69. Bella Wines 2013 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay Single Vineyard Kamloops, British Columbia, $24
Naramata Bench bubbleman Jay Drysdale produced the best sparkling wine of the 2013 Great Northwest Wine Competition. A few months later, he began working on this bottling from Thadd Springs Vineyard in the Thompson Valley, a site named for a historic British Columbia cattle rancher. Harvest came at 20 Brix on Sept. 20, when the crop of Chardonnay had reached 3.7 tons per acre. That allowed Drysdale to create crisp aromas of Asian pear, jasmine blossom, Granny Smith apple and lime juice, joined by slate and bread dough. There’s a creaminess to the mousse, which brings mouth-filling flavors of lemon chiffon, dried pear, quince and more green apple as gorgeous acidity affords it great length and breadth.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 65 cases
Alcohol: 12.3%
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