2013 Boisseau Chardonnay
Palate
Round, dense, fresh acidity.
Food Pairings
Roasted chicken and salmon.
Vineyard
Boisseau Vineyard is owned and operated by Richard Boisseau. It is located in Front Royal Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, about 5 miles west of Linden. The vineyard was planted in 2000. It is vertically shoot positioned. Dijon clones 96 and 76 are planted on a high bluff above the valley floor. Exposure is west. Soils are a deep clay/silt loam.
Vintage
2013 was a difficult growing season that metamorphosed into a fabulous fall harvest. Bud break was very late. Most of the summer was wet, resulting in unruly vegetative growth and extra vineyard work. August continued this pattern until the last week when the weather broke.
Every vintage has its personality. Much like raising children, some vintages are easy, but most are not. Wet vintages require more intervention and guidance as the vines, through no fault of their own, take on a bit of a wild streak. Ample water availability during the growing season makes vines unruly, like kids fed too much sugary junk food. This was the case for the growing season of 2013. Until September.
September defines the quality and style of the wine. The bad behavior of the previous six months can be easily forgiven and forgotten if September is bright and sunny. September 2013 rewarded us for all our diligence during the growing season. The wild child of summer finally found a niche and thrived into early adulthood. With the exception of one very brief rain shower, we had no rain in September. This is quite remarkable in the mid Atlantic. In autumn, dusty gravel roads and brown grass gladden the winemaker's heart. Days were warm and sunny; nights were very cool. Ripening was slow, preserving very fresh acidity and aromatics. 2013 grapes stylistically were exactly what we wanted: moderate sugars, high acids, and loads of minerality. Boisseau Chardonnay was harvested on Sept 11, 2013.
Winemaking
Chilled grapes were sorted, pressed, juice settled and then barrel fermented in older French oak. No malolactic fermentation. Aged sur lie in barrel for 10 months. 79 cases produced. This wine will improve in the bottle for 2 to 4 years post bottling.
Linden Vineyards / Our Wines / 2013 Vintage | 2013 Boisseau Chardonnay