WineAlign - Awards - 2017 NWAC Chardonnay

Results of the 2017 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Chardonnay

Intro by Treve Ring

How to describe Canadian Chardonnay? Easy. It’s ABC.

Nope – not the outdated and boring “Anything But Chardonnay” dialogue (zzz). This rooted in cool country is All ‘Bout Chardonnay. Chardonnay excels here, from BC’s pure and pristine Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, to Ontario’s limestone-laced benches, to Nova Scotia’s marine-swept soils, Chardonnay is Canada’s hallmark white. It’s just taken us a while to figure it out, and how to use this power to make world-class wines.

The adaptable and hearty grape flourishes easily in almost all climates and conditions, making it one of the most widely-planted grape varieties on the globe. That also sets it up to be the most maligned. The grape itself is fairly neutral, owing a great deal of its flavour to vineyard and winemaking decisions. It’s a blank canvas for winemakers to colour and control – too oft, with overuse of wood and ripeness. When those aren’t allowed to dominate, the clean, crisp, structural nature of the age-worthy grape emerges. Chardonnay is a true terroir transmitter, especially on limestone and chalky soils, those found in abundance in the grape’s traditional and glorious homeland of Chablis, Champagne and Burgundy.

This year the soils of Niagara Peninsula shone bright, with the top NWAC wines coming from Twenty Mile Bench, Lincoln Lakeshore, Vinemount Ridge, Beamsville Bench and neighbours. Cooler-climate, single-vineyard sites rose to the top of BC’s entries, illustrating that preservation of place wins out over power any day. It’s as easy as ABC.

Leaning Post 2014 Chardonnay Wismer Vineyard, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Redstone 2013 Chardonnay Select Vineyard, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Tawse 2013 Chardonnay Quarry Road Vineyard, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Trius 2015 Showcase Chardonnay Wild Ferment Oliveira Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Baillie-Grohman 2014 Chardonnay, British Columbia
Château des Charmes 2014 Chardonnay Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hidden Bench 2014 Têté de Cuvée Chardonnay, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Meyer 2015 Tribute Series Chardonnay Old Main road Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2015 Perpetua, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2015 Rosemary’s Block Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Redstone 2013 Chardonnay Limestone Vineyard, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Redstone 2013 Chardonnay, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Stanners 2015 Chardonnay Prince Edward County, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Tawse 2013 Chardonnay Lenko Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tawse 2013 Robyn’s Block Chardonnay, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2014 Small Lot Chardonnay Estate Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario