Columbia Crest Grand Estate Unoaked Chardonnay
Description: | Growing Season. • Spring temperatures in Eastern Washington started off. relatively cool but rose quickly, and the region soon settled. in to a more typical weather pattern. • Summer was predictably warm though without any. prolonged excessive heat events, with temperatures rarely. breaking 100° Fahrenheit. • Late summer and early fall brought on slightly cooler. daytime highs and a significant diurnal shift, a pattern that. continued well into October. • A few sporadic rain showers in mid-to-late October were. quickly dissipated by persistent winds and had no effect on. the harvest. • Overall the 2012 harvest was outstanding; the whites are. flavorful with beautiful natural acidity. Vineyards. • The fruit for the Reserve Chardonnay is picked by hand. from Columbia Crests select Estate vineyards located in. the Horse Heaven Hills. • The vintages balance between warm daytime temperatures. and cooler evenings concentrated aromatics and. enhanced complexity. • The appellations low rainfall stressed the vines, yielding. concentrated fruit with depth and varietal expression. Vinification. • Handpicked fruit from our estate vineyard was fed directly. into a pneumatic press where the juice was quickly but. gently separated from the skins and seeds. • After cold settling, the clean juice was racked into a 475. gallon egg-shaped concrete tank and inoculated with a. blend of yeasts to initiate alcoholic fermentation. • The wine underwent a partial malolactic fermentation to. soften and add layers of complexity. • The wine was aged on the lees with regular weekly stirring. for five months. • A filtration occurred just prior to bottling to ensure stability. and freshness. 2012 Reserve Estate Unoaked Chardonnay. Appellation • Horse Heaven Hills. Vineyards • Columbia Crest Estate. Harvest Date • October 2, 2012. Blend • 100% Chardonnay. Fermentation • Three weeks with a blend of Chanson,. Burgoblanc & Premier Cuvee yeasts. Alcohol • 14.5%. Total Acidity • 0.59g/100ml. ph • 3.37. Cases Crafted • 50 Region Description. Most of the wineries in this state are located east of the Cascade Range, where the climate is desert-like, with hot days and cool nights. The irrigated vineyards produce high yield, but the flavor is nevertheless very good. Traditionally Rieslings have been the most successful here, but currently Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc are doing well. Chardonnay is successfully fermented in new oak barrels, yielding distinctively crisp and delicate flavors, like fresh apples. Washington Merlot, with its cherry flavors and aroma, tends to be more full-bodied, moderately tannic and slightly higher in alcohol than its Bordeaux cousins and higher in acidity than those from California. Acreage for the Syrah grape has increased substantially in the past few years, and in Washington it turns into big, dark, intensely concentrated wines with aromas and flavors of blackberries, black currants, roasted coffee and leather. A little-known German grape, Lemberger, does very well here. It produces a fruity but dry red wine in the Beaujolais or Dolcetto style. |
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Price: | $ 11.49 |
Price in original currency: | None |
Available from Haskell's
Address: |
81 South 9th Street Minneapolis, MN 55402 United States |
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Telephone (toll-free): | 800-486-2434 |
Telephone (regular): | 612-342-2437 |
Fax: | 612-342-2440 |
First added to 1000 Corks on April 4, 2022.