2016 Closson Chase Vineyard Chardonnay – Vintages 148866 – $29.95 – ****½ – The buttery nose just oozes out of the glass with weight and intensity. The fruit is peach, apple, and orange zest. There is vanilla, and butterscotch flavours meet the fruit and give this wine nice complexity. On the palate this opens up with nice weight, and the finish is long and intense. This is the sort of Chardonnay you find in my house without food, and just a second glass.
2017 Featherstone Phoenix – Vintages 519025 – $18.95 – **** – The phoenix continues to rise from the ashes, and it’s great to see this wine persevere. There is a nice concentration to this wine with aromas and flavours of lychee and rose petal. There is a bit of sweetness to this wine that keeps the fruit fresh and lively. Given that 2017 was a cooler vintage this has retained great acidity. The texture is lighter on the palate than Alsace or Germany, but that’s the best part of or Gewurz from Ontario. The lighter texture of this wine makes it more food friendly so you can see this in your glass next to virtually anything spicy.
