Ravines Chardonnay 2016
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay was aged for ten months in 20% new French oak. It comes in at 13.2% alcohol. Not so typically, the winery used Passito dehydration techniques on 15% of the grapes for six weeks. This is solid. The wood does show a little, but it hardly is drenched in wood. There's not a hint of vanilla, in particular. Meanwhile, it's dense and relatively powerful, with a fine and lingering finish. This was from a very warm vintage, but it seems very fresh. Young, concentrated and vibrant, this should age beautifully—Morton Hallgren says that he still is drinking his Chardonnays back to 2002. Let's start here and see where this goes in time. For the price, it's another remarkable value and a no-brainer purchase.
Other Vintages
2019-
James
Suckling
- Decanter
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Robert
Parker
Ravines was created by Morten and Lisa Hallgren in 2000. Morten, a French-trained oenologist, came to the Finger Lakes from his family’s centuries-old estate in the South of France. He and his wife and business partner, Lisa, convinced of the potential for fine winemaking in the Finger Lakes, opened their original tasting room on 17 acres of sloped, shale stone soils nestled between two deep ravines on Keuka Lake.
They focus on making fine, classically-styled wines that allow for the cool-climate characteristics to be shown without compromise - creating their own unique expression within the Finger Lakes wine region.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.