: 1.6g/l

Cases Produced: 72