 |
|
Wine Details
Price:
$20.00 per bottle
Description:
Grown on-site in Churchill County, this Semillon Chardonnay blend is made from 50% Semillon and 50% Chardonnay. Both varietals were separately hand harvested, pressed very gently, and allowed to ferment at cold temperatures in stainless steel, which preserves the flavors lost at higher temperatures. Later they were separately aged in French oak barrels and carefully blended into this beautiful wine. Malolactic fermentation was prevented in the Semillon and allowed in the Chardonnay. This made the wine slightly buttery while still retaining the crisp finish that our Semillon is known for.
|
|
Varietal Definition
Sémillon:
A thin skinned grape producing wines of high extract and flavour but soft acidity. In France it combines with Sauvignon Blanc to make the white wines of Bordeaux, most notably the sweet dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac. Its thin skin leaves it susceptible to the fungus botrytis* the much sought after 'noble rot' in these sweet wine regions. As a varietal it has fared best in Australia, notably the Hunter Valley, where it produces well-rounded wines with lots of tropical fruits and honeyed tones. Here too it is blended with Chardonnay and oak aged to give an added dimension.
|
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.
|
|