Golden Mile Cellars

In the estimation of his peers, Golden Mile winemaker Michael Bartier “nails” this variety wherever he works. At two previous wineries, his Chardonnays were best of class in the Canadian Wine Awards. The Chardonnay he made in 2005, as a consultant for Noble Ridge winery, won that winery an award of excellence in the Lieutenant Governor’s Competition in British Columbia.

The notes on this wine tell how Bartier approaches Chardonnay. The grapes were pressed whole cluster. The settled juice was inoculated with favourite but unnamed Chardonnay yeasts and 90 percent of the wine was fermented in barrel (67% French oak, 33% American oak). A quarter of the barrel ferments went through malolactic fermentation. All barrels had some lees stirring. The average time in barrel before bottling was seven months.

A lot of work for a $20 wine (2,000 cases produced) but the work paid off. In the 2006 vintage, winemaker Michael Bartier decided he did not have enough superior barrels to make a Black Arts version. But the top barrels he did have, when blended with the remaining Chardonnay, lifted the overall quality of the regular version. The oak remains subtly in the background, lifting an array of lively fruit flavours – citrus, peach, apples, even a touch of honey. The wine has a crisp, refreshing finish. 88 points.

Reviewed November 8, 2007 by John Schreiner.