Today I have two wines from Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery in Creston to taste. Their Chardonnay 2018 and Terraces Pinot Noir 2020. Did you know that Chardonnay is an offspring of Pinot Noir with Gouais Blanc? Both these wines come with oak ageing and went through malolactic fermentation. Isn’t it interesting that Chardonnay, a white grape, is vinified the same as Pinot Noir, a red grape? Some people say that Chardonnay is a white grape that pretends it is a red grape.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery Chardonnay 2018 (BC $28)
From the winery, the “Hand harvested fruit was whole bunch pressed. The wine went through primary ferment in 500L French barrel puncheons. Complete malolactic fermentation followed by the wine being racked off solids before with a further 11 months maturation in French oak.”
Appearance: A paler straw with a green tint. Bright and clear.
Nose: Medium-plus nose with deep aromas of ripe lemon and pineapple, plus oak. The wine takes on toasty and apple aromas with air. You get the same aromas after decanting but can now add butterscotch.
Palate: Dry, lighter body but gets rounder and fuller with swirling. Pronounced flavours of butterscotch, pears, roasted pineapple and toast. Butterscotch gets stronger toward the finish. Medium acidity with decanting, but fuller-bodied. There is a VOC edge to the wine, plus some buttery texture combined.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing smooth but quite oaky, along with butterscotch and pineapple. The wine with decanting has a tart fruit and a buttery component which adds to the oak, butterscotch, and pineapple flavours.
Nose: Medium-plus nose with deep aromas of ripe lemon and pineapple, plus oak. The wine takes on toasty and apple aromas with air. You get the same aromas after decanting but can now add butterscotch.
Palate: Dry, lighter body but gets rounder and fuller with swirling. Pronounced flavours of butterscotch, pears, roasted pineapple and toast. Butterscotch gets stronger toward the finish. Medium acidity with decanting, but fuller-bodied. There is a VOC edge to the wine, plus some buttery texture combined.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing smooth but quite oaky, along with butterscotch and pineapple. The wine with decanting has a tart fruit and a buttery component which adds to the oak, butterscotch, and pineapple flavours.
Decanting lessens the toastiness and brings out the butteriness in the wine.
Rating: 
– 
Pale straw with a green tinge in colour. Medium-plus intensity nose with deep aromas of ripe lemon and pineapple, plus oak. Dry; gets fuller and rounder with swirling. Butterscotch, pear, roasted pineapple, and toast on the palate. Medium-plus length finishing with toast, pineapple and butterscotch.
– Pale straw with a green tinge in colour. Medium-plus intensity nose with deep aromas of ripe lemon and pineapple, plus oak. Dry; gets fuller and rounder with swirling. Butterscotch, pear, roasted pineapple, and toast on the palate. Medium-plus length finishing with toast, pineapple and butterscotch.
Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery Terraces Pinot Noir 2020 (BC $30)
The grapes come from a single estate-grown vineyard. According to the winery, the “Hand harvested fruit was destemmed then cold soaked for 3 days before being inoculated. The wine was hand plunged and left on skins for 30 days for tannin development. A full malolactic fermentation was completed with maturation in French oak barriques (20% new) for 12 months prior to bottling.”
Appearance: Very clear and translucent medium-minus intensity garnet colour.
Nose: Light aromas with red fruit, red cherries and candied cherries. With air, you get a touch of leather and dill aromas as well. Pronounced dill aroma with decanting, alongside the previously mentioned aromas.
Palate: Dry, round and smooth with a thicker mouthfeel. Medium intensity, fine-grained tannins. Red fruit and red cherry flavours followed with touches of leather and dill then floral. Light oak. The floral flavour gets stronger with swirling and you can add some candied cherries. Quite floral with decanting. Medium body, not quite as round. You gain a hint of herbs and cinnamon, along with the red fruit flavours.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing dry with firmer tannins, oak, red fruit and a very light touch of pepperiness. Same firmer drying tannins and red fruit flavour with decanting, and to this, you can add cinnamon.
Nose: Light aromas with red fruit, red cherries and candied cherries. With air, you get a touch of leather and dill aromas as well. Pronounced dill aroma with decanting, alongside the previously mentioned aromas.
Palate: Dry, round and smooth with a thicker mouthfeel. Medium intensity, fine-grained tannins. Red fruit and red cherry flavours followed with touches of leather and dill then floral. Light oak. The floral flavour gets stronger with swirling and you can add some candied cherries. Quite floral with decanting. Medium body, not quite as round. You gain a hint of herbs and cinnamon, along with the red fruit flavours.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing dry with firmer tannins, oak, red fruit and a very light touch of pepperiness. Same firmer drying tannins and red fruit flavour with decanting, and to this, you can add cinnamon.
This is still a very young wine and I think would easily age another 4-5 years. Decanting brings out the dill aroma and floral flavour of the wine, but does make it a bit leaner and not as round.
Rating: – A very clear light translucent garnet colour. Light aromas of red fruit and cherries, plus hints of leather and dill. Dry, smooth, fuller-bodied, with medium intensity tannins. Red fruit and cherry on the palate followed by leather, a touch of dill and floral. Medium-plus tannins and red fruits on the finish.
– A very clear light translucent garnet colour. Light aromas of red fruit and cherries, plus hints of leather and dill. Dry, smooth, fuller-bodied, with medium intensity tannins. Red fruit and cherry on the palate followed by leather, a touch of dill and floral. Medium-plus tannins and red fruits on the finish.Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can order both wines from the Baillie-Grohman website:
Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery Terraces Pinot Noir 2020
Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery Chardonnay 2018
The Chardonnay is also available at select Save-on-Foods stores.
