White Wine Charles Smith Sixto Uncovered Chardonnay 2016. Charles Smith is a self-taught winemaker who grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Sacramento. He left America to pursue a career as a rock band manager and travelled for many years in Europe where he fell in love with fine wine. When it was finally time to come home he decided to pursue this new passion and found his own wine label using only the finest quality fruit from Washington State. Smith’s first vintage was 1999 when he made just 330 cases of Syrah. Since then he’s been recognised as one of Washington State’s finest winemakers, and has even been named Winemaker of the Year by both Food & Wine Magazine and Wine Enthusiast. Smith’s Sixto wines were inspired by Mexican-American musician Sixto Rodriguez’s story of finding stardom in South Africa despite his early albums bombing in the US. Instead of music this time Charles Smith has discovered abandoned vines in need of resurrection, which he uses to make this superb Chardonnay. The Uncovered cuvee is composed of fruit from three single vineyards, Frenchman Hills, Moxee and Roza Hills, grown at high elevation in cool climate conditions. The must is fermented with wild yeast in a combination of concrete tanks and barrels. It’s then left to mature in the barrels for 17 months on the lees to add a rich, creamy texture and delicate toast, caramel, vanilla and woodsmoke notes to the luscious tropical and stone fruit core.
2016
White Wine Charles Smith Sixto Uncovered Chardonnay 2016
White Wine Landmark Vineyards Overlook Chardonnay 2016. Landmark’s flagship wine, the Overlook Chardonnay, has a cult following amongst American wine lovers thanks to its appearance on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list a total of seven times. That’s pretty impressive for a boutique winery which only began production in 1974 and specialises in making tiny quantities of premium artisanal Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Landmark enjoys a stunning setting in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains and selects its grapes from prized vineyards owned by its partner growers. For this cuvee, winemaker Greg Stach chooses grapes from 42 individual plots in Sonoma County, including prestigious cool climate appellations like the Monterey, Sonoma Carneros and the Russian River Valley. Stach strongly believes that wines are made in the vineyards”, and the fruit is picked during the cool of night to preserve the natural character of the variety. When it reaches the winery it is gently pressed and then left to ferment naturally in oak barrels with wild yeasts. The wine is then left to mature in the barrel for 10 months with regular lees stirring. Bursting with mangos, peaches, apricots and plenty of citrus, this is a full-fat California Chardonnay with the rich fruit nicely framed by ample vanilla, caramel and butterscotch notes from the oak.
2016
White Wine Marcel Deiss Schoenenbourg Grand Cru 2016. It is recommended to decant it for 1 or 2 hours. The Marcel Deiss estate is located in Bergheim, in the heart of the most beautiful Alsatian terroirs. The family property now has 27 hectares of vineyards on 220 separate plots where three grand crus and nine 1er crus are born each year. On these fabulous terroirs, Jean-Michel Deiss and his son Mathieu are always looking for the best combination between the vines planted and the soil, in a continuous search for excellence. The Schoenenbourg Grand Cru is produced with a majority of Riesling grapes from old, organically grown vines. The terrain is made up of iridescent marl and more or less mixed Keuper chalk and covered with scattered Vosges sandstones. The grapes are hand harvested, pressed and then fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wine shows a brilliant yellow color with surprising white reflections. The nose reveals lemon zest, pepper, and smoky notes. In the mouth, the wine displays impressive levels of richness, concentration, and mineral character, with exceptional purity and vibrant acidity. It is elegant and with a unique personality. Excellent with lobster and seafood in general, white fish, chicken, or capon.
2016