Food & Drink

How Does Terroir Impact California Chardonnay? A Deep Dive at Chalk Hill

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Terroir is a monster of a subject, and through a latest on-line tasting, our buddies at Chalk Hill took a deep dive into the query of how micro-terroirs affect the vineyard’s chardonnay, providing three completely different bottlings from the 2018 classic, every pulled from a special a part of the 1285 acres that make up Chalk Hill’s property, 120 acres of that are planted to chardonnay. (The lattermost two wines are a part of Chalk Hill’s “Soil Collection,” designed to present customers the power to take a deep dive into terroir.)

The winemaking How do these bottlings fluctuate? Let’s style and take into account.

2018 Chalk Hill Felta Chardonnay – Grown in an ashy, gravelly kind of soil; Felta has the bottom pH (highest acidity) of all of Chalk Hill’s chardonnays. That is Chalk Hill’s most acidic chardonnay within the collection, however that reality belies the wealthy physique of the wine, which is effusive up entrance with notes of honeydew, coconut, and vanilla. By no means woody, there’s a curious salinity right here that feels extra as if it’s been drawn from the briny depths of the ocean than bearing conventional slate-like mineral notes, its creamy texture giving the wine an unusual, virtually buttery richness with a end reminscent of nougat and showcasing a reprise of coconut. A- / $75

2018 Chalk Hill Wright Creek Chardonnay – This block is situated simply 16 toes away from Felta’s, however the soil is completely different: Arbuckle is a deeper, well-drained soil with a terraced association. The wine is much less ripe than Felta, with notes nearer to grapefruit and lemon than melon. Whereas the fruit is restrained, it’s acquired a basic construction that gives parts of dried flowers, moist slate, and a extra wood-forward character that brings vanilla and spice into deal with the end. This one takes a little bit of time to come back out of its shell, so plan accordingly. A- / $75

2018 Chalk Hill Property Chardonnay – It is a mix produced from grapes grown throughout Chalk Hill’s property. Daring and creamy, it’s about as iconic as California chardonnay will get. Notes of nougat, coconut, and spice dance with a vibrant lemon and inexperienced apple character that rolls throughout the supple physique. Exquisitely balanced with citrus, pear, and saline notes, this actually does showcase a “better of all worlds” of Chalk Hill’s blocks. A / $30

chalkhill.com

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2018 Chalk Hill Felta Chardonnay

$75

Ranking

9.0/10

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