CedarCreek Estate Winery 2014 Platinum Block 5 Chardonnay

CedarCreek Estate Winery 2014 Platinum Block 5 Chardonnay

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

BC $27.95 (418558)

This impressive Chardonnay was painstakingly made to preserve the purity and freshness of the raw ingredients. Block 5 of the CedarCreek vineyard is located at the top of the property, just across from the front porch of the winemaker’s home, so it’s no surprise that these grapes garner special attention. Gentle handling through fermentation and aging exclusively in concrete or larger format, 500-litre puncheons — which curtail the influence of oak in the finished wine — was performed to maintain primary fruit flavours. This has sufficient vibrant acidity to preserve the wine over the course of five years or longer in bottle, but I’m so taken with its brightness and precision, I think it’s prime for drinking right now.