Ravines, Chardonnay 2013, Finger Lakes, New York

Tasting Note: You’ve never likely experienced an appassimento-made (method of sun drying a proportion of the grapes until they raisinate and lose their moisture) chardonnay, and you may never again.

All the more reason to try to this expressive chardonnay from the New York Finger Lakes if you can get your hands on it.

A lemon-colored chardonnay with multi-layered aromatics.

On the nose there is pear, pineapple, green apple with floral aromas of apple blossom laced with lightly-toasted vanilla bean.

On the palate the dry, medium-bodied chardonnay is smooth in texture with flavors of green fruit punctuated with tartness.

The wine displays depth of flavor due to its indigenous-yeast fermentation and mid-palate complexity while showcasing the fruit with only trace elements of light oak that accentuate like a piece of well-worn jewelry without stealing the spotlight away the dominating-fruit main number.

Bottle Note: Ravines Wine Cellars sits on a hillside overlooking glacier-carved Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes wine region of New York State. Our long, cool growing season, steep slopes and moderating effect of the deep lakes create ideal conditions for producing fresh, vibrant, food-friendly wines. We are a small, family-owned winery dedicated to crafting European-style wines that convey balance, elegance and our unique sense of place. Ravines chardonnay is made with a process dating back to Roman times: appassimento. Chardonnay grapes are partially dried in the sun, yielding a wine with lush aromas of pear, fig, citrus and hazelnut. Refined and elegant, this wine has a great balance between fruit and crisp acidity and lightly toasted French oak.