2017 Cadenza Vineyards Chardonnay

 Chardonnay was the one of the first varieties planted in our vineyard back in 1973.  Things were different back then--the row spacing was 12 feet, vines were planted 8 feet apart.  The clone was called "Wente" and followed soon thereafter with Martini.  We still have some of these old vines out in Block Two.

When my predecessor John Crouch first arrived here in 1978, he assumed he would be making Rieslings and sparkling wines.  Back then, no one expected Pennsylvania to make anything but light, crisp wines.  The trail from that point to the 2017 Chardonnay is a long and winding one, surprising yet inevitable.

Over time, vines succumb to the other pressures of growing grapes here in the East.  Our colder winters, winds, fungal diseases, and other pests mean that the average lifespan of our vines isn't quite what it would be if we were in more temperate climes.  As the vines die, we replace them, but not always with the exact same clone.  Over time, we added in the Colmar clone (76), some Dijon 96, then a host of other digits: 95, 124, 548, 807.)  Each clone brings with it a special character or flavor.  Yes, they all ripen at different times (the 96 ripens in September, the Martini in November), but when we pick them all together we get a melange of flavors that can really only translate to one wine: Cadenza.

I experimented around for years with different ways of making Chardonnay here.  I tried native fermentations, cool tank fermentations, and even skin-contact fermentations.  I finally have settled on the traditional barrel-fermentation, although we sometimes place the barrels in our reefer trailer to keep them from spiking high temperatures and blowing through a lot of aromatics.  Chardonnay has an affinity for toasted French oak barrels unlike any other wine.  Fermenting the wine in barrels softens the direct oak character, but underlying the pear and peach, caramel and honey characters are the hints of smoky toast and graham crackers that makes this wine seem more like dessert in a glass than most Chards.

 Usually we talk about wine and food pairing with regard to entrees.  With the 2017 (and a lot of Cadenza Chardonnays) it almost might be better to speak in terms of desserts like poached fruits.  The style of Chardonnay that I aim for isn't crisp, light Chablis or oaky, buttery California-esque.  With the Cadenza Chardonnay, I'm looking for a luscious and balanced wine that makes you thinking that it has some residual sugar--it doesn't--and leaves your palate with a savory punch that makes you want
another glass.  

I know that Chardonnays have fallen out of favor with a lot of wine drinkers.  We Americans do like to try the "next new thing" whether it be food or TV shows or cell phones.  I subscribe to that as well, but what I think is "new" about our Chardonnay is that it's unlike almost all the Chardonnays you'll find in Pennsylvania or even Maryland.  John pioneered so much about Chardonnay here, and I'd like to think that all I did was tweak portions of it to bring our style into focus.  It's smooth and powerful, complex and unique.  

 Hard to believe that the vines are a mish-mash of clones fermented traditionally in barrels and bottled up and laid down.  Give this wine a few more years, and the honey flavors will really come alive and we'll all be looking for a great dessert to pair it with.