I have two white wines to tell you about from BC’s Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars. The winery is located in the Okanagan Falls area, which has the perfect climate for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. One of the wines I tasted is Blue Mountain’s Reserve Cuvée Chardonnay 2022 while the other wine is their Blue Mountain Estate Cuvée Pinot Gris 2023. You can differentiate their Estate Cuvee from the Reserve Cuvee wines in part by the colour of the front label. It is white for the Estate Cuvée and grey for the Reserve Cuvée. Let me tell you about these two wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Reserve Cuvée Chardonnay 2022 (BC $39.90)
Winemaker’s vinification notes, “Fermented and aged for 16 months in new to 3rd-fill 228 hL French oak barrels. 100% of the vintage was fermented with wild yeast native to the vineyard, in order to better express the terroir of the estate. Blended in April 2024 and returned to barrels to age sur-lie until bottling.”
Appearance: A medium-plus to deep intensity, clear and bright, lemon colour.
Nose: Medium intensity but deep, rich, ripe aromas of pineapple, cedar and oak, butterscotch and a touch of sweet spices. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: Dry with a thick, silky smooth, and round mouthfeel. Pronounced flavours of ripe pineapple, butterscotch and oakiness, plus a touch of sweet spices. Lower acidity. No change to the mouthfeel or flavours after decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length with a thick mouthfeel to the end. Ripe pineapple, butterscotch and oak flavours on the finish. No change to the finish after decanting.
An intense oaked Chardonnay with rich aromas and flavours. No need to decant. Top quality.
Rating: 
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This oaked Chardonnay has a deep intensity, clear and bright, lemon colour. Rich, ripe aromas of pineapple, cedar and oak, butterscotch and a touch of sweet spices. Dry with a thick, silky smooth, and round mouthfeel. Pronounced flavours of ripe pineapple, butterscotch and oakiness, plus a touch of sweet spices. Medium-plus length.
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars Cuvée Pinot Gris 2023 (BC $25.90)
Winemaker’s vinification notes, “Grapes were whole-cluster pressed, to ensure the purity of the juice and maintain the high quality produced in the vineyard. 100% went through native yeast fermentation. Native yeast is present in the vineyard and cellar and allows for a stronger expression of terroir. Wines were fermented in 75% foudre / 45 hL Oak Cask and 25% stainless steel. Ageing saw the same proportions of barrelled wines spend 6 months sur-lie. Wine in the tank was racked and left to rest after fermentation.”
Appearance: A clear, bright, medium-intensity mix of straw and lemon colours in the glass.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of toast, stone fruit, pears and a touch of lees. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry with medium-plus body, and a smooth, round, thicker mouthfeel. Pears and oak are mainly on the palate along with some dried stonefruits and stony minerality. Some pepperiness as well. Same aromas, but more fruity with decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with pears and pepperiness, plus a touch of bitterness and honey at the very end. More fruity aromas on the finish after decanting.
A serious Pinot Gris. Structured. Decanting or not is okay.
Rating: This Pinot Gris has a mix of straw and lemon colours in the glass. Lighter aromas of toast, stone fruit, pears and a touch of lees. It is dry, with medium-plus body and a smooth, round mouthfeel. Pears and oak mainly, but with touches of dried stone fruits, pepperiness, and stony minerality. A medium-plus length.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
These wines are available to purchase online on the Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars website. The Pinot Gris appears to be available at two Everything Wine stores, but I am not sure of the vintage.
