2012 Boisseau Chardonnay
Palate
Enters with sweet fruit, then focuses like an arrow on a bright, clean acidity.
Aromas
Classic chardonnay aromas with ripe pear and melon and white flower notes in the background. Sweet vanilla oak spices evident when the wine is young.
Food Pairing
Roasted chicken and 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
An extremely mild and dry winter gave us bud break a record 3 to 4 weeks earlier than average. Frost our biggest concern, but the mild winter continued into spring resulting in a frost-free season. A dry, warm April and May was welcomed by older vines, but concerning to young plantings. Mid summer was hot and precipitation was variable. The vines were never water stressed during the summer. August is usually the time we have finished our work in the vineyard, but tropical conditions in August beckoned us back to the vineyard to pull more leaves around bunches, aerating the cluster zones as a precaution against rot. Ultimately, clusters were healthy, but berry size was large.
Harvest began about two weeks early under typical August conditions. One day of rain was followed by a week of sun. Boisseau Chardonnay was harvested on August 23, 2012.
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. 84 cases produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for 2 to 4 years post bottling.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2012 Vintage | 2012 Boisseau Chardonnay