vintage |
Chardonnay Old Vines vinification / notes at bottling |
reviews / awards | aging notes |
| 2000 | At the top end, the
Old Vines Chardonnay (rating 90) is quite opulent with butternut intensity. Gordon Stimmell, The Toronto Star. Jun.12, 2002 4 out of 5 stars Old gold hue that's starting to turn amber. Bouquet is losing its youth, but hasn't yet evolved into maturity. Big, fat, and complex flavours of honey, herbs, spice and cereal. Drink now to 2008. Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McClelland and Stewart. 2005 |
| 2001 | These old vines,
planted in 1972, were harvested October 15 and 16 fermented and aged in
French oak barrels for 17 months and bottled unfiltered. tasting notes at bottling This wine is rich with flavours of baked pear and spice with a creamy toffee finish. Estimated cellaring: 3 to 5 years. |
…has great
depth and intensity and is already displaying the honeyed earthy flavours
of a mature white Burgundy. More earthy than glamorous. Manly Chardonnay. Billy Munnelly, Billy's Best Bottles. Early Summer 2003 drinkability: hold (short term), appearance: straw / nose: earthy, vanilla, tropical fruit / taste: well structured, white peach, nectarine and citrus flavours, good length. Tony Aspler, Winery to Home. July 2003 A monster of a wine from David and Donna Lailey's immaculate vineyard on the Niagara River Parkway in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which was planted in 1970. True to winemaker Derek Barnett's style, this is big and concentrated with honey, citrus and spice notes. The wine's obvious heft is nicely balanced by some tart acidity, which makes the mouth-filling Chardonnay opulent as opposed to overblown. VINES Buyer's Guide to Canadian Wine. Third Edition. 2003 A tour de force! Leesy and spicy notes emanate from the glass in this full blown magnificent Chardonnay. Picked from 30 year old vines the fruit was meticulously handled and carefully aged for 17 months in barrel. It is unfiltered and has undergone full malolactic. Shows a creamy and vibrant mouth feel with tantalizing flavours of tropical fruit, apples and vanilla. Drink over the next 5 years.Vic Harradine. www.winecurrent.com 4 out of 5 stars Gold with a lively, even passionate nose of white fruit, flowers, herbs, butter, spice and nuts. Tart, hot, vibrating with flavour and eager to please. Drink now to 2009. Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McClelland and Stewart. 2005 |
| 2002 | harvested in great
condition / after pressing, the juice was cold settled and then put into
French oak barrels (no new barrels) / a selection of yeast was used and
all the wine was fermented in barrel / malolactic culture was introduced
after fermentation / lees stirring began after malolactic was complete
and continued weekly until early April / the wine matured in barrel and
on its lees until December 2003 / the wine was fined gently before being
bottled unfiltered tasting notes at bottling tropical fruits dominate the nose and palate / there are overtones of hazelnut, vanilla and spice / the wine is full-bodied with a rich mouthfeel and a fresh acidity that lifts the flavours on the finish Estimated cellaring: 6 to 8 years |
"...is
as lush, honeyed and seductive as it gets. As with the other (Chardonnays
from Lailey) there is a citrus edge to prevent palate fatigue. This is
one hell of a show. I'd have it without food." Billy Munnelly, Billy's Best Bottles. Summer 2004 4 out of 5 stars Has an oily look. Rich gold with amber reflections. Nose is undeveloped but already showing apple, peach, pear, mango, and pineapple flavours. So ripe it seems sweet, which it's not. Thick, lush, superbly oaked. Drink now to 2009. Konrad Ejbich, A Pocket Guide to Ontario Wines, Wineries, Vineyards and Vines. McClelland and Stewart. 2005 |