2020 Vermilion Valley Vineyards Chardonnay
The Winery
From Vermilion Valley Vineyards Website
I recently did several stories on Vermilion Valley Vineyards and The Winerie at Sandusky (both labels are the same ownership and winemaker). The Vermilion Valley story was on how delicious their Pinot Noir and who knew this high quality of Pinot Noir could be grown in Ohio.
Another story was on a wine seldom seen in California and many have never tasted, Lemberger wine.
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2024/03/10/the-winerie-at-sandusky-2021-lemberger-wine
Vermilion Valley Vineyards has 100 planted acres in four different locations. With micro climates, this allows all his wines to be 100% estate grown. What is interesting about Ohio is that some 370 wineries exist but only 900 acres of grapes are planted! Doing some simple math, removing the five largest vineyards in the state, you are left with each winery having a one acre parcel! Thus many wineries in Ohio rely on importing juice from various areas like the Central Valley of California and Washington. That is one of many unique characteristics of Vermilion Valley Vineyards and their estate wines.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
First on the eyes a very pale yellow straw coloring and very bright. On the nose a slight tinge of orange blossoms wafted up to the imbiber. On the palate, orange blossoms, coupled with a “lemon tart” filled the mouth. The second malolactic fermentation provided enough roundness to the wine to soften it up. On the finished, toasted oak was very dominant with a hint of vanilla to balance it. This Chardonnay had a few similar citrus characteristics as their Sauvignon Blanc.
The website shows it listed at $22/bottle and comes in at 14% alcohol.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a lemon caper chicken. Using both flour and panko with garlic salt, pepper and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Accompanied by steam broccoli and a fresh garden salad. The food pairing was good as the lemon chicken reflected the “lemon tart” in the wine. The medium heavy viscosity of the wine also coated each bite with buttercream.
Sláinte,
Michael
May 22, 2024 at 1:53 pm
Maybe we’ll get that wine served on our boat 🚢 on the great lakes. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone