MyWinePal: Ontario Chardonnay Review: The Grange of Prince Edward and Featherstone WineriesPR SAMPLE

Two Southern Ontario Wineries (Map data courtesy Google) — Two Southern Ontario Wineries. The Grange in orange. Featherstone in dark red. (Map data courtesy Google)

Today starts my unveiling of Ontario Chardonnay; a terroir-driven exploration of elegance and expression. Chardonnay has long been a cornerstone of Ontario’s viticultural identity, offering a compelling canvas for terroir to shine. Ontario’s cool-climate Chardonnay reveals a spectrum of styles, from taut and mineral-driven to richly textured and barrel-aged.

Here is an unoaked and an unoaked Chardonnay from two different wineries: Featherstone Estate Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 and The Grange of Prince Edward Victoria Block Chardonnay 2024.

Starting with these two wines, I will write upcoming articles reviewing the array of Ontario Chardonnay I received to review so that I can explore how Ontario’s diverse soils, microclimates, and winemaking philosophies shape the character of Chardonnay across the province. I will highlight the thoughtful vineyard practices, sustainable approaches, and stylistic choices that make Ontario Chardonnay.

The 2023 vs 2024 Vintages

2023 had a cool and wet August with record amounts of precipitation and a lack of sunshine. This led to harvest being delayed because the grapes were waiting for the sun that was to come in September, which luckily came in abundance.

Weather played a pivotal role in 2024, with rain impacting yields early in the season and dry conditions dominating the harvest period. Chris noted smaller volumes due to disease pressure.

Did these cooler conditions affect the wines? Lighter bodied? Higher acidity? More tart citrus fruit flavours? Read on.

My Wine Tasting Notes

Featherstone Estate Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 (ON $17.15)

This is a vegan-friendly wine plus it is certified by Sustainable Wine Growing Ontario. If you check on Google Maps, you will see that there is a large limestone quarry right behind the winery. Does the limestone impart some minerality?

Appearance: Bright, clear, medium-plus intensity lemon colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of lees/brioche, pineapple, and dried apples. Lighter aromas after decanting with some floral and dried apples transition to fresh apples.
Palate: This wine is dry, lighter bodied with a smooth, soft texture. Medium-plus acidity. Lees, tart stone fruits, apples, pears, and stoniness, plus a hint of lime on the palate. The wine is leaner on the palate after decanting. The wine has a stonier component and tarter flavours. Less lees and stone fruit flavours.
Finish: Medium length, finishing with apples, tart stone fruits and some grape stem. Tarter, more citrus on the finish after decanting.

I prefer the undecanted version of this wine. It had a smoother, softer mouthfeel and stronger aromas. Lighter body and higher acidity in this wine, so I would say that the 2023 weather does show in this wine.

Rating: – Featherstone Estate Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 shows a bright lemon colour with medium aromas of brioche, pineapple and dried apples that shift toward fresher apple and light floral notes with air. Dry and lighter bodied, it has a smooth, soft texture with medium-plus acidity, offering apples, tart stone fruits, pears, stoniness and a hint of lime, becoming leaner and more mineral driven over time. The medium length finish carries apple and tart stone fruit flavours with a touch of citrus and grape stem, finishing brighter and more tart after decanting.

Featherstone Estate Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 and The Grange of Prince Edward, Victoria Block, Chardonnay 2024 with wines in glasses

The Grange of Prince Edward, Victoria Block, Chardonnay 2024 (ON $30)

Prince Edward County is a small region jutting into the north side of Lake Ontario. It has a cooler climate compared to the Niagara region on the south side of Lake Ontario.

Appearance: Clear, bright, deep apricot colour.
Nose: Medium intensity, enjoyable aromas of toast, apple, pineapple, sweet spices, and oak. Same aromas and intensity, plus butterscotch after decanting.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body with a rich, round, smooth, thicker mouthfeel. Deep tropical fruit and apple flavours, plus complementary cinnamon and nutmeg spices, and touches of oak and citrus. Medium-plus acidity. Same body and flavours, plus butterscotch after decanting.
Finish: Medium-plus length, finishing with deep tropical fruit flavours, sweet spices, and oak. Same length and flavours after decanting, plus some bitter gape stem and butterscotch.

A delicious, oaked Chardonnay. Lovely aromatics and flavours of toasty, pineapple, and apple. No major changes with decanting, so open and enjoy at your leisure. Although a cooler vintage, these grapes must have had a warmer microclimate as the wine is fuller bodied with rich fruit flavours, although you can see that the acidity is medium-plus so there was some cooling effect in this regard.

Rating: The Grange of Prince Edward Victoria Block Chardonnay 2024 shows a deep apricot hue and opens with inviting aromas of toast, apple, pineapple, sweet spices, and oak, with butterscotch emerging after decanting. The palate is dry and medium-plus in body with a rich, round, and smooth texture, offering layered tropical fruit, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and subtle citrus alongside medium-plus acidity. It finishes with medium-plus length, carrying ripe fruit, spice, and oak, with a slight bitter grape stem note and lingering butterscotch.

Where Can I Buy These Wines?

You can order these wines online through their winery websites:

The The Grange of Prince Edward, Victoria Block, Chardonnay 2024, is also available at LCBO stores, although the 2023 vintage is currently listed. I assume the 2024 vintage will be available when their inventory of 2023 is depleted.