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Micro Cuvée Chardonnay 2021
Micro Cuvée Chardonnay 2021
Micro Cuvée Chardonnay 2021

Micro Cuvée Chardonnay 2021 *special pricing*

$45.75
$60.97
*Please note that in the 2021 vintage we experienced wildfires very close to our McLean Creek Rd Vineyard which has resulted in smoke being present in some of these wines. Therefore, we have made the decision to offer a 25% discount on select products from our McLean Creek Rd Vineyard in this vintage. We are still tasting and selling these wines in our wine shop and found that many customers prefer them, and often don’t detect any smoke.

The grapes were hand-harvest and hand-selected from our estate-vineyard in Okanagan Fall and picked at prime ripeness and flavour. The grapes were gently pressed, and only the best juice from the first press was used. After a long, cool fermentation in stainless steel, the wine was transferred to 100% French oak barrels (40% new) where it aged for 11 months. A malolactic fermentation occurred in late Spring giving it a rich and creamy texture. We produced 285 cases.

Specifications

  • Alcohol 13.5%
  • Acidity 7.5 g/L
  • Appellation Okanagan Falls
  • Country Canada
  • ph 3.52
  • Region Okanagan Valley
  • Type White
  • Varietal Chardonnay
  • Vineyard McLean Creek Road Vineyard
  • Vintage 2021
  • Winemaker Chris Carson

  • Notes

    Winemaker Notes

    The 2021 vintage began with typical spring temperatures but with lower-than-normal precipitation budburst began in early May. Starting in June we saw the beginning of forest fires in the valley as well as smoke from northern California and Oregon. Then came the heat dome with temperatures reaching 48 degrees Celsius some days and continued for roughly a week to 10 days. Those extreme temperatures reduced yields significantly in our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blocks. Once the temperatures returned to seasonal averages in August, we had exceptional weather stretching into September and finishing with a typical October. We began harvesting our Chardonnay on September 12th. Due to the reduced yields, the 2021 vintage could be one of the most flavourful in recent memory.

    Vineyard Notes

    Our family owned “McLean Creek Road Vineyard” was originally planted in 1994. The vineyard is within the Okanagan Falls sub-geographical indication (sub-Gi) which was designated in 2018 and recognized as being geologically unique in the production of wine grapes. It has a predominantly steep southerly aspect with the soil comprised of alluvial and glacial deposits making up a mix of gravel and sandy loams. The Chardonnay is planted in two separate blocks, one on the far east side of the south facing slope and the other on the west end of the slope. The variation of east and west leads to differences in flavour development and in turn more complexity in the finished wine. Although we are not certified organic, we practice organic/sustainable farming principles.

    Production Notes

    At the winery the fruit was fed directly into the press with an ensuing long gentle pressing employed. Only the finest, purest juice from the early stages of the pressing was used for this wine with the more astringent so called “hard press” kept separate. A long, cool fermentation began in stainless steel vessels where it remained for most of the ferment. The must was then transferred to 100% French oak (40% new). The wine was left “sur lees” for 11 months without battonage. A natural malolactic fermentation occurred in late spring. For the Micro Cuvée we individually taste and select barrels that we feel stand out; one new French oak puncheon from the Tronçais forest, two new French oak barrels from the Tronçais Forest and two one-year-old puncheons from Allier Forest were selected. In keeping with our philosophy to maintain, as much as possible, a hands-off approach in the cellar to allow the true expression of terroir, this wine is unfined and coarsely filtered.

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