Matthiasson Linda Vista Chardonnay 2018 (California)

Description

Golden Delicious apples, yellow peaches, musk melon, and honey on the nose and through to the palate, the medium acidity is balanced by pleasant fleshiness, finishing very clean with a hint of minerality.

2018 was a cooler and late year, but we allowed more of the fruit to hang longer into the fall, resulting in a balanced and full wine. The moderate alcohol and mouthwatering acidity that is a trademark of that vineyard is very much present, balanced by a riper luscious creaminess.

For complexity, completeness, and balance, winemakers achieve a diversity of ripeness by harvesting the fruit several different times during the ripening period. The earlier harvests contribute acidity and minerality, and the later harvests contribute flesh and richness. The earliest pick is incredibly zingy, while the latest pick is nutty and honeyed. Everything was blended together before bottling. They whole-cluster press all of the grapes, settled in tank for 24 hours, then ferment and age the wine in seasoned French oak barrels. This year, since the wine was already very rich, they did no battonage (lees stirring). Two-fifths of the barrels went through malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was never racked, fined, or cold-stabilized, but since it is partially ML negative it was filtered before bottling. The pH is 3.24, the TA is 7.7 g/l.

Food Pairing: Refreshing and with moderate alcohol, this wine is all about pleasure, begging to be drunk up, with some oysters or a roast chicken and a big smile.