Little Engine Elevation Chardonnay 2023

This structured and 'aristocratic' white wine originates from Canada, within the prestigious Naramata Bench sub-g.I. appellation in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Produced by Little Engine Wines a ultra-premium boutique winery dedicated to Burgundian varietal mastery this bottling highlights the winery’s multi-tiered quality hierarchy, where the Elevation series reflects heightened structural tension, vineyard focus, and aging potential. Sourced from estate and choice partner vineyard blocks rooted in deep glacial silt, gravel, and clay-marl terraces overlooking Okanagan Lake, the vines benefit from a unique northern continental microclimate. Warm summer days and long daylight hours are balanced by cool breezes blowing off the deep glacial lake, enabling Chardonnay to achieve complete phenolic maturity while retaining a razor-sharp natural acidity and intense mineral drive.

Wine Description

Little Engine Elevation Chardonnay presents a luminous, pale straw-gold color in the glass with bright platinum and subtle emerald reflections along the rim. Its sensory profile is exceptionally fresh, high-toned, and complex, delivering an energetic, precise, and sophisticated portrait of Naramata Bench terroir. The bouquet opens with a soaring display of fresh Anjou pear, white peach, lemon curd, and green apple, seamlessly layered with complex underlays of roasted hazelnut, white flowers, lemon verbena, crushed chalk, and a subtle line of flinty stone minerality balanced by delicate toasted oak. On the palate, the wine is medium-to-full-bodied, sleek, and athletic, showcasing a succulent core of tart orchard fruit, citrus zest, and salted melon. It is characterized by its outstanding inner energy and an incisive, mouthwatering backbone of natural acidity that effortlessly cuts across its mid-palate density. The mouthfeel is broad, weightless, and silky, framed by a tactile, creamy texture gained from traditional lees contact that carries into an extraordinarily long, dry, and mineral-driven finish accented by persistent notes of toasted brioche, lemon oil, and lingering chalk.