Peller Estates (BC)

The Okanagan’s 2005 vintage was one of the best in a decade. It was also a relatively small harvest compared to 2004 or 2006. As a consequence, nearly every producer rushed the 2005 whites to market by summer and the wines have almost vanished now from distribution channels.

Andrew Peller Ltd. (formerly Andrés Wines) has taken longer than many of its competitors to release its 2005 whites, for reasons only known to the winery. But it means that consumers who missed out on other, earlier, releases can still find out what caused the raves for the vintage.

The winery took care in handling the grapes for this wine, starting with hand-picked Chardonnay, using only free-run juice, fermenting it cool in stainless steel and then maturing it between nine and 12 months on the lees in oak. The oak regime was split equally between French and American oak barrels, only 15% of which were new. Malolactic fermentation was avoided so that the freshness of the vintage could shine through.

A delicious wine resulted, with an appealing aroma of citrus and apples, with a touch of vanilla, all of which carries through into the flavours. The wine has the rich texture than comes from good lees treatment. It finishes with a refreshing, lively tang. 87 points.

Reviewed February 2, 2007 by John Schreiner.