Tantalus 2015 Chardonnay 750ml

Serious juice, Tantalus' aim with this was to marry Burgundy's power with the Okanagan's freshness. This is a wild ferment of 1985 Oppenheim plantings plus 2007 Dijon clones, fermented in French oak puncheons and barriques (30 percent new) where it remained for the next year. 2015 was a hot, and characteristically flabby year for Okanagan whites. At this young stage, power wins out, with ample toasted wood structure and spice leading the fore. But with time (or an ample decant) you get a glimpse of what is lurking underneath the lemon curd and peel, apricot, peach pit fuzziness and a creme brûlée sweetness. Lay this one down for a few years while you drink the Tantalus Juveniles Chardonnay now.

Score: 90 points -- Treve Ring, gismondionwine.com, 2017