Amourette Chardonnay 2015
Like a true French Puligny-Montrachet this Amourette is focused and brilliant. This mineral-driven vintage captures energy and shows an inherent richness while the interplay of flavors and textures can only be described as utterly breathtaking.
NOSE: To the eye, a beautiful bright golden straw color. The nose, a delightful, delicate floral aroma of white flowers and fresh herbs.
PALATE: Really striking, with lovely pitch and poise, showing notes of ripe white fruit like white peach or poached pear with its power held in check by bright acidity and balancing a complex mineral structure.
FINISH: An unexpected continuation of the delicate flavors that make this wine very special. Slight creaminess but mostly just the lingering delicacy yet with lots of energy, and a long, stylish finish.
The Amourette Estate Vineyard, now 36 years old, was harvested on September 15, perfect timing of crop maturity thanks to our canopy management practices and manually reduced crop load.
No expense is spared in making Amourette in the traditional French Montrachet style being fermented and aged in barrel. Alcoholic fermentation lasts about 6 to 8 weeks and is quickly followed by partial malolactic fermentation at an optimal cellar temperature of 62°F to fully develop its delicate flavors.
During this period the wines are lightly stirred *("bâtonnés")*, taking into account their level of evolution from juice to finished wine.
Once the malolactic fermentation is achieved, the wines are racked. Then starts the maturing process, always in barrels, in cold cellars at 55°F for around 11 months.
French Oak Burgundy Style Barrels from the Allier & Vosges forests: 35% New, 35% One-use, 30% Two+ uses with an average of 5 years of use for all barrels.
The harvest began in mid-September, in the sunshine right after our Lobster Feast in the vineyard and just prior to our French Odyssey 2015 trip. Arriving in the winery the Amourette grapes were ripe, healthy and aromatic. Fermentation went off without a hitch, and the warm weather at the end of fall allowed the malolactic fermentation to finish quickly. We ended up producing less than 350 cases of this rare wine.
| Color | White |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2015 |
| Style | White Burgundy |
| Appellation | Dry Creek Valley |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Date Bottled | 14th Aug 2017 |
| Drinkable | 2017 - 2019 |
| Alcohol | 14.70% |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
