2017 Avenius Chardonnay
Style
This is a classic Avenius Chardonnay, pushing the envelope on mineral acidity and verve. Aromas of lemon zest, snow peas, and glacier water. Disclosure: I have never smelled glacier water, but I’m sure that this is what it would smell like. The palate is bracing from start to finish with good mid-palate weight. Shaved ice and lime juice. Grapefruit pith. Salivating.
Food pairing
Most definitely a seafood/fish wine. Simple, fresh shrimp (hold the seasoning). Trout, eel, or even gefilte fish.
Vineyard
Avenius Vineyard is just 1 mile north of Linden Vineyards at 1,300 feet. This high elevation and a north east slope contribute to bracing acidity acidity and verve. Vines planted in 1996 on French Lyre training system.
Vintage
June and all of July was very dry. Shoot growth was less than normal with very little hedging needed. Young vines and less water retentive soils showed some drought stress. We needed rain, but not the 3.5 inches that fell over a few hours on August 11. The rest of August was uneventful allowing clusters to lose some compactness.
A forecast can sometimes become confused with reality. The beginning of harvest is best remembered by the threats of Harvey, Irma, Maria and Jose. They were no shows, with little affect on quality. However fears of their potential impact did influence initial picking decisions, but then weather patterns calmed and the rest of the harvest was ideal. Avenius Chardonnay harvest was September 4 and 9, 2017.
Winemaking
Chilled grapes were sorted, pressed, juice settled and then barrel fermented warm (70's F) in old, neutral French puncheons (500 liter size). No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 10 months. Bottled August 2018. 2,460 bottles produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for many years past vintage. Best by 2029. Alcohol 13.2%.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2017 Vintage | 2017 Avenius Chardonnay