King Family Vineyards Chardonnay 2022

Alcohol:13.8 %

Grape(s): Chardonnay

Localization: Virginia, USA

Tasting Notes: With aromas and flavors of hawthorn, green apple, and sweet spice, this wine balances an expression of terroir with delicate oak aging. A lifting acidity imparts structure and a lasting finish. Extended bottle aging over the next three to five years will develop some of the wine’s more savory characteristics. 

Notes: Barrel fermented and then aged for nine months in French oak with weekly batonnage to increase influence of lees contact. Complete malolactic conversion. 25% new oak, 25% one year old, 25% two year old, and 25% three year old barrels used.

The Domain: After moving to Charlottesville from Houston, Texas, in 1995, The King Family purchased the original 327-acre farm in 1996.  In late 1998, a young man named Tom Vandenberg knocked at their door and asked if he could lease ten acres for a vineyard.  Sparked by his curiosity and research, they did their homework and soon hired a vineyard consultant. A nursery in California had a few extra vines, so six months of hard work later, their first, eight acres of vines had been planted.

Initially, the plan was to simply sell the fruit, but in the interest of learning as much as possible, they decided to make wine with a portion of the harvest and sell the rest.  480 cases in 2000 became 1,050 cases by 2001, and it all sold! After a quick visit to California for ideas, they designed their winery on the back of a napkin and by October 1, 2002, opened their real, honest-to-goodness winery.  Since then both the vineyard and the business have grown.