Arizona Stronghold Dala Chardonnay (5)

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

We here at Woot often use the “fish out of water” comedic device, in which an individual or object is placed in a situation in which it is ill-suited or unnecessary. Think of the final act of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, or the entirety of Encino Man.

So it is with delight mixed with consternation that we present the Dala Chardonnay by Arizona Stronghold, co-owned by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. We would have loved to create a “wacky” situation in which the lead singer of Tool described a chardonnay as featuring “pineapple and star fruit notes play off just a hint of fresh cream, almonds and baked apples,” but that’s not a joke! That’s real life!

“Hard rock icon and vintner Maynard James Keenan knelt down and grabbed a handful of soil. He rubbed it between his fingers, smelled it, and muttered, ‘Too acidic. The tannins won’t mature.’ He stood up and began whistling ‘Sober’ as he ran his fingers along the trestles.”

^^^^ That would make a GREAT beginning to an absurd, fish-out-of-water wine write-up. Unfortunately, it’s true.

Total MSRP:   $ 129.25

• Grapes: Chardonnay
• Vineyards: Arizona Stronghold and Bonita Springs
• Alcohol: 14.1%
• Ageing: Neutral Oak
• Cases: 800
• Bottled: 5.15.2011
• Winemakers: Eric Glomski and Tim White

2010 was a unique year for Arizona Stronghold. Mother Nature threw a couple of curve balls their way, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. First, they suffered from some frost damage to their vineyards in May, which naturally reduced the crop load on both their white and red grapes, then after a heat spike or two in August, the ripening of the fruit was accelerated. The overall result lead to physiological ripeness achieved by less fruit on the vines, resulting in lower alcohol levels – thus darker, richer, riper, more balanced wines. They are very excited to share the wines of the 2010 vintage with you.

Woot