Wine Review - 2009 Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery Unoaked Chardonnay: BC Chard that could be mistaken as Aussie or French

So, first off, let us just say that we honestly and truly thought that this was an Aussie Chardonnay when we bought it from Harvest Wines.  It was an oversight on our part and potentially a wrong bottle pull from the shelf.  That said, we got it home, opened it, didn't read the label and started tasting it.  Imagine our surprise when we actually looked at the bottle only to realize that it was indeed Canadian Chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia.

Minds officially blown.

This wine was really nice and certainly reminiscent of some Aussie Chard's we have had in the past.  Though as an unoaked version a lot of the fruit holds up more than the normal vanilla/toast/butter you might get from an oaked Chardonnay.

Overall, the wine looked more like a Sauv Blanc, with a paleness to it that did not make it stand out (especially as a Chard) and there was a very slight sparkle.  There was a lot of peach and pear on the nose and it certainly could have fooled us a bit had we not known it was at least Chardonnay (Country? Not so much....and we bought it, sheesh).  There was some acidity in the wine but it maintained that round mouthfeel with a little sugar and a little crispness.  Our thought upon drinking was that it was more in line with the French style than the Aussie style.

We liked the wine and we liked the fact it was Canadian, even though we didn't mean it to be.  At $19 it is not a steal of a deal, but it is certainly a wine we would be happy to call our own.

	Tasting Notes:	Score:
Sight (0-5)	Pale colour, almost green like Sauv Blanc, slight sparkle on opening.	3.5
Smell (0-5)	Peach and Pear in heavy doses on the nose with a touch of honey.	4.0
Taste (0-10)	A very slight amount of sugar and crispness plus more Peach and Pear on the tongue.  Very cool Canadian wine.	7.5
	Total:	15.0 / 20  (75.0)

If you like Chardonnay it is a worth a try to see if you like the Canadian version....which you should.

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon