2024 ‘L’avenir’ Chardonnay | Unfiltered

Winemaker: Kelly Mason
Varietals: 100% Chardonnay, Clone 76
Vineyard: Mason Vineyard
Viticultural Appellation: Twenty Mile Bench

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Pick Date : September 21, 2024
pH : 3.47
TA : 6.24
Alcohol : 12.6%
Residual Sugar :  1.83 g/L
Fermentation: Wild Ferment
Ageing: French Oak, Burgundy barrels, 17 months in mainly neutral oak with use of second and third fill barrels

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WINEMAKER JOURNAL: I think it is important to highlight appellation when we look at Niagara Chardonnay. In my career, I have worked with three NOTL appellations and multiple sites in the Lincoln Lakeshore appellation. And of course, Twenty Mile Bench.  In most cases, the difference between the multiple growing sites and the grower decision-making, is out of our hands. However, the winemaking has been constant. On my Twenty Mile Bench site, I make the decisions at every level - and I’ll add that it’s different up here, in a beautiful sort of way. This block of Chardonnay combined with my picking style is allowing me to produce a leaner version of Chardonnay where I need to carefully manage the oak regime to add back texture, weight and richness. This has to be done delicately and I will die on the hill of oak restraint on Chardonnay. After the pride I felt with the 2023 vintage, I went into 2024, (and frankly also 2025) with the mindset of replicate. So, if you enjoyed the 2023, here’s it’s next sibling with all the same common denominators of restraint. 

So happy with this vintage.

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NOTES: The 2024 Mason Vineyard Chardonnay was hand picked and whole cluster pressed then settled in a cold tank. It was then racked while keeping fluffy lees and then left to go through a primary and secondary wild fermentation in barrel. Once complete, it spent 17 months élevage in oak – about 20% second fill, 14% third fill and the remainder neutral barrels.  It has gone through complete malolactic with a light bentonite fining.

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TASTING NOTES: The nose is already open and expressive with notes of gunflint, wet stone, golden delicious apple, lemon zest, candied ginger and pine pollen.  The balance on the palate is spot on:  dry with crisp acidity, beautiful weight and richness.  Generous but still tightly focused with great fruit purity, tension and excellent length.  This is a fabulous example of Niagara Chardonnay that delivers everything you might want from the variety in a beautifully balanced and complex package.

Tasting Notes by Ryan Gibson

PRICE: $48