Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay - 93pts

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay (Skaha Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and private wine shops
Cost: $30
Alcohol: 14.3%
Date Tasted: November 21st, 2012
Winner: 2012 Icon Wine of the Year

Tasting Notes: This beautiful, bar-setting Chardonnay effortlessly combines the inherent crispness and pure fruit expression of an un-oaked example with the elegant texture and rich body derived from 100% new French Oak. Intense and concentrated with lush, tropical, melon and stonefruit characters supported by a vibrant backbone of citrus acidity and a long, long, balanced finish of tangy, green apple, tangerine and brioche flavours.

Light caramel, vanilla spice and oak notes add complexity and depth to the sublime palate which avoids the perils of over-oaked, butter-bomb Chardonnay by limiting the secondary malolactic fermentation to only 20% of the barrels used in the final blend and by integrating the oak influence so completely, you barely know it's there.
Ready to be enjoyed today, yet should hold for many years without the fear of spoilage thanks to the use of a screw-cap enclosure. Drink 2012-2016+
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

2 comments:

  1. This wine has made me a Chard believer. A wine with comparable complexity to a top red, fantastic.

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  2. Anonymous tells it like it is. I visited new Painted Rock tasting centre this fall, and loved the Chard enough to buy 4 bottles. A tad expensive to drink beyond occasionally, but well worth the price

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