Wine Specs
Appellation
Golden Mile Bench
Harvest Date
September 28, 2022
Bottling Date
August 2, 2023
2022 Chardonnay
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
A classic example of a brilliant BC Chardonnay, our 2022 vintage begins with aromas of lightly buttered toast mingled with a steely minerality and bright citrus scents. The palate follows this crisp motif with lemon zest, pineapple and pear notes which will develop into an expression of caramel and creamy butter with bottle ageing. Pair this wine with a light lemon prawn linguine or New England clam chowder.
Vineyard Notes
The 2022 season at Hester Creek will be remembered as one of the most challenging, yet productive years. With the addition of new vineyards, the 2022 harvest yielded a larger crop than average. Due to cooler-than-expected spring temperatures and more rain than is typical of the South Okanagan, the season was off to a late start. By summer, temperatures rose and lasted into the autumn, extending the season with the warmest September and October on record. Growing degree days reached 1676 on average. This longer growing season led to longer hang times for the fruit as they developed phenolic ripeness. Harvest began on September 9th with our Ti Amo and finished on December 1st with our Old Vine Cabernet Franc. For the white varietals, longer hang times resulted in delicate aromatics. The red varietals hung on the vine throughout November allowing the grapes to concentrate their colours and flavours. The 2022 vintage will be remembered as a milestone year for producing exceptional, fruit-forward and age-worthy wines.
Winemaker Notes
The 2022 offering of Chardonnay was hand picked from Block 17 of our historic Golden Mile Bench estate property. The grapes were hand sorted and whole cluster pressed in order to maintain the high quality of the original fruit. The must was cold settled for five days, resulting in a clean juice which was then racked and ready to ferment, with 60% sent to exclusively French oak barrels and the remaining 40% done in stainless steel. The initial fermentation lasted 20 days before being encouraged through malolactic fermentation. As the Chardonnay aged over the next 10 months, weekly battonage to the wine in barrels provided the desired creaminess and round mouthfeel that the stirring of the fine lees impart. The wine was then racked, blended and bottled on August 2, 2023.
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