The love affair I have with Chardonnay is pretty darn solid. So much so that I launched my #chardcore t-shirt line in 2020. As it is a new year, I want to devote even more focus to my sweetheart grape and will be posting a Chardonnay review at least once a month.

Mission Hill Family Estate Winery ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay 2019 Okanagan Valley B.C. VQA $21.99

• Sourced from three vineyard sites across the Okanagan Valley – Oliver, Osoyoos and Naramata.
• Pale lemon yellow in the glass with flecks of gold.
• Aromas of mandarin orange, vanilla wafter, lemon rind and pear.
• On the palate, the aroma profile shines through with a strong influence of Okanagan tree fruits – Bartlett pear and Golden Delicious apple with a nice kick of citrus on the finish and a dash of nutmeg.

Mission Hill’s ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay is fermented and aged mostly in French oak (75%) with 11% coming from new oak barrels. The remaining 25% is divided between concrete and stainless steel vessels.

#chardcore Summary

Mission Hill Family Estate Winery ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay is impressive, has bright acidity and structure thereby making it worthy of the #chardcore status. At $21.99, it is affordable yet tastes like a more expensive bottle due to its’ expressiveness and balance. For anyone still hesitating when reading the word ‘oak,’ I urge you to give this one a try. The oak adds structure to this Chardonnay that is in no way overt but gentle and delicate instead. 

I would love to hear if you have tried this wine and your thoughts on it. Also, if you have a Chardonnay you would like me to review, please leave a comment for me to follow up with.