While the bifurcation of lactic aspects with a sort of “memoir of the malic” as well as the bitterness that I noted in issue 202 continued to characterize the Domaine Serene 2010 vintage Chardonnays when tasted 13 months later, a 2011 Chardonnay Evenstad Reserve tasted alongside proved highly promising. Apple and candied lime zest inform the nose and polished, palpably lees-enriched yet simultaneously bright and juicy palate. Somehow, these aspects – as well as hints of caramel from barrel toast – are better-integrated than in the corresponding 2010, and there are clarity and lift as well as sheer length that point toward delightful performance over at least the next several years. “We’re trying to align our review schedule a little bit more appropriately with our release schedule,” notes general manager Alan Carter by way of explaining why Domaine Serene chose not to show me their 2011 vintage Pinots during my visit there last July, even though the last of them had gone into bottle by February of this year. “Malo-lactic fermentation was a slog,” though, reports winemaker Erik Kramer; but asked what he did to encourage the process, he replied that “patience is what pushed them through.” The 2011 harvest here went from October 17 to November 2. Musts were chaptalized to reach finished alcohols of between 12.5-13% and Kramer notes that “the greatest difference I saw between 2011 and 2010 was that the 2011s had a greater sense of flavor and fruit density.” I re-tasted the 2010s – both Chardonnays and Pinots, some of which have still not been or are only just now being released – without in any instance finding them changed over the intervening 13 months to an extent that would merit publishing a new note. And I got to dip my toe into 2011 by way of one Chardonnay. (For more on the various Serene vineyards and the approach of team here, see my issue 202 report.)
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