Matchbook - Afternoon Disco Chardonnay Les Filles des Fetes (750ml)

Price: $24.99

Producer	Matchbook
Country	United States
Region	New York
Subregion	North Fork Long Island
Varietal	Chardonnay
Sku	6259
Size	750ml

INTO THE BOTTLE
Chance and circumstance have been the real muses of our wines and Afternoon Disco is a product of that same fate.

We love Viognier -- we believe its wrongfully maligned in the young wine world. We love the aromas and flavors of perfumey fruit, attentively raised without any additives and poured young and fresh. We had our sights set on a 100% viognier, steel fermented and bottled without any yeast or additives or filtration beyond racking twice. No maceration. Just a quick press with the stems for some structure and off we would go.

That was until we realized the fruit was going to yield just over 320 gallons of juice -- which would mean we'd have to go into our next largest fermenter, a 600 gallon tank, which would mean the liquid level would fall below the temperature probe, meaning we'd lose our ability to regulate the temperature of the ferment.

Temperature, oxygen, CO2 production -- these are vital ingredients in our winemaking toolbox. Fermenting white wine at cool temperatures helps to preserve the delicate and fruity flavors that are characteristic of many white wine varieties. Cooler fermentation temperatures, generally between 45°F and 60°F (7°C and 16°C), help to retain the volatile aromas and flavors of the grapes, while minimizing the risk of bacterial growth or oxidation. This is critical in zero zero wine production, where we're not pitching yeast to promote a particular flavor profile, or adding Sulfur to kill bacteria, or any of the other hundreds of additives and adjuncts available to the commercial winemaker.

Fermentation is exothermic, so when fermentation kicks on, the ferment temps kick up -- temperature probes tell the tank when to kick on cooling and when to turn it off. Without that control, we might cool our wine too much, which could prevent ferment from starting, or even stop it once its started.

Ergo, we needed more fruit, but there was no more Viognier to be had! Macari grows beautiful Chardonnay -- and offered to sell us some, on a Saturday no less. So Saturday, early morning, Scotty + I met Joe Jr at Matchbook to unload a few tons of Chardonnay -- which we then pressed and blended in with the Viognier for a 66% Chardonnay 34% Viognier blend. And we couldn't be happier.