2018 The Hilt Botrytis Chardonnay

Dessert Wine

Sometimes mother nature gives you unexpected gifts. Sometimes they are beautiful sunshine filled days with a double rainbow and sometimes they are shriveled grape clusters infected with fuzzy rot. Believe it or not, both are equal in their beauty and majesty in my book. During the past ten years, we have experienced three vintages (2016, 2018 and 2021) which have seen conditions conducive to the development and spread of botrytis cinerea, the noble rot. Wet conditions and a consistent level of humidity open the door for this little creature. While this fuzzy rot (imagine when strawberries or raspberries get gray and... furry) isn't exactly easy on the eyes, it does dehydrate the grapes and create a honeyed and intense dessert wine with vibrancy and electrical freshness. We love our sticky wines and we adore the balance that can exist between fruit purity, sweetness and acidity when the noble rot is a key factor. These resulting wines are intense, uber concentrated, unique and absolutely rare expressions of chardonnay. They will continue to develop for the foreseeable future in the cellar and perform best on the table with grilled peaches, dried fruit, nuts, honeycomb, and blue cheese. - Matt Dees, Winemaker

375mL | Dessert Wine