2023 King Chardonnay Traditional Method Brut - 750ml
This traditional method sparkling wine made with Chardonnay grapes from King Family Farms shows off its intensity of citrus flavor around a crisp ripe apple with a whisper of sweet pineapple on the finish. This wine pairs beautifully with anything that comes from the ocean.
This traditional method sparkling wine made with Chardonnay grapes from King Family Farms shows off its intensity of citrus flavor around a crisp ripe apple with a whisper of sweet pineapple on the finish. This wine pairs beautifully with anything that comes from the ocean.
This traditional method sparkling wine made with Chardonnay grapes from King Family Farms shows off its intensity of citrus flavor around a crisp ripe apple with a whisper of sweet pineapple on the finish. This wine pairs beautifully with anything that comes from the ocean.
KING FAMILY FARMS - Starting with the 2017 vintage, we have been honoured to work with King Family Farms and benefit from their deep heritage on the Naramata Bench. Currently under the stewardship of Rod King, his brother Don King and his son Ian King, this is the fourth generation to farm on this site.
Rod’s father was the first male born in Naramata in 1909 … in a tent. Rod’s grandfather bought here in 1929 and Rod’s father acquired the property where our Chardonnay comes from in 1939. It was all tree fruits until the late ’80s when Don and his brother decided to plant grapes in 1992 – the Chardonnay on rootstock SO-4, clone 76. This block is trained in a “double divided” also known as a “double Scott Henry” – this style being developed in New Zealand for higher vigor sites. Just on the northern side of Munson Mountain in Penticton, the soil at this site is deep silt loam. We fully support Rod’s approach to vineyard management: the best equipment in the vineyard are their boots and eyes and forget the calendar – read and look at what the vines are telling you. Having grown up farming this site, Rod and his family have an intimate knowledge of what it can produce and have chosen a minimalist conventional farming approach.
DRINK BEFORE 2025 - you’ll notice that for the 2023 vintage wines we’ve put “drink before 2025” on the labels. This is a vintage we do not want you to cellar. Right now, the wines are tasting brilliantly but with that much smoke around during ripening and harvest last year you never know when taint can present itself. We found with the 2021 vintage (our last smoky vintage), mild smoke taint didn’t present until 18 months after we disgorged it (and in only 2 of the 20 different bubbles we made that vintage). We’d rather be cautious so we’re requesting to please drink the 2023 vintage this year.