Chateau des Charmes is a beautiful little winery in Niagara on the Lake. This past fall I visited the property for a tasting during Taste the Season Wine Festival.
Chardonnay is still one of the most popular white varieties in the world. It may have to do with how versatile it can be; you can have unoaked, lightly oaked and full-on, no-holds barred woody Chardonnay. If you are going to oak-age any wine it should be done judiciously so the fruit notes can still come through and this is a terrific example of that approach. This Chardonnay was barrel fermented with extended lees contact and aged for about nine months in the same French oak barrels. It has a creamy, buttery texture with melon and pear flavours. The wine is quite rich and can develop in the bottle for a few years.
Bright yellow gold colour; smoky melon, apple fruit with earthy/mineral notes; medium-bodied with smoky, earthy flavours and balanced acidity.
