Rust Wine Co.

This wine is from 1990 planted clone 76 Chardonnay growing in the glacial till of Okanagan Falls. Ryan ferments and ages this wine in a mix of not only French oak barrels of varying sizes but also black locust tree barrels (often confused for Acacia trees) with 15% new oak and 100% MLF, ageing for 18 months. It is a spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast. Seeking to get as far away from the ubiquitous fruit cup flavour of so much Okanagan chard, Ryan fills the barrels as high as possible and leaves them on the gros lees for 18 months without any bâtonnage for a long and slow introduction to oxygen, slowly grappling with its super ouillé’d reduction (not dissimilar to Tissot’s approach). This is the first vintage he feels truly happy with his results.