2008 Boisseau Chardonnay
Palate
Big, round mid-palate with good concentration and length. Will gain more complexity with time.
Aromas
Ripe melon, orange peel, honeysuckle and vanilla.
Food Pairings
White meats such as veal or chicken, mushrooms in cream based sauce. or grilled salmon.
Vineyard
Boisseau Vineyard is owned and operated by Richard Boisseau. It is located in Front Royal Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, about 5 miles west of Linden. The vineyard was planted in 2000. It is vertically shoot positioned. Dijon clones 96 and 76 are planted on a high bluff above the valley floor. Exposure is west. Soils are a deep clay/silt loam.
Vintage
The 2008 growing season was one of great challenges and windows of opportunities. As winegrowers, we had to often reflect on past experiences to pull off what has turned out to be a good year in terms of overall quality.
May was a very difficult month with cool, wet weather that brought concerns of disease and poor flowering (there was talk about another 2003, which was our most difficult vintage). Early June turned our spirits and hopes as beautiful warm, sunny days resulted in a very successful flowering and fruit set. Summer was wetter than normal, but each month progressively became hotter and drier. Most of August was a drought, putting a much needed halt to vine vegetative growth. Very late August through most of September alternated between 2 or 3 days of rain and 4 or 5 days of sunny, warm conditions. While a dry August kept berry size relatively small, the rains of September caused some Botrytis rot in the chardonnay. Fortunately the rot was mostly of ‘good quality’ (very little sour rot), but sorting was a major task in 2008. Natural acidities were quite high with low to moderate alcohols, and botrytis influenced exotic aromas. Harvest for Boisseau Chardonnay was September 12, 2008.
Winemaking
Chilled grapes were sorted, pressed, juice settled and then barrel fermented in older French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 10 months. 130 cases produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for 2 to 4 years post bottling.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2008 Vintage | 2008 Boisseau Chardonnay