Westcott Estate Chardonnay 2021

The fruit for the Estate Chard comes from two Westcott vineyards – the home vineyard on Vinemount Ridge and Butlers’ Grant on the Twenty Mile Bench. The fruit was hand-picked, whole bunch pressed with no sulphur added at the time of crushing. It was wild fermented in oak and aged for 10 months. Quite an impressive nose of yellow apple, fresh pear, lemon zest and stony/saline notes with toasty vanilla and spice. It’s rich and creamy on the palate with pear/quince fruit, a touch of savouriness, lemon tart, flinty/stony notes, subtle butterscotch, spice and a zesty, lifted finish. Score – 92. (Rick VanSickle, winesinniagara.com, Dec. 14, 2023)