Serve chilled with rich seafood such as pasta with lobster and fennel cream sauce. Let the glass warm up a bit for further complexities to develop.

WINEMAKING NOTES

The grapes for our Chardonnay 2020 come from select vineyards located in the Niagara Peninsula appellation. They were hand harvested in late September and early October and immediately full-cluster pressed, then fermented and aged in French oak barrels of a variety of sizes (225L, 400L and 500L) and a variety of ages, averaging 10% new oak. After rigorous tasting, Jean-Pierre Colas decided on the final blend and bottled the wine in early August 2021 following light fining and filtration.

 VINTAGE NOTES       

Winter of 2020 started with warmer than average temperatures from January through March followed by a cooler than average April. Bud break was in the second and third week of May. From thereon, temperatures increased and the summer months were above average temperatures with little precipitation, allowing for full phenolic development. Harvest remained dry and sunny with cool nights, important for maintaining acidity. There was little to no disease pressure, resulting in clean and ripe fruit. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay for sparkling, followed quickly by aromatic whites and then later ripening whites. Gamay was the first red variety harvested in early-to-mid October followed closely by Pinot Noir and Merlot. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon were the last varieties to be harvested, taking place the last week of October through early November. Berry size was recognized to be smaller than previous years with an intense dark colour, suggesting the potential for increased concentration of flavour and colour extraction. The quality of the grapes was very good to excellent throughout the portfolio. Wines should have the capacity to age for the medium to long term.