Here I am on a Sunday afternoon trying this wine in celebration of the New Orleans Saints squeaked out victory over the Washington Redskins (33-30 in overtime). Now I am not sure when I became a Saints fan, but I find myself rooting for them every week, and today’s game made them 12-0 on the season. Of course you didn’t start reading this review to hear about my football allegiances, you wanna know about the wine. This is a very special bottling of Chardonnay from Prince Edward County. Not only is the wine made from grapes grown in the County, but it was barrel aged for 10 months in barrels that were also raised and made in the County. The fact is the wood barrels were fashioned from white oak trees that once grew in the County and coopered by The Carriage House Cooperage in Wellington, Ontario. Now this is very unique. The name of the wine not only refers to the Terroir the grapes are grown in but that same terroir grew those trees to make the barrels. I am very impressed by this wine. The nose is buttered almond with vanilla, hazelnut, and toffee notes. From that, you would not expect a whole lot of fruit to be hanging around in the mouth, and that’s what makes this wine so surprising, there’s a vanilla, buttery, toastiness here, but also pineapple core and peach pit notes. Just before you swallow, there’s a lovely, almost sweet, creamy taste of pear-peach-and-pineapple, then the acidity kicks in and ends with a little melon rind and a really long tart, but ultimately pleasant, finish. It’s quite a lovely and very local Chardonnay. Go Saints. Price: $27.95 – Rating: ****½