| Review: |
“The 2020 Field Of Fire Chardonnay is flinty and spiced, layered with curry leaf, tobacco, brine, preserved citrus rind and hints of crushed nuts. In the mouth, the wine is rich and undulating and saturating. The fruit is wrapped around a core of scintillating acidity—it really penetrates the palate and touches the soul. It plays a defibrillation role within the fruit. We all have different preferences in wine, but I am absolutely turned on by the fruit and acid interplay here. Thrilling. Detailed. Rich. Bunch weights can be almost double the Lion's Tooth bunches. I asked Steve Smith, MW, ‘How big is big?’ A laugh, in response, then he says, ‘Well, we get clone 95 bunches coming in sometimes at 120 grams (maximum) and Mendoza between 50- and 80-gram bunches.’ Winemaker Huw Kimsch explains, ‘The bunches are about 30% or more smaller in the Lion's Tooth Vineyard.’ The wine spent 22 months in barrel and four months in tank prior to bottling. Due to wild ferments, it struggled to get through full malolactic fermentation. This is a wonderful thing, I feel. It's an exciting drink. The pH is around three, total acidity is around eight.” |