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93POINTS
17¼/20
1 Mill Road Chardonnay 2023
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThis is an elegant, dry, and refined chardonnay that exemplifies the promising future of British Columbia chardonnay. The fruit comes off a small vineyard on the Naramata Bench, and it is sensational. Winemaker Ben Bryant says no one has any idea what the clone is, or when it was planted. It's likely one of the earliest planted chardonnays on the bench, grown in the late 80s and early 90s, and it's not a muscat clone. It is meticulously farmed. It is barrel fermented in a combination of puncheon and barrique, with no malo, and lees work is done with low sulphur for about eight months. Flinty, with subtle oatmeal, fine toast, and lemon zest that runs from front to back. The nose is a delightful mix of light brioche and flinty/stony mineral. The palate is creamy with a faint hint of vanilla, pastry, peach and salinity. Elegant, long, and sophisticated, this is the real thing. Bryant has made the best of a warm year and a low crop level where others have failed. Expect a first class wine.Tasted: 30 June 2025Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:| BC | $40.00 | 750ml | winery online/direct |
Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 239702UPC: 628942298684
