Handley Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer 2021
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The organically farmed, Handley Estate Vineyard planted in 1997 and CCOF certified since 2005, provides the intensely flavored and perfumed fruit for this wine. A prominent nose of lychee, rose petals, and ginger. This wine is fruity and full on the palate with rich flavors of banana, green tangerine, lychee, and ginger spice. Fermented in a combination of stainless steel and large format, neutral wood barrels. The portion fermented in stainless steel provides the intense fruit and spice, while extended lees contact in the barrels contributes weight and roundness on the palate.
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Textbook Gewürtz aromas waft immediately out of the glass—rose water, rose petals, lychee, white grapes, honeysuckle, and agave nectar. The palate doesn't disappoint and includes a solid dose of acidity that breaks through those perfume notes, adding freshness, lightness and brightness. Sip on its own or pair with an aromatically spice-filled dish such as a classic curry.
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At Handley Cellars we offer a wide variety of wines that complement today's diverse cuisine with its worldwide influences. Handley's winemakers Milla Handley and Deny Dudzik seek to make balanced wines that possess distinctive varietal characteristics, wines that reflect the soil and climate in which they were grown.
Our quality starts with our vineyards: one at our estate in the Anderson Valley, and one in the Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
Surrounded by redwood forests and often blanketed in chilly, ocean fog, the Anderson Valley is one of California’s most picturesque appellations. During the growing season, moist, cool, late afternoon air flows in from the Pacific Ocean along the Navarro River and over the valley's golden, oak-studded hills. High and low temperatures can vary as much as 40 or 50 degrees within a single day, allowing for slow and gentle ripening of grapes, which will in turn create elegantly balanced wines.
The Anderson Valley is best known for Pinot Noir made in a range of styles from delicate and floral to powerful and concentrated. Chardonnay also shines here, and both varieties are often utilized for the production of some of California’s best traditional method sparkling wines. The region also draws inspiration from Alsace and produces excellent Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris.