Chardonnay Viognier White Fusion 2023-24
This is a 25%/25% blend of Sheridan Chardonnay fermented with 71B yeast and Fresco Chilean Viognier juice fermented with D47 yeast and then re-blended in a glass with 50% White Fusion 2024 which is my cyser pyment from home grown muscat grapes, apples and unpasteurized blueberry blossom honey.
Here are my comments on this blend on day 1:
Appearance - clear deep lemon yellow
Smell - buttered popcorn and limes
Tannin - good
Acid - good
Flavour - Right now on day 1 this is the weakest of the 3 Sheridan Chardonnay blends I made. It needs time in my cooler, in bottles to become more complex. It actually improves on airing in a glass. Right now I'd rate it as "good" with the potential to become "good-very good"
Here are my comments on this blend on day 2 (i.e. if you can go easy on day 1 you can get a day 2):
Appearance - same old
Smell - better smell on day 2, a bit like Vino Verde from Northern Portugal or Muscadet from French Loire. Both wines kill with Atlantic seafood like Langostinos (European lobsters), clams, oysters, sole, mussels, cockles alive alive o. Yes you can eat cockles. I had them in La Rochelle, France.
Tannin - good
Acid - good
Flavour - Right now, opened on day 2, cold from the fridge, this is really good, classic seafood wine. Drinking it this cold I don't notice that I am drinking Chardonnay 50/50 in a blend. The Viognier dominates the flavour and has improved on opening over 24 hours. This is a treat for me because I love seafood and this blend is a no-brainer for seafood. I rate it as a "very good" sea food wine on day 2. The lesson for me is to forget about names like Chardonnay or Viognier and focus on flavours and smells like Vino Verde and Muscadet with respect to seafood. What I might do and have never done is drink this New Year's day with either savoury prawn crepes or New England clam chowder or fish stew.
Merry Xmas to all of you
This is a really good website IMHO
Namaste
Klaus