Chardonnay, 2015. Aviary

Aviary was founded in 2009 by two friends, Greg Ahn and Jon White, with the goal of creating complex wines from the diverse soils and microclimates of one of California's most heralded appellations, the Napa Valley.

Their goal was simple, but of course it wasn't. First, they needed to create a vision of what type of wine they wanted to make. Then, they needed to find the puzzle pieces (i.e., source the grapes), no matter where or how many, and put them together.

Their desire was to create a blend of harmonious balance, where all the flavors and textures of great Chardonnay coalesce into a whole. They would add a touch of oak to the typical Chardonnay essences - apple, pear and minerals - to bring out richness and creaminess.

And finally, they wanted a finish that would carry all these flavors from beginning, to middle, to end. It only took 13 different vineyards to find the grapes to satisfy their vision. They even had to veer off course and get a few grapes from Sonoma. Umm.so not that easy.

The result is absolute perfection. We don't know where all these different small lots of grapes came from, and honestly, we don't care. All we want to deal with are the results.

And those results are a truly flawless blend of Asian pear, green and red apple, spice, vanilla and a touch of minerals. The finish on this Napa Valley Chardonnay holds all these and more into suspension as wave after wave of flavor caresses your palate. The Aviary Chardonnay from 2015 is truly a bottle that you have to try for yourself!

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