Blasphemy

Going back to the time of the Cistercian monks, the religion for making Chardonnay has been to just put it in an oak barrel and let God do the rest. Well… we deviated from that orthodoxy just a bit. Everything was barrel-fermented, but we divided the wine into five components and then crafted each of them differently to stretch the range of flavors available for blending. New oak, neutral oak, cool and warm fermentations, clarified and “dirty” fermentations, native yeasts and cultured yeasts, they all worked together during blending to create a layered, complex assemblage of flavors, textures and mouthfeel.

Going back to the time of the Cistercian monks, the religion for making Chardonnay has been to just put it in an oak barrel and let God do the rest.  Well… we deviated from that orthodoxy just a bit.  Everything was barrel-fermented, but we divided the wine into five components and then crafted each of them differently to stretch the range of flavors available for blending.  Even though that was our intent, we were amazed at the differences from barrel to barrel.  New oak, neutral oak, cool and warm fermentations, clarified and “dirty” fermentations, native yeasts and cultured yeasts, they all worked together during blending to create a layered, complex assemblage of flavors, textures and mouthfeel. 

Going back to the time of the Cistercian monks, the religion for making Chardonnay has been to just put it in an oak barrel and let God do the rest.  Well… we deviated from that orthodoxy just a bit.  Everything was barrel-fermented, but we divided the wine into five components and then crafted each of them differently to stretch the range of flavors available for blending.  Even though that was our intent, we were amazed at the differences from barrel to barrel.  New oak, neutral oak, cool and warm fermentations, clarified and “dirty” fermentations, native yeasts and cultured yeasts, they all worked together during blending to create a layered, complex assemblage of flavors, textures and mouthfeel.  92 Points – Purely Domestic Wine Report; 91 Points – Vinous; 90 Points – Wine Enthusiast