Blue Mountain continues releasing is 2022 wines

Photo: Winemaker Matt Mavety

After releasing no wine from the smoke-tainted 2021 vintage, Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars has begun releasing wines from the excellent 2022 vintage. I have been able to review the 2022 Gamay Noir earlier this year (and I will reproduce my note here); and I have just had a chance to taste the 2022 Estate Cuvée Chardonnay. I have tasted previously the other three 2022 whites that the winery has released: the Sauvignon Blanc, the Pinot Blanc and the Pinot Gris. Given winemaker Matt Mavety’s competence in both the vineyard and the winery, I would even recommend his wines without tasting them.

The alterative might be to attend the winery’s summer celebration on the afternoon of July 6 (except I have a house guest arriving that day). The winery is selling tickets to the event at $67.20, which includes a selection of canapés and oysters and tastings of Blue Mountain’s white wines. The event takes place at the winery’s picturesque estate near Okanagan Falls. The whites on offer will include the just-released 2022 Estate Cuvée Chardonnay. The grapes are from vines that are between 16 and 33 years old; and there are four clones. In the vineyard, the crop was reduced with manual thinning to achieve more concentrated and higher quality grapes. This wine has the potential to age four to six years, according to the winemaker. I suspect it will still be drinking well in 2032 if stored in a good cellar.

Here is my note, along with a repeat of my Gamay review:

Blue Mountain Estate Cuvée Chardonnay 2022 ($30). This wine was fermented with natural yeast in French oak barrels and aged 14 months in barrel (new to fourth fill). The wine has aromas and flavours of mandarin orange, lemon and stone fruits. The texture is rich with a spine of minerality. The finish is persistent. 92.

Blue Mountain Gamay Noir 2022 ($30). The hand-harvested fruit went into open-top fermenters, macerating 18 days on the skins with daily pump-overs. The wine was fermented in barrel with natural yeast. It was then drained off the skins and aged a year in neutral oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of cherry mingled with spice. On the palate, it is rich, even bold, with flavours of cherry and plum and with a silken finish. The ripe tannins support the age-worthiness of the wine. 92.