Winemaker notes about the Chardonnay grapes in this wine: Growing conditions in the spring of 2019 were quite slow with cooler weather and lots of moisture delaying budbreak and slowing early spring growth. June was warmer, in fact we had some quite hot spells throughout the month giving great flowering conditions. by the end of the month the vines had caught up following the slow start. The rest of the summer was mainly sunny and warm with just enough moisture for steady development of the vines. September was cooler, but mainly sunny giving a great beginning to the harvest season. October was warmer with more moisture and humidity but in general conditions remained favorable. It was a really good year for the production of Chardonnay, the cooler temperatures allowed for slow ripening, developing amazing flavours and keeping the acids and sugars well balanced
Grapes were hand harvested in great condition from 2 small blocks in the Lincoln Lakeshore appellation, both vineyards are very close to the shores of Lake Ontario. The grapes were whole berry pressed and the juice was settled before being transferred to 3rd and 4th filled French oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was fermented at cool temperatures using a selected yeast. Malolactic ferment was completed in barrel and giving the wine a soft, round and rich texture. The finished wine was left to rest on its lees with minimal stirring for 22 months before racking to stainless steel tank. The wine was lightly filtered before bottling.
