Chardonnay
2015
Why Matchbook? As a farm kid growing up in the late 1950´s and early 1960´s John Giguiere was a confirmed pyromaniac starting various things on fire such as his father´s wheat field. At one point, fearing total ruin from his kids burning him out of the house and farm, his father took them to the city jail for an hour stay to impress upon his brother and him the futility of their fascination with fire. John and his brother answered at a later date by graduating from random fires to the...
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Six different clones of chardonnay were used in this wine, all of them picked at night and delivered to the winery before sunrise to ensure that the grapes were fresh and cool for crushing. Clone 809 (the most exotic clone) was fermented in stainless steel tanks to retain its Muscat character. The other clones received 100% aging in a combination of French, hybrid American and Hungarian oak barrels. Yeast “cocktails” (a mixture of the winemaker’s favorite compatible yeasts) were used on all lots to allow complex fermentation characters to evolve in the wine. Lees were stirred weekly for eight months to enhance texture and flavor.
To showcase this wine's rich Chardonnay character, it was aged for eight months in "Old Heads" - barrels that have been used for a past vintage, so there is less oak extraction and more of the beautiful, bright flavors of the grape.
This Estate Bottled Chardonnay is a showcase for the Dunnigan Hills terroir, with lush, full, rich tropical characters. This golden straw-colored Chardonnay has aromas of Crème Brulee, pineapple and macaroons. Flavors of creamy butter are mellowed by tropical mango and ripe melon. While it’s rich in the palate, this Dunnigan Hills Chardonnay displays beautiful structure with a lively, lingering finish.
This wine from Matchbook has been improving steadily over recent vintages and now it's taken a big step toward more finesse and less flash. A very soothing mouthfeel and generous, but not overt, flavors make a great combination in this creamy, yummy and full-bodied wine. It has everything from toasty oak and lemon curd to mild marzipan nuances that interlace with good acidity for a balanced palate and a lingering finish.
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Luscious and creamy with mature fruit and notes of vanilla and oak, this is a surprisingly impressive wine for the price. It’s dense and flavorful but tangy and balanced.
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This medium-bodied wine is subtle on the nose, but opens up on the palate to rich fruit and spice flavours that coat the tongue. It is balanced toward the soft side, but with underling acidity to balance the richness.
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BEST BUY - This rich and oaky wine offers plenty of butterscotch, ginger and nutmeg flavors on a full body. It’s very concentrated in flavor and balanced to the soft side.
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