2018 “The Aviator” Henry David Vineyard Aligoté - Ernest Vineyards

Golden apple, struck matchstick, lemon zest. Barely-ripe pineapple, crushed oyster shell, tart tangerine. Asian pear, cantaloupe, and nectarine form a sunny yet tense fruit core awash with pronounced mineral impressions of chalk and pulverized rocks. Honeysuckle and apple blossom gracefully emerge to impart pleasant floral overtones offset by notes of cashew and crunched straw. A slightly reductive flinty tone writhes throughout the restrained and astoundingly Burgundian attack complemented by salinity and delicate dusting of cinnamon and vanilla. Lean, fresh, and packed full of minerality while remaining suprisingly mouth-filling; showcasing both energy and elegance within a wonderfully Chablis-like attack. Medium minus in body with refreshingly elevated acidity. This 2018 "The Aviator" Henry David Vineyard Aligoté by Ernest Vineyards is an intriguing, distinct, and delicious white from Sonoma's Bennett Valley.

Native to the slopes of Burgundy yet largely outshined by its close relative Chardonnay, Aligoté is a unique and oft-forgotten white wine grape that is capable of producing tremendously serious and high quality wine. This bottling, crafted by Ernest Vineyards using Aligoté sourced from the Henry David Vineyard just outside Santa Rosa, exhibits the incredible and mostly unrealized potential this variety has in California. Coming from the sunny yet moderate climate of Bennett Valley this wine possesses a nice backbone of tart and pretty fruit interwoven with an extremely impressive mineral edge. At merely 11.2% ABV with fresh acidity and a bone dry palate this surprisingly resembles warm-vintage Chablis from a top producer and is an absolute pleasure to sip and enjoy. An unexpected yet captivating small-production creation by a wonderfully adventurous Sonoma County winery.