Chardonnay Barrel Select 2022, Meldville Wines

Description from the Producer

VQA Lincoln Lakeshore

TASTING NOTES: The wine has beautiful aromas of pear, peach and pineapple and a light floral note. There is a soft, rich texture with peach and pear flavours, notes of butterscotch and caramel and finishes with some burnt ripe pineapple and spicy oak notes. A wine that will drink well for next 5-7 years.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Following a fairly very wet late fall in 2021 and a very cold snap in January of 2022. This cold event was troublesome, some varieties such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc being badly damaged Winter continues well into April with a cooler than normal temperatures. Summer months were favourable for grape growing with lots of sun and heat with just enough rain, maybe too heavy at times but just enough at the right times!! Conditions for harvest were very good, fruit quality was impressive but yields were lower than normal.

Grapes were hand harvested in great condition from a small block of old vine in the Lincoln Lakeshore appellation, vineyards are very close to the shores of Lake Ontario which gives a longer growing season with cooler temperatures due the closeness of the lake. The grapes were harvested by hand, crushed and destemmed before being pressed. The juice was settled before being transferred to 3rd fill French oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was fermented at cool temperatures. Malolactic ferment was completed in barrel and giving the wine a soft, round and rich texture. The finished wine was left to rest on its lees with minimal stirring for 19 months before racking to stainless steel tank. The wine was lightly filtered before bottling.