2009 Shinn Estate Vineyards Chardonnay Wild Ferment

New York Cork Report

• By Lenn Thompson
  2/2/2011, (See more on New York Cork Report...) 88 points

  (Shinn Estate Vineyards Chardonnay Wild Ferment North Fork of Long Island) 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.