2021 Stratus “Unfiltered with Lees” Chardonnay 🔥 93+pts

Ontario, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake
100% Chardonnay | Dry |13.3% ABV
93+pts Carl’s Wine Club | 93pts WineAlign

Another incredible wine from Stratus and its talented (and very innovative) winemaking team. Unfined and unfiltered, this Estate Chardonnay was fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels, and bottled on its lees, offering a geeky cloudy wine with exquisite texture. The nose is super expressive with aromas of orange zest, lemon curd, freshly sliced pineapple, vanilla, toasted spices and white flowers. The plate is rich and complex, showing its yeasty component gracefully, which delivers multiple layers and tremendous complexity. It opens with flavours of orange marmalade, quickly followed by a spark of acidity in the form of lemon drops. The mid palate offers a medley of pear-melon-yellow apple, while the finish delivers a skin contact, flinty sensation. There is a lot going on in this Chardonnay, but at the end, every piece falls at the right place, delivering another exceptional wine from Stratus. Only 200 cases made. (Carl Boucher, November 10, 2024). 

Food pairing: chicken cordon bleu, French bouillabaisse
Drink now until 2028
Winery price: $49.00 including tax & deposit