Community Tasting Note

Palette49 Likes this wine:

Saturday, October 29, 2022 - Sometimes I drink wine without thinking too much about it. Sometimes I’ll savor it, taking an hour to drink a single glass. Today is one if those occasions.

I opened a bottle of WillaKenzie’s 2019 Estate Chardonnay, poured a glass and just let it sit there. We live near a forest of Douglas Fir in Oregon and I like to just sit outside. I stare at the trees and watch the hawks. It’s cool today, so I’m wrapped in a blanket.

The Chardonnay sits quietly too. Undisturbed. But I can see the wine in my glass at my side. In this light, it looks bright. It shimmers a bit. Seems darker near the surface. Almost a bit golden. I’m not in a hurry but neither is the wine.

The trees are perfectly still. There is no wind. I wait. It’s a game I like to play. How long before my senses tell me that the wine is ready? I wait until I smell lemons. For me, that’s always the first hint. Now I get to hold the glass. I take a real sniff. It’s a garden. The aromas come at me all at once. All that cool fresh air had cleared my mind and senses so I quickly picked up some wet pine — but that may actually be wet pine or fir and not the wine. However, it was a welcome nuance and it added to the mix.

I take a sip and the show goes on as the oak flavors have their turn. Cinnamon and cloves. Subtle. I kept going — taking a bigger sip. The wine changed with time and not in subtle ways. The tannins softened while the Chardonnay grape itself dominated. Seems appropriate.

Now I take a break. I know what’s there. For the next hour or so I’ll sip now and then. I stare at the trees and watch the hawks. Time well spent.

Post a Comment / View Palette49's profile
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (497 views)