Golden Mile Cellars

Winemaker Michael Bartier has created an unusual blend for a new wine in Golden Mile’s premium Black Arts tier. His notes tell that necessity was the mother of invention. He started off with two lots of Viognier, one of which was “ridiculously ripe with a touch of botrytis.” At the end of fermentation, the combined lots had alcohol that was “searing hot.”

Fortunately, Bartier also had some low-alcohol Black Muscat which had been fermented very cool and with an aromatic yeast. A blend of the Viognier and Muscat proved to be “magic.” While the winery committed to a Viognier-Muscat blend (and ordered labels saying so), Bartier continued doing blending trails. In the end, he concluded that a small amount of barrel-fermented Chardonnay took this blend to a new and more polished level.

The result is a delicious and complex wine, with flavours of honey, nuts, peaches, with a touch of spiciness from the Muscat. A hint of tannin adds spine to this full-bodied white, which ends with a dry but lingering finish. 89 points.

Reviewed January 17, 2008 by John Schreiner.