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Nk’Mip Cellars 2013 Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay, Okanagan Valley, $22
Within six years, Saskatchewan native Randy Picton advanced from assistant to Tom DiBello at CedarCreek Estate Winery in Kelowna to founding winemaker at Nk’Mip Cellars in 2002, and his passion for Chardonnay is well known. At his request, the Osoyoos Indian Band treats Chardonnay planted on the sunnier south side of its east/west oriented rows to be picked earlier than those clusters growing on the northern side. That attention to detail shows in this top-tier Chardonnay, and the QQ bottling is akin to a party in a glass. Delicate oak tones from 10 months in French oak bring light toast and butter, but there’s also an abundance of fruitiness running alongside with lots of fresh apple and juicy Bartlett pear. Those fruit notes, as well as the lovely structure, allowed this to earn a gold medal at the 2015 British Columbia Wine Awards. It was one of three gold medals for Picton’s wines at the competition.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 880 cases
Alcohol: 14%
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