Chardonnay Reborn
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One of the wines we're all excited about around here is our new Foggy Oaks Chardonnay. It comes from our estate Russian River vineyard, and is aptly named after the 3 majestic oak trees that proudly stand in the middle. We developed the vineyard in 1999. A lengthy search for appropriate vineyard land led The Husband (aka Dirt Guy of Dry Creek) to the sitea 30 acre parcel heavily influenced by the Pacific Ocean and cooling layers of fog that gently roll in each afternoon/evening. Numerous clones (#4, #96 are two favorites) were planted in an effort to provide subtle differences in the flavor/profile so our Chardonnay would be more multidimensional than we'd had in the past. Whole cluster pressing, hand sorting the fruit, and a new approach to our barrel aging, complete the wine. We also dramatically cut the production, (which was hard to sell the bean counters on), and quality has sky rocketed. If we were starting the winery today, I doubt we'd even make Chardonnay. In a way, it just doesn't make sense for a winery located in Dry Creek Valley to be investing so heavily in Russian River Valley. But invest we did, and the fruits of our labors are quite deliciously bottled up in this limited new release. Style wise, this is a true Chardonnay lover's wine. The fruit tones are exquisite, with hints of Asian pear, Fuji apple and baked pineapple. As far as what to drink it with, here are some of Wilma's pairing suggestions: |
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Matt McCormack
October 1, 2010 7:53 AM
I was at the Glunz fall tasting a few weeks back, and one of our better customers, a true blooded Frenchman, who owns a little wine shop west of Dekalb Il called Rouge, stopped by the table. When he tasted the new Foggy Oaks Chard, he smiled and said, "Ahhhh, Burgundy. Nice" That's about as nice of a comment that I have ever heard regarding our Chardonnay.
JohnLopresti
October 1, 2010 9:18 AM
To me an important thing with chardonnay is the mix of various kinds of oak barrels to which the lot is exposed, and the understated intensity which wood imparts to the best chardonnays at release.
Kim (aka Wilma)
October 5, 2010 2:52 PM
Matt - it's so nice to know that the Foggy Oaks is being compared to a fine Burgundy. This is exactly the style and direction we were aiming for. Rich and ripe but all together refreshing and balanced.
John - you're absolutely right regarding barrels. This is often overlooked in the winemaking process. The Foggy Oaks really expresses the best of our vineyards with just the right amount of oak treatment. Again, balance is the key in producing great Chardonnay.