Wölffer, Perle Chardonnay 2019 Long Island

Tasted from a 10-cl mini sample bottle. Dijon clone 76 – small cluster with tiny berries, so even ripening. They do leaf removing around the cluster zone to avoid grassy flavours in the wine, which also gets better air flow, reducing disease pressure. They find they’re picking almost two weeks earlier than 20 years ago. Hand-pick ‘fanatically clean’ says German Roman Roth of Wolffer Estate. He does a 48-hour settling, then 100% oak-fermented. Seven and a half months on the lees in barrel. ‘I love lees contact’. They’re 2.6 miles from the ocean so the vineyards are very much affected by sea breezes.
A very classy Chardonnay, that, were I tasting it blind, I’d immediately say cool climate. Salty and dense, chewy and chalky, the spice deeply pressed into yellow-citrus pith. Chamomile. Smoked hazelnuts. Grapefruit peel tossed onto white wood-fire embers. On the lean side, but tasted with four (non-cru) Chablis, I'd opt for this over the Chablis. There's more to it. (TC)