2023 DREAM DEFERRED CHARDONNAY
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WINEMAKER’S NOTES
100% Chardonnay from Frenchman Hills Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA.
The 2023 Dream Deferred Chardonnay shows great aromatic complexity and impressive palate concentration. The wine shows beautiful balance of ripe fruit, vibrant acidity, and rich lees texture. Explosive aromatics of pear, tangerine peel, allspice, vanilla, brioche, and hazelnuts. The palate has well delineated notes of pear, apple, lemon curd, tangerine peel, honeycomb, and brioche. Minerality and spice notes echo of the long, lifted finish. This is a very complex, rich, concentrated style that drinks well now but will improve in the cellar over the next 5-7 years.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The clusters were pressed and the juice settled for 12 hours. The wine was barrel fermented: 33% new French Oak, 33% neutral French oak puncheons (Troncais), 33% stainless steel. The wine was aged on the lees for 19 months with biweekly batonnage. One third of the wine went through secondary fermentation. The wine was not racked until bottling and no fining agents were employed. The wine was very lightly filtered to capture any remaining lees. The alcohol is 14.4%, pH is 3.67, and the titratable acidity is 6.1 g/L.
CASES PRODUCED 98
VARIETALS 100% Chardonnay
APPELLATION Frenchman Hills Vineyard, Wahluke Slope
REVIEWS
94 POINTS | MICHAEL ALBERTY, WINE ENTHUSIAST
“The floral and earthy scent of bee pollen buzzes about as aromas of pears, warm challah bread and toasted filberts fill the air. The rich palate showcases flavors like lime sorbet and meadowfoam honey, along with a burst of lemon and cinnamon. This is not a dream deferred if you are dreaming of finding a sumptuous Chardonnay that possesses bright, shimmering acidity that is downright jangly".”
94 POINTS | ERIC GUIDO, VINOUS
“The 2023 Chardonnay Dream Deferred entices with an array of white flowers, Jordan almonds, nuances of candied citrus and a hint of pine. It is elegant, verging on opulent upon entry, with depths of minerality and brisk acidity to balance as ripe orchard fruits cascade throughout. The finish is remarkably fresh and long, leaving a subtle tinge of green melon that keeps the taster looking back to the glass for more.”
93 POINTS | JEREMY YOUNG, INTERNATIONAL WINE REPORT
“The 2023 Rasa Vineyards Dream Deferred Chardonnay from the Wahluke Slope spent 19 months on its lees in 33% new French oak, gaining both texture and nuance. Pale lemon in color with a silvery edge, the wine opens with some air, revealing aromas of apricot, Meyer lemon, green pear, and hints of nutmeg and white pepper. The palate is broad and layered, with ripe stone fruit mingling with touches of clay and a faint echo of candied pineapple. Medium acidity provides lift without overshadowing the wine’s full-bodied richness, keeping everything in balance. A little less than 100 cases made.”
LABEL STORY
When Pinto’s oldest boy Aidan turned 11 years old, Pinto would make him memorize poems (Aidan loved him for it - what boy doesn't want to memorize poems?).
The first poem to memorize was "Harlem [2]" by poet Langston Hughes. The poem starts by asking the question "What happens to a dream deferred?” The poem is really about racial inequality in post-World War II United States. But Aidan read it literally and applied it to Pinto - what would have happened to Pinto if he didn't follow his dreams of starting a winery? It is now Pinto’s favorite way of interpreting this poem.