WTN: 1992 Inniskillin Chardonnay Seeger Vyd... OMG!

I was sure I had JADC (just another dead chardonnay) on my hands, forgotten in the cellar from a delightful trip to Niagara 12 years ago.

But I think what we have here is an unoaked or barely-oaked just-right-ripe wine. And concentrated fruit. I was shocked at the balance of this wine; acid to fruit really delicious. This is up there with a top Macon-Villages or a very good Pouilly-Fuisse. I can only assume no malolactic on this wine, or perhaps just lightly kissed in the blend.

Can you tell I'm really enjoying it? Even though the cork slipped out too easily, the fill was not down at all. Color is of young Chardonnay... no visible oxidation or caramelization. On the nose, a bit of butterscotch or butter-toffee. Plus a faint faint hint of Burgundian stink. Ah, so old world. Really there's a lot of aroma but I can't seem to put it into words. It's not Montrachet but it is definitely mission accomplished for its origins.

Harmonious and fully-developed fruit on the palate. It's not dry, it's not off. It's still "juicy" in a way. Has some apple-tartness but not green apple. Has the slightest element of apple-peel astringency. And maybe a squirt of lemon. Mouth-drying but satisfying clean finish that makes you want another sip, and another, and another.

Remarkable western-hemisphere Chardonnay at 15 years. A home run for the winemaker and for Ontario. Bravo.

Many thanks for the über-inspiring note, Jay. I love it when gems like this one surface, precisely when one least expects it.

Inniskillin has been a quality producer for years, so I'm pleased to read what a fine Chardonnay they crafted in '92.

And as we near the bottom of the bottle, I swear it is only getting better. Full bloom.

Just found this link: apparently this is a Wine Spectator 79 points. What asshats! I feel like this is note is in parallel with Robin's ESJ/Parker observations. WS totally missed it on this one. They tasted it young, saw the label, and they utterly missed that it was a twin of young awkward and angular Pouilly-Fuisse. The ugly duckling that couldn't possibly become the elegant swan... they only saw Canadian Goose. Honk!

Thanks for the note, sounds great.

Are they still making them this way at Inniskillin?

[Jenise]

Just found this link: apparently this is a Wine Spectator 79 points. What asshats!

Jay, back in the 80's and early 90's (and it's likely still possible, friends and I in California would routinely use WS's low scores to find the kind of less ripe, acid-driven chardonnays we preferred. Their low score on this wine isn't nearly as surprising, perhaps, as the fact that they got their hands on a Canadian wine at all.

Quote: "Their low score on this wine isn't nearly as surprising, perhaps, as the fact that they got their hands on a Canadian wine at all."

And actually figured out how to open it!