Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Sumptuous and edgy at once, this is a wild chardonnay. It comes from Quebec-born, Burgundy-trained Francois Morissette, who's named it for the 19th Street (Dix-Neuvieme) Vineyard. Like every wine Morissette has made since launching the winery in 2007, it's hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed and vinified with ambient yeasts. He made this one mostly in large, old oak barrels and left it on the lees without stirring until September 2015; the only addition he made was a small amount of sulfur at bottling. THe result is a satin-textured chardonnay laden with wheaty lees and pineapple flavor, relieved by a touch of volatile acidity that gives it a playful lift. It lasts on the blond spice of chardonnay skins, savory and intriguing.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Home of the Niagara Peninsula wine region, Ontario leads as Canada’s region with the most area under vine. Ontario’s main grape varieties include Merlot, Pinot noir, Cabernet Franc and Riesling. The latter two show great success here for the production of ice wines, along with Vidal blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.