Lone Birch Chardonnay
WHY WE LOVE IT
- 100% Estate grown.
- This light-bodied Chardonnay is made in a fruit-driven style.
- Lone Birch Chardonnay showcases abundant fruit aromas, ripe flavors, balanced acidity, and gentle tannins.
- The vineyard block designated for this wine was carefully selected based on its perfect balance of acidity and fresh fruit flavors.
- Lone Birch Chardonnay is a refreshing delight. With no influence from oak barrels, it showcases the pure essence of the Chardonnay grape.
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Elaboration: Harvested at optimal ripeness in early September and sent directly to the press for a gentle pressing. Following a 72-hour cold setting period, the juice was rack off the solids and ready for fermentation. A special yeast strain was used, and the wine was fermented at a cool temperature of 60 degrees in stainless steel tanks. This temperature control played a vital role in preserving the wine’s crisp, fruit-forward aromas. The wine was fermented dry, taking about 28 days to complete, and malolactic fermentation was skipped to ensure a bright and well-balanced palate with refreshing acidity. To improve the wine’s roundness and mouthfeel, the lees were stirred twice a month for two months before transferring it to concrete tanks for one final month of aging. After that, the wine was stabilized, filtered, and ready for bottling.
Tasting Notes: Vibrant aromatics of citrus fruits, pear, and melon carry through to the palate providing a clean, crisp, refreshing finish.
PRESS
n/a
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
In the shadow of the Rattlesnake Mountains stands the 70-year-old Lone Birch Tree, providing shade to vineyard workers, a landmark to travelers, and inspiration to generations of descendants of Howard Miller, entrepreneur, successful realtor, and visionary. Miller, a nature lover and steward of the land in the Yakima Valley, planted the tree to inspire future generations to care for the environment, shrink the carbon footprint, make sustainability a goal of the farm, and provide a source of pride and living for generations of his family. In addition, his dedicated efforts led to the region’s wine growers’ ability to access high mountain water through the creation of the Roza Irrigation Canal.
Throughout the family’s connection to wine production, diversification of crops led Don Miller, Howard’s son, to implement the use of row crops as the family experimented with growing Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Following in Don’s footsteps, Mike founded the Airfield Estate Winery, now the home of Lone Birch Wines. Grown on over 1,100 acres with a wide palette of fruit, Lone Birch Wines, located in Sunnyside, Washington, prides itself on limited production, high quality, and good value for its patrons.