Palate
Gewurztraminer's classic lychee, white flowers, and white pepper with an alluring twist of toasted sesame, dried herbs, chalk, and lemon cardamom. Powerful and seductive with a drying finish.
Growing Conditions
Gewürztraminer was planted in 2012 on one four-acre plot on our Seneca estate vineyard. Temperatures here are a few degrees warmer than Keuka thus providing riper fruit notes. Soils on Seneca are characterized by deep honeoye silt loam. Gewürztraminer blocks on our Keuka vineyard were planted in 1968 and 1981 on 3309 rootstocks. Soils here are shallow, shale-based which add minerality, acidity, and elegance.
Winemaking
This innovative wine utilizes the winemaking technique called Winter Fermentation. The Gewürztraminer grapes are harvested at normal times (not late harvest), then the juice from the pressed grapes are chilled at 320F for three months then thawed and fermented beginning on the winter solstice. Once dry, the wine is aged for 7 months in 3 ceramic Clayver vessels. Clayver is a unique Italian-made ceramic fermentor. The containers are fired at twice the temperature of terracotta and require no coating or pre-treatment. Clayver vessels have a more modern shape as they are spherical at both ends.
Aging
7 Months in 3 Ceramic Clayver Vessels.
Food Pairing
Pair with Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Thai, and Asian cuisines. Pairs well with Aromatic Ingredients like Pepper, Ginger, Curry, Sesame, and Soy.
