WOLFFER ESTATES


  

2005 La Ferme Martin Chardonnay (750 ml)

Tasting Notes:
Light golden in color. Lush yet elegant aromas fill the glass with hints of ripe Peaches and some mineral notes. The mouth-feel is vibrant and medium bodied with beautiful play between the lush ripe fruit and elegant acidity. The finish is long and very focused with some fine tannins making this wine very food friendly.This is the perfect summer wine not overburdened by Oak or Alcohol.

Technical Notes:
100% Chardonnay
After one of the best growing seasons with ample heat and sunlight the hand harvest for the La Ferme Martin Chardonnay began September 28th and lasted till October 18th. We separated 8 different parcels to capture the fresh fruit character of each. The fruit was immediately gentle pressed and the juice was well settled at 50ºF up to 48hr, to highlight the vibrant fruit. 87.5% of the juice was fermented in stainless steel at cold temperatures (63ºF) and 12.5% fermented in barrels and aged for 2 months sur lees in new French oak. The wine underwent 12.5% malolactic fermentation and was blended after the 2 months and filtered. 4368 cases/750ml and 277 cases/375ml were bottled in August 2006.

 
Serving Suggestions:
The fresh rich and elegant fruit flavors and mouth-feel make this wine very food friendly
and versatile to match with all kinds of foods from Shellfish to red meat to Chinese and spicy Asian dishes. However it is screaming Oysters, Oysters and more Oysters!

 


  

2004 Reserve Chardonnay (750ml)
Tasting Notes:
Bright yellow in color. Wonderful aromas of peach and pineapple fill the nose. The wine is full of flavor with a beautiful balance of lush ripe chardonnay and fine acidity. This is an elegant wine, delicious and mouth filling. The finish is rich with pear and ripe apples and has classic minerality and fine hints of creamy lees. This wine highlights the great character Chardonnay gets at Wolffer Vineyards.


Technical Notes:
100% Chardonnay, This wine is a blend of 6 different chardonnay lots that have all been handled in a different way. The perfectly ripened grapes were hand picked starting October 6th and finished on November 6th. The grapes were gently handled and pressed and the juice was chilled down to 50° and well settled followed by a traditional barrel-fermentation in 76% French Barrique and 24% in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation completed 50% and the wine matured surlees for a total period of 8 month with very little bâtonnage (stirring of the yeast). The blending of the 6 lots was done end mid June resulting in 1768 cases of the wine. Bottling was done mid August of 2005.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve slightly chilled. The elegant flavors and acidity, as well as the subtlety of this wine, will enhance all fish and white meat dishes.

 


  

2004 La Ferme Martin Merlot (750 ml)

Tasting Notes:
Dark Red Brick in color. The aroma has wonderful red fruit and cloves with hints of vanilla and spice and a fine touch of oak. The mouth-feel is medium bodied with wonderful coffee, dark chocolate and mark characters. There is great balance between the fruit the tannins and the delicate acidity that is making this wine so food friendly. The finish is very pleasant and has a wonderful classic and rustic feel.

Technical Notes:
89% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 5% Pinot Noir. The grapes were hand picked between October 10th and October 31st. After careful hand sorting, the grapes were cold macerated for 4 days at 50º Fahrenheit and the pump over method was applied 3 times a day every 8 hours to extract color and flavor. The overall maceration (skin contact) was between 8-15 days providing structure and mouth-feel. 15% of the wine was aged in Stainless steel tanks and 85% was aged for 12 months in French barrels (10% new oak). In the first two months La Ferme Martin Merlot was 100% completed. The wine was racked four times, carefully blended and bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Production was 1,460 cases 750ml and 325 cases 375ml.

Serving Suggestions:
Serve at room temperature. This wine is an excellent match for a heavier chicken or veal dishes, pizza, burgers, a piece of Brie and of course is great with red meat.

 


  

2004 Cabernet Franc (750 ml)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tasting Notes:
The color is very dark red brick. The wine starts with vibrant aromas of violets and cassis, perfectly framed with vanilla and hints of toasted oak. This is ripe Cabernet Franc.
The mouth-feel is elegant, medium to full bodied with loads of fruit, red cherry, blueberry and prunes balanced by wonderful layers of tannins that are very typical for Cabernet Franc. The finish is very classic with fine smoke, leather and great minerality going on and on.

Technical Notes:
78% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot. The Cab. Franc was handpicked on the October 29th, the Cab. Sauvignon on November 8th at full ripeness, the grapes were destemmed, crushed and carefully hand sorted over a vibrating sorting table. The fermentation took 14 days with a peak temperature of 87° during which the cap was pumped over 3 times a day every 8hr. The total maceration was 26 days and was pressed of very gentle. The wine stayed for 20 months in French barrels (30% new oak) in which in the first two month MLF was 100% completed. There were a total of five rackings and the wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined on July 13th into 616 cases of 750ml and 59 cases of 375ml bottles.

Serving Suggestion:
This lush, complex red wine should be served at room temperature (65°) or slightly lower, and is an excellent match for any red meat preparation. It also pairs well with veal or chicken with wine sauce, duck, mushroom dishes and full-flavored cheeses.

 


  

2004 Premier Cru Merlot (750 ml)
Tasting Notes:
Dark red color with a hint of purple.
The nose is classic with fine aromas of cedar, anise, blueberry and some prune.The mouth-feel is rich yet elegant with classic mineral notes and layers of tannins all wrapped in wonderful toast and tobacco flavors with hints of cloves, bacon and coffee. The fruit is ripe with some cranberry and blueberry qualities. The finish is long and elegant. The wine opens up amazingly with time and decanting is recommended

Technical Info:
97% Merlot from our oldest Merlot vines planted in 1990 with a yield of 2.0 tons/acre. 3% Cabernet Sauvignon from Roanoke Vineyards.

After a great fall and extremely long hang-time the fruit was hand picked on November 9th of 2004. This was followed up with a careful hand sorting process and further selection of only the best berries. The grapes where chilled to 48°F to cold soak for a 5 day period, followed by the fermentation with a maximum temperature of 84°F. The pumpovers are done very meticulously 3 times a day (every 8 hr) during the peak of fermentation. The extended skin contact (maceration) lasted for a total time of 29 days. The wine was then gently pressed and the press fraction was separated. It went straight into French Barrique (100% new oak) for a period of 20 month. Malolactic fermentation finished 100%. The wine was racked 6 times before being bottled unfiltered and unfined on July 17th. Only 1840 bottles of 750ml were made.

Serving Suggestions:
Decant 1 to 2 hr before serving. Serve at a slightly cooler then room temperature (66Fahrenheit). This classic style Merlot will be fabulous to pair with Game, Steak, Lamb or cheese dishes.

 

Back To Usa

Back to Homepage