By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor
My feelings about barrel-influenced chardonnay are well documented -- and I hear comments about them from winemakers and other local wine geeks all the time.
It's simply not my favored style. It's rare that I'd reach for a bottle on any given night of the week. And while sometimes food does call for one, there are other options that tend to find their way onto my dinner table.
But, that doesn't mean I can't recognize when oaked chardonnay is done well, like this Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 Wild Fermented Chardonnay ($33).
I don't get caught up in how "natural" a wine is -- I care much more about deliciousness -- but often appreciate the complexity and mouthfeel of wild-fermented wines. This is no exception.
The nose starts off with sweet cedar (no doubt from 10 months in French oak) with subtle vanilla, butter and apple blossom bringing nuance to ripe apple-pear and peach flavors.
Once in the mouth, I wrote down "texturally stunning" to describe the mouthfeel, which is intense and rich but also lithe and fresh, with less oak and butter apparent on the palate.
Flavors of mandarin orange, peach and pear are backed by light saline minerality and an earthy note beneath.
With some time in bottle -- and I think this wine will age well for 5+ years -- that overtly oaky note on the nose should integrate. A definite re-taste in 6-12 months...if there is any left.
Producer: Shinn Estate Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
ABV: 13.8%
Production: 56 cases
Price: $33*
Rating: 88
13.8% ABV!? Really? I thought 2009 had been a cooler than normal vintage even by East Coast standards and with a lot of rain during harvest time...
Posted by: Paul | February 02, 2011 at 09:03 AM
Paul,
2009 was a cooler than normal season but actually was a very mild harvest season with very little rain, which for those whom waited created perfect ripening conditions. We harvested this Chardonnay on October 17th a full month later than the 2010 Chardonnay. Additional hang time accounts for higher sugar and ripeness even in a cooler year.
Also conversion rates from sugar to alcohol vary from 0.55%w/v-0.64%w/v depending on many factors, being wild fermented can be quite unpredictable.
This Chard picked at 23 Brix could have a potential alcohol of 12.65%-14.72% depending on the rate of conversion.
The number is not that important but I personally like having the true alcohol on the label of all my wines, as well, we are putting ingredient lists on our labels all in the name of full disclosure.
Forgetahboudit!! and enjoy the wine!
Posted by: Anthony Nappa | February 02, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Another vote for Long Island whites! May they continue their rise to ascendancy.
Posted by: Peter Bell / Fox Run | February 02, 2011 at 03:43 PM
We just cracked our one bottle by accident (thought it was the regular bottling). It's really good now--the oak is well integrated and my wife (who casts a wary eye at any Chardonnay) really likes it.
Posted by: barney | February 13, 2012 at 08:17 PM