Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Captures the mineral and verve embodied in the cool climate of the California Coast.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Chardonnay
100%Shar-do-NAY
Chardonnay may be the most versatile white wine grape, often seen as a blank canvas. It displays various flavors and aromas depending on where it is grown and more specifically, how it is made. It can range in Palate Character from Bright & Crisp to Rich & Full depending on the climate. It is also particularly malleable and highly affected by winemaking choices like as malolactic fermentation, lees stirring, barrel fermentation and ageing practices.
Greg La Follette is the founder of his namesake winery, La Follette. Greg had cut his teeth at other wineries, including Bealieu, before he became the head winemaker at Flowers vineyard and winery in 1996. Flowers was one of the early pioneers of making Sonoma Coast wines using gravity flow and manual punch-downs.
Fondly referred to as “Captain Crush” during his stint at Flowers, he sees chardonnay as his canvas and pinot noir as an “exacting mistress” for its risk-reward ratio and the attention it demands to yield great results in both vineyard and winery.
He started his own winery in 2001, Tandem, which is now La Follette, working with some of the same vineyards he worked with at Flowers, such as Van der Kamp, which remains one of his top cuvées.
Apple
Ginger
Mineral
Organic
