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Westcott Vineyards' Block 76 Chardonnay 2021 is Sublime

Posted 8/25/2024


Westcott Vineyards' Block 76 Chardonnay 2021Westcott Vineyards' Block 76 Chardonnay 2021

 

How do you describe the  undefinably sublime Westcott Vineyards' Block 76 Chardonnay 2021?  President Carolyn Hurst explained its unique combination of factors to me today, but I still can't help feeling this wine is pure magic.

Westcott's Chardonnay is balanced and flavourful to the point of perfection. This 2021 Chardonnay is a Chablis-style, lightly oaked, premium wonder.

Although I am a Cabernet Sauvignon afficionado for three seasons a year, lately in summers I've turned into a Chardonnay fanatic exploring all of the wineries located half way up the Niagara Escarpment, searching for that perfect minerality. I can feel my 11 year-old self climbing up the rocky cliffs at Niagara's Fireman's Park again, searching for that perfect slice of shale that's the most porous, then arriving home covered in dry mud and clay, with pieces of shale in my pockets. Then summer is over.

It seems fitting that during the final week of August I would discover the magnificent Block 76 Chardonnay once I arrived at Westcott Vineyards. With suggestions of caramel on the nose, a medium acidity and a long finish, the smooth taste was intense yet I couldn't describe it beyond being just exquisite. No wet stones, peach pits, grasses or fruits that I could even remotely identify. Feeling sort of Parisian from the intense "je ne sais quoi" quality I was tasting, I was really at a loss for words.

Luckily, Westcott President Carolyn Hurst talked to me today about what makes the Block 76 Chardonnay so special.

Block 76 comes from a small 1-acre of Chardonnay planted with Chablis, that had a creek wound around its tiny area for a long time. Over the centuries, glacial deposits left a rich soil structure of graphite, flint, clay, limestone and alluvium. The early southeastern sun, combined with a special winemaking style that treats it differently with light oak use, full Malo, and 18-month ageing in neutral barrels creates the perfection that I couldn't describe in terms of tastes.

Manager Jessica Ramage told me today that the Chardonnay is the reason she works at Westcott. I get it.  

 At Westcott Vineyards today the crowd was very relaxed and unself-conscious, comprised mainly of seniors with a few Millennials and Gen Xers. Everyone seemed to unleash their free spirit tasting unmistakeably high quality wines.

I sat in a comfy Muskoka chair on the gentle slope beyond Westcott Vineyard's outdoor patio, gazing across the vineyards. A fresh breeze mixed with late summer sun whisked my face. A band was playing "Stuck in the Middle with You" in the background. I sipped on the Block 76 Chardonnay 2021 and thought about the miraculous fact that we grow Chardonnay here at all and make this magic - from historical soil to fruit to winemaking artistry. A sort of secret that's been formed under centuries of Niagara Escarpment activity. 

I first put Westcott on my list of wineries to visit this year, after reading a positive review in an expert Niagara wine guide. Then I saw Westcott's Chardonnay promoted AGAIN in one of the reviewer's Facebook posts.

When Rick VanSickle lauds a certain wine twice in one year, I don't just notice, or make sure to buy it. I go straight to the winery to check it out.

Now that I've been to the winery and tried their Block 76 Chardonnay 2021, I can't say enough about it. Highly recommended!

 

Westcott Vineyards