Hermann J. Wiemer Blanc de Blancs “Standing Stone Vineyard” 2019 750ml

Description

The 2019 Blanc de Blanc Standing Stone Vineyard is a Chardonnay disgorged in January 2023 after 27 months on the lees. (The date is on the label.) It comes in with a dosage of 3.5 grams and 12.4% alcohol. The youngest of the sparklers, this is not terribly complex compared to most in this report. It does have zest and zing, though, and a crisp and mouthwatering finish that makes it both refreshing and exciting, more than most. If you prefer sedate, this lively Chardonnay probably isn’t for you, but it should make a great wake-me-up in warm weather. I like what the winery is doing with sparklers from this vineyard, but it will also be interesting to see what happens when they get to the point of being able to show sparklers that are longer on the lees, like the others in this report. (As most know, Standing Stone is a relatively recent acquisition for Wiemer.) It will also be interesting to see how this ages in the bottle. This looks fine for the rest of the decade, likely more. It may acquire some of that complexity along the way, at least from bottle aging, but its refreshing qualities might also make you want to drink it young. There were 350 cases produced from Standing Stone Vineyards planted in 1974.

• Country: United States
• Region: New York
• Appellation: Finger Lakes
• Sub Appellation: Seneca Lake
• Size: 750ml
• Alcohol by Vol: 14.0%

Varietal

Champagne Blend

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn’t unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as ‘blanc de blanc’, meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or ‘blanc de noir’, which is made solely with Pinot Noir.