Sandhill Chardonnay Wins Gold at 2012 Chardonnay Du Monde

Vancouver BC:  The 19th annual Chardonnay du Monde results have been announced awarding the Sandhill 2010 Chardonnay with a gold medal, the only gold medal awarded to a Canadian winery this year.

“Winning a gold medal in this prestigious international competition is a great honour”, says Sandhill winemaker, Howard Soon.  “I think we are successful with Canada’s only gold medal at the Chardonnay du Monde because we remain true to the Sandhill single vineyard philosophy of trying to express terroir in this Chardonnay. For me, terroir driven wines are one of the highest forms of the winemakers art.”

This year’s Chardonnay du Monde took place at the Pasteur Institute at Saint Lager in the Burgundy wine region of France.  Over 900 wines were entered from 43 countries around the world.  After four days of tasting, judges handed out medals to chardonnays that best reflected the Chardonnay du Monde motto: “diversity, quality and high standards”.

Hand harvested and whole cluster pressed, 50% of the wine was barrel fermented and aged sur lie in new and one year old French oak barrels for 9 months to provide richness and complexity. The other 50% of the wine was stainless steel fermented and aged for full expression of the fruit.  The rich mouth-feel is balanced by fresh acidity and flavours of yellow apple, pineapple, tropical fruit and spice.

Sandhill 2010 Chardonnay is available in select retail stores and restaurants in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.  It is also available online at www.sandhillwines.ca.

For more information about Sandhill visit www.sandhillwines.ca.  To learn more about the Chardonnay du Monde visit www.chardonnay-du-monde.com