2021 JCR Chardonnay

2021 marks the 10th edition of our JCR series Estate-Grown Chardonnay, named in tribute to our co-founder, partner, and family member John Campbell Reston.  The Chardonnay varietal appeals to both winemakers Dan Sullivan and Lee Baker due to its versatility and its unique expressiveness when grown in Prince Edward County. Our Estate Chardonnay was hand-harvested from October 6th to October 10th, a slightly later pick than usual resulting in excellent flavour maturation. Our yields were slightly higher than average with about a 15-20% increase over average. The Chardonnay was destemmed and lightly pressed and transferred to stainless steel tanks to allow the juice to settle. Once clear, the juice was racked into 500L French Oak barrels, 30% new with the balance second fills. Prior to fermentation, each barrel received different yeast treatments in order to build complexity. The wine was fermented and aged in barrel for a total of 16 months with only periodic stirring, before racking back into stainless steel in February 2023. After allowing a month for the wine to rest, our JCR Chardonnay was filtered and bottled in March 2023.