Chardonnay Blending
I have to admit, other than harvest, this is one of my favorite times of the year. I get to start the blending process. It is amazing to blend separate lots of unoaked Chardonnay together and end up with an awesome wine…gotta love that!!
I started out with four different stainless steel vessels of Chardonnay, fermenting each with different yeasts. After fermentation was complete, I added SO2 to stop the secondary fermentation process. SO2 also helps inhibit spoilage, prevent oxidation, and preserve the fruity flavors. I stirred the lees of each vessel about every other week until I got the desired mouthfeel. (what we call “sur lie” aging)
Today was the day I played around with some blending trials. Each vessel has its own unique characteristic and when blended as a whole it gave the wine several flavors of complexity. Although I have a few more things to do before it’s bottled, I do believe it will be a fantastic unoaked Chardonnay.
I can’t wait to share it with you
Passaggio Wines
Passaggio Wines 
March 6, 2012 at 9:49 am
Next to crush, that would be my favorite time & process as well & I’m not even a winemaker! Ha! But I can so appreciate what you do & to be honest I’m a complete geek about winemaking & blending! Can’t wait to try the Chardonnay! Cheers!
March 6, 2012 at 1:58 pm
And I got to taste it and it was wonderful