Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 - 100% Chardonnay from very densely-planted, 8 years old vineyard situated over 1000 meters above the sea level. Fermented in stainless steel, aged for some 12 months in glazed 5000-liter cement vats. Total production 20,000 bottles. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.

Intense neon yellow-green color. The nose feels leesy and somewhat lactic with a whiff of sourmilk or yogurt, followed by aromas of white peach, some sappy herbal tones, a little bit of creaminess, light sweet notes of apple jam, a hint of nuttiness and a touch of woolly lanolin. The wine is round, moderately full-bodied and conspicuously sweet-toned on the palate, coming across as somewhat off-dry, perhaps even medium-dry? Flavors of honeydew melon, some woolly tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light steely tones, a hint of leesy yeast character almost reminiscent of Champagne and a touch of ripe pear. The overall feel is very rich and supple, the medium acidity keeping to the background - yet the overall feel is pleasant and balanced. The finish is rich and comes across as off-dry with quite long flavors of honey, some cantaloupe, light stony mineral notes, a little bit of creamy richness, a hint of nuttiness and a sweet touch of pear marmalade.

A tasty, harmonious and still surprisingly youthful Etna Chardonnay that was surprisingly sweet-toned - even slightly marmaladey - for the style. I wonder whether it was because of the combination of ripeness and modest acidity, or if the wine actually wasn't fermented to full dryness? At least to me the wine didn't feel technically dry, which made me automatically think of off-dry Chenin Blanc from Loire. Well, I was pretty wrong here. Live and learn. Nevertheless, this was enjoyable for the style, be it dry or off-dry. Most likely will keep if not improve for a good handful of years more.

Post a Comment / View forceberry's profile
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (1,197 views)