2020 "Athas" Chardonnay

THE STORY

Aubaine, pronounced Ō-Baine, is a high end boutique project of Single Vineyard and Estate only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Aubaine is the French term for Windfall which is one of the estate vineyards that will be used in future vintages. Our founder Andy Lytle has teamed up with esteemed winemaker Isabelle Meunier to make the best possible expression of the Eola-Amity Hills. The green wave on the label represents the Eola-Amity Hills, and the blue wave represents the winds of the Van Duzer Corridor. Our inaugural release is the 2019 vintage from the Anahata vineyard. 

VINTAGE

A mild and dry winter in the early months of 2020 was followed by a dry growing season through the summer. However, in typical Northwest fashion our spring conditions saw wide swings between early season heat then cool.  During flowering in mid-June we experienced low temperatures, cloud cover and some sporadic rains, not a lot, but enough to naturally lower our yields. These conditions led to smaller berries and variation in berry size, which we to refer to as “hens and chicks”. The summer season progressed with moderately warm days and cool nights. The vines were able to rest in the evening and concentrate their efforts on developing more fruit complexity and flavor.  We were blessed with a harvest that presented with good quality fruit at lower yields.  We picked our 2020 Athas Chardonnay on October 4th, and benefited from the slightly extended ripening to produce outstanding quality with beautiful flavors, overall balance, and complemented by great natural acidity.   

TASTING NOTES

Brilliant, pale straw in color, the nose opens up with fruity aromas of apricot, white peaches, peach crumble and even a warm brioche character. This gets followed by a beautiful core of passionfruit, topped with graham crackers. Fresh and vibrant on the palate-the flavors carry that beautiful white peach crumble, over wet rocks with lovely creamy notes, tightening as it progresses towards a mineral finish. This is a classic Chardonnay offers lovely balance, refreshing stone-fruit flavors while staying vibrant from start to finish. 

                                                                                                                                    SRP $45/btl

2020 WINEMAKING FACTS

Vineyard blocks: Blk 9 - “Athas” 95 clone on 101-14

Picking date: October 4th, 2020

Harvest Data: 20.4 brix, pH 3.28, TA 6.9  g/l

Pressed: Gentle & Long Champagne program

Settled: 12 hours then racked

Fermentation: Inoculated with R-HST in barrels with 16% New French Oak

Malolactic fermentation: Indigenous and 100% complete by December 02th, 2020

Bottling date: March 7th, 2022

Cases produced: 140

Aging Potential: Well over 10 years