The Red Hook Winery, Chardonnay 2018

You simply can’t get much more of a New York State producer than Red Hook Winery. 1 - it’s situated right in the heart of Brooklyn, just across the bay from the Statue of Liberty. And 2 - they work with grape growers who give definition to New York’s emerging wine growing country; the chardonnay grapes for this bottle coming from the stone, shale, and winter-dominated Finger Lakes. Grape-growing and wine-making in this state is complex and complicated, but The Red Hook Winery is up to the challenge. Robert Foley is an extremely experienced winemaker and has crafted a precise, defined style of Chardonnay here, with a sense of place and a nod towards its distance cousins in Burgundy. Mostly aged in stainless steel, with a small proportion aged in large, older (therefore neutral) oak vessels, it retains its fruitier notes. The resulting wine has aromas and flavours of fresh, succulent stone fruit (think peach, apricot and nectarine) and a citrus backbone. Full-bodied enough to be a great accompaniment to richer salmon and chicken dishes.