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Wine Details
Price:
$37.00 per bottle
Description:
This wine is a blend of 92% Chardonnay, 7% Vignoles (a white French-hybrid variety that is a cross of Pinot Noir and Siebel 6905), and 1% Gewurztraminer. The slightly cool growing season in 2003 was especially good for making an Icewine-style wine with Chardonnay, as the grapes’ natural acidity was strong enough to balance sweetness. The grapes were hand picked from specially designated lots on November 7th. The grapes were immediately transported to a commercial freezer and stored for 30 days at 18° Fahrenheit. Then, the frozen grapes were gently pressed, yielding exceptional juice with 39° Brix and 1.3% Total Acidity. Fermentation, which took place in stainless steel tanks, required two months due to high sugar levels and a cool temperature. A combination of racking, chilling the wine, and addition of SO2 stopped the fermentation, resulting in an 8.7% alcohol level and a residual sugar of 22%. Malolactic fermentation was strictly avoided to preserve fruit character.
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Varietal Definition
Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is by far the most widely planted grape crop in California and dominates California’s cooler, coastal, quality wine regions. The natural varietal ‘taste and smell’ of Chardonnay is surprisingly unfamiliar to many wine drinkers, as its true character is often guised with dominating winemaking signatures. Chardonnay’s rather subdued primary fruit characteristics lean toward the crisp fruitiness of apples, pears and lemon, but the variety’s full body is capable of supporting a host of complementary characteristics, such as oak, butter and vanilla. Regardless of what is the appropriate style for Chardonnay, the varietal continues to dominate vineyard plantings in every corner of the world. Close attention to clonal selection has made this broad geographic and climactic range of Chardonnay viable in thoughtful viticultural hands.
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Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."
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Traminer:
Parent grape of the popular Gewurztraminer clone. Still grown in France and in California but almost everywhere has been replaced by its much more intense and spicy offspring clone.
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Vignole:
Commonly grown in the cooler regions of North America, this french-american hybrid used for making white dry, late-harvest and ice-wines has its origins in the Chardonnay grape. Currently very popular as a dessert wine because of its restrained fruitiness and good balance. Same as Ravat.
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