2006 Kent Ritchie Chardonnay (Current Releases) -- Tandem Winery Shopping Cart -- Chardonnay Ritchie Kent 2006

<H1>2006 Kent Ritchie Chardonnay -- Tandem Winery Shopping Cart</H1> $45.00 -- SILVER MEDAL - 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition <IMG SRC="https://store.nexternal.com/tandem/images/2006%20Ritchie%20Chardonnay-website.jpg" ALIGN=right ALT="2006 Kent Ritchie Chardonnay" NAME="2006 Kent Ritchie Chardonnay" BORDER=0 HSPACE=10> The Ritchie vineyard is now storied and celebrated, replete with herds of world-renowned winemakers prowling the vineyard rows during harvest. But we still know Kent as a down-home guy who likes to throw a great party at the vineyard lake, complete with dogs, grandmas, beer, canoes zipping along the water powered by enthusiastic 10-year-olds, billowing BBQ smoke, lots of teenagers swinging from the trees (literally) into the lake, a guitar or two being twanged to the (sometimes off-key) encouragement of a few Canadians while eating red cherry tomatoes and more dogs and even some wine. Kent Ritchie is our kind of grower! And it doesn’t hurt that he grows some of the very best Chardonnay in the U.S. of A! No, make that the Universe!! We’ll put any of Kent’s Chards up against any vineyard, anywhere! You listening, Andromeda? You want a viticultural piece of us, Beetle juice? One word: Tandem Ritchie! Tasting notes: Moderate straw color greets the eye, befitting of our oxidative techniques to reduce need for SO2 and increase mouthfeel. This theme carries forward in the nose and mouth, with peaches, apricots, and a creaminess on both aroma and palate. Keeping with the vintage, there is a weight and length that speaks to a touch of “the noble rot” that we saw in the vineyard, with a smooth but strong mid-to-late palate finish that echoes the yellow fruits and glycerin. This wine will be a medium-term ager, giving great pleasure now through 2012. Technical Data: Vineyards: First planted in the late 1960s, most of the oldest vines have been pulled out. There are still plenty of veteran vines still on AXR from the early 1970s, including right across the road from Kistler’s Splan Vineyard that are still moderately productive and showing the declining signs of Phylloxera. Kent has therefore taken cuttings from the original 3 clones of Wente, Robert Young and See (Musque) clones that were scattered throughout the site and propagated pure strains of each which we showcased in our 2005 vintage. Harvest: This was another vintage of challenge in the old vines. Spring rains encouraged Botrytis, which lay dormant until harvest. Some of the very famous winemakers chose to reject fruit that started showing signs of stress, and Tandem stepped up to the plate to receive fruit that other blue-chip winemakers rejected. Lots of sorting effort from the La Follette 6 kids and some international experience in regions that actually see rain during harvest helped to craft an unctuous, powerful wine that will stand the test of time. Fermentation: This was a challenging year for wild ferments with the Botrytis challenge. Most of the ferments were completed with native yeast, but a late cross-inoculation with the Burgundian isolate CY-3079 helped to push the wine to dryness. Secondary fermentation was completed wild and unhindered, like the wine itself! Barrel aging: We used about 1/3 new barrels to complement this late, cool year. All of the barrels were of French coopers and forests, with the primary wood coming from the Allier forest. Battonage (barrel stirring) was practiced with sur lies for a total time of 9 months. 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