Chaberton Estate Bacchus 2020
Winery: $17.99
Bacchus has been a favourite in our family for YEARS. It's grown down the road from the house I grew up in, in Langley, BC. There are a few wineries in the Fraser Valley appellation of British Columbia, but many of their grapes often come from the more well-known Okanagan Valley, about 4 hours away. The coastal climate of the Fraser Valley keeps the temperature moderate, not a lot of heat for those super hearty varietals to ripen. And also, for anyone that hasn't heard, the Vancouver area gets A LOT of rain which can lead to rot problems for the vines. That being said, some cooler climate varietals can do really well here and the Bacchus from Chaberton Estate is, in a word, fabulous.
This unique grape is a cross between Muller-Thurgau and a Riesling x Sylvaner cross - three of Germany's top planted grape varietals. All quite aromatic, this varietal ripens nice and early and in colder climates can retain a good amount of acidity, something it's not naturally especially high in. The Fraser Valley planting seems to do quite well because this wine is well balanced and a pleasure to drink.
It pours crystal clear and a very pale golden yellow with hints of peach in the colour of the wine; an inkling of what is to come. Beautifully floral on the nose, it shows elderflower, peach, pear and sweet citrus. Slightly off dry with well balanced medium/medium+ acidity, it's like biting into a ripe peach when you take your first sip, awakening the taste buds across your palate. The tree fruit is substantive, with peach, pear and honey crisp apple balancing the almost key lime custard and floral notes.
We enjoyed this bottle with seriously delicious Korean Gochujang chicken wings and a peanut noodle bowl. The off-dry wine and fresh fruit flavours helped cut the high spice levels with the acid in check so as not to add to the heat. Really delicious pairing for this consistently delicious wine.
Note: if you prefer a dry version, they also do a Dry Bacchus version!
Cheers!
xo