Country: | United States |
Region: | Virginia |
Winery: | Sunset Hills |
Vintage: | NV |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Sunset Hills Shenandoah Springs Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
This is our first release of a clone-specific wine for Sunset Hills. The goal is to show you a specific terroir, one that year after year delivers excellent fruit quality. I chose clone 96 for its complexity both in ripening and barrel aging. During ripening, the fruit has notes of pineapple and pear with great acidity. I saw this wine as a chance to highlight not only the vineyard, but how detailed we can get in growing and making wine.
100% Chardonnay:
75% Clone 96
20% Clone 76
5% Clone 17
Notes of light honeysuckle, Asian pear, raw almond, and lemon custard. Medium body and medium acid.
Deep red in color, this wine is silky on the palate, with ripe, jammy fruit and a powerfully long finish that is pleasant and slightly smokey. A rich, age-worthy wine.
Handling: Hand-picked, chilled, destemmed, lightly crushed into bins and tanks Pre-ferment: 0 – 4 day cold soak. Yeast: Inoculated: – various strains. Fermentation: average of 10 days. 15 years old vines.
Produced with Nebbiolo grapes from one of the highest plots in the area, at over 500 meters above sea level.
This is an elegant Nebbiolo - fresh and fruity with simple tannins (thanks to the white calcareous soil) and good minerality.
No oak. Aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tan
Fresh, fruity, mineral.
Pierin Valetta is one of the ancestor of the Family and these wines are dedicated to him as we would like to thank him for giving us vineyards that reach up to 70 years old.
Made from 20 years old vines planted on Limestone soils.
No Oak. The wine was aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tanks.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Produced with Nebbiolo grapes from one of the highest plots in the area, at over 500 meters above sea level.
This is an elegant Nebbiolo - fresh and fruity with simple tannins (thanks to the white calcareous soil) and good minerality.
No oak. Aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tan
Fresh, fruity, mineral.
Pierin Valetta is one of the ancestor of the Family and these wines are dedicated to him as we would like to thank him for giving us vineyards that reach up to 70 years old.
Made from 20 years old vines planted on Limestone soils.
No Oak. The wine was aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tanks.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Pierinvaletta Arneis Langhe Hills is made from 100% Arneis
No oak. Aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tan
Fresh, fruity, mineral.
Pierin Valetta is one of the ancestor of the Family and these wines are dedicated to him as we would like to thank him for giving us vineyards that reach up to 70 years old.
Made from 20 years old vines planted on Limestone soils.
No Oak. The wine was aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tanks.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Pierinvaletta Arneis Langhe Hills is made from 100% Arneis
No oak. Aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tan
Fresh, fruity, mineral.
Pierin Valetta is one of the ancestor of the Family and these wines are dedicated to him as we would like to thank him for giving us vineyards that reach up to 70 years old.
Made from 20 years old vines planted on Limestone soils.
No Oak. The wine was aged on the lees for 4 months in Stainless Steel Tanks.
Wine was slightly filtered before bottling.
Sunset Hills Vineyard, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, produces award winning, 100% Virginia wines from our Amish restored, historic winery. From the planting of the first vines in 1999, Mike and Diane Canney, owners of Sunset Hills Vineyard, had a vision of making fine wine of the highest quality in a manner which was gentle on the land. That vision is reflected in the sustainable farming practices employed today.
The original Sunset Hills was a very large and beautiful farm that later became Reston Virginia. Diane and I used to work very long hours in office buildings in Reston, looking out over the scenic landscape, dreaming that one day we would have a beautiful farm like that. Years later, after searching to find the perfect place for our vineyards and winery, Diane and I bought our first farm. Each evening, we would watch the sun set over the Blue Ridge mountains, talking about what grapes to plant, where to plant them and how we would do whatever it took to maximize quality. In 1999, the first vineyard was planted and we needed a name. We knew it could only have the name of the farm we had admired years before. Today, many of our customers and friends enjoy our wines on the 150 yr old farm, and enjoy watching the sun set over mountains. Sunset Hills Vineyard has been the perfect name!
After graduating from UVA in 2011, it was Corry’s love of travel that first led her to the wine industry. She soon found herself working the harvest in far off places like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and France, with a few closer to home in Oregon and Virginia. She called both King Family and Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville home for a while, working harvests and spending time in the lab learning the ins and outs on winemaking, but it was her stretch in Oregon that showed her this wasn’t just a job, but a way of life. Although she’s been tempted by opportunities in Sonoma, CA, her desire to start her career as a winemaker in her home state of Virginia has kept her planted close to home. It excites her that Virginia is still in the early experimental phase of winemaking, and she really believes in the quality of wine that can be crafted here. She’s already experimenting in the cellar, and we can’t wait to see the fruits of her labor as they unfold in the future. If she’s not drinking a Virginia Chardonnay, you’ll most likely find her with a glass of Pinot Noir in her hand. When she’s not in the cellar, she’s likely out hiking, playing her cello or gone for a run.
Vineyard names:
Sunset Hills (18 acres), 50 West (7 acres), Shenandoah Springs (23 acres), Sherman Ridge (13 acres), Catesby (17 acres).
Age of the vines: 1 - 20 years
Louis Jadot Montrachet Grand Cru is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Le Montrachet is situated to the south of the Côte de Beaune, on both villages of Puligny Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet (like the Batard Montrachet Grand Cru).
The terroir is extremely chalky with a lot of stones, perfectly drained and easy to overheat with south-south-eastern exposition.
The Montrachet is produced with Chardonnay
Grapes are harvested by hand and put in small cases in order not to damage the fruits. Grapes are pressed softly, they ferment in oak barrels produced by our cooperage. 1/3 are new barrels. Aging usually lasts 15 months on fine lies before bottling.
Review:
Aromas of buttered toast, honeyed peaches, white flowers and mint introduce the 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru (Maison Louis Jadot), a full-bodied, layered and enveloping wine that's satiny and sumptuous, with lively acids and fine depth at the core. While I'd give the nod to the stunning Demoiselles as Jadot's best white wine this year, this Montrachet—purchased from the Chassagne-Montrachet side, from the house's usual source—is undeniably promising.
-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
Busi Chianti Rufina (Half Bottle) is made from 100% Sangiovese.
Fresh, fruity, with classic tart cherry.
Appearance: ruby-red in color.
Aroma: clean, floral notes.
Flavor: well structured and harmonic on the palate; easy drinking with a soft and lingering finish. Ageing potential: 10/15 years.
Production area: amidst the hills of Pelago in the Chianti Rufina D.O.C.G. area, with a soil composition of marly, calcareous clay as typically found in the Arno valley east of Florence.
Aspect: south-facing.
Altitude: 200/350 m above sea level.
Cultivation method: spurred cordon.
Harvest period: from the 20th of September until the middle of October.
Vinification: the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature (26/28°C) for 10 days before racking and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. After fermentation the wine is put into wooden barrels.
Fermentation in stainless steel at controlled temperatures for 7 to 8 days, with an additional 3 to 4 days on the skins. The wine is then racked and goes through malolactic. It is then racked again and stays another 7 months in stainless steel.
Adapts well to both light and more substantial dishes.