2023 Chronicle Wines White Blend

Tasting Notes
The two grapes in this blend have a really fun interplay: Rkatsiteli brings ginger to the nose, while NY-81 (recently officially named “Aravelle”) delivers white blossom aromas of paper whites and citrus flower. In the mouth, Rkatsiteli contributes delicate kefir, yellow apple, cara cara orange, and refreshing but soft acidity that opens into ripe pineapple and a nutty finish; Aravelle has a mouth-watering but waxy-body fun play on texture, and a long finish of white peach and ripe limes. 

Process
With both the Rkatsiteli and Aravelle coming from The Cornell Research Vineyard in Riverhead, this is very small batch winemaking; the combined harvest yielded only enough wine for hand bottling for Cornell’s research program, and our Wine Club. The final blend is right on the edge of being classified as a “natural wine; we want to see what these grapes will deliver with minimal winemaker intervention. It’s made using a standard yeast for primary fermentation, with no acid or sugar adjustments. The only temperature control was what Mother Nature gave us. There was no fining or stabilization beyond letting the one cold snap we had this past winter crystallize some of the tartrates out of solution, so expect crystals or a protein haze. Minimal SO2 was added, so this wine is not meant to age – drink now and enjoy! As a “research wine”, this is a great way to open your mind to tasting a grape that might be new to you or just new to the appellation.

Varietals: 80% Rkatsiteli, 20% NY-81

Specs: ALC: 11.6%; pH:; TA:; RS:%