Violin Wines Chardonnay Black Walnut Vineyard 2020

My Tasting Note:
12.4% abv
Powerfully mineral and tense, this blind to me brings me square and center to Chablis.  The color is pale gold.  The nose shows notes of pure lemon citrus, zest, saline and crushed seashells and chipped rocks, a subtle spice beam frames the notes in the background.  The palate is medium-bodied, med+ in intensity, with med+, intensely vibrant finish of fruit, saline and minerality.

The ’20 Black Walnut came from all three clones on this westernmost block of the site: 76, 95 and 70. After whole cluster pressing, we were cautious in our juice selection going to barrel. Malolactic conversion took longer in barrel due to the higher acid profile, but when complete in early Spring helped capture an electric sense of tension in the wine. The three barrels that formed this blend saw extended élevage, not being racked to stainless until early December of 2021. We only used enough of the blend to bottle 50 cases, bottled on January 26th of 2022. - Winery