Golden Mile Cellars

This winery’s vineyard includes 2.75 acres of Chenin Blanc that is thought to have been planted in 1968. There is not firm certainty on the vine age since Pam and Mick Luckhurst have only owned the winery and the property since 2003. However, there is no doubt that the vines are substantially older than the Okanagan average vine age, which somewhere between 10 and 15 years.

The entire Okanagan has a mere 18 acres of Chenin Blanc. There is a good reason that such a fine grape is not widely grown: it ripens very late and it is susceptible to Botrytis. Wines like this suggest that the risk is worth it.

Winemaker Michael Bartier regards Botrytis as a good thing because it adds a honeyed complexity to this fruit-driven wine which is fermented to dryness and racked immediately off the lees “to allow no distracting aromas to cover the fruit and the Botrytis.”

The resulting wine is dramatic, with aromas of honeysuckle, rose petals and even grass cuttings complementing the honeyed Botrytis notes. On the palate, the fruit is intense, suggesting pink grapefruit and zesty lemon, the latter reflecting the variety’s bracing acidity. In this vintage, the acidity is 9.3 grams per litre, giving this wine a racy finish as well as good aging potential. 90 points.

Reviewed July 25, 2007 by John Schreiner.