Milbrandt Chardonnay is a full-bodied white wine from the Columbia Valley in the northeastern corner of Washington, USA. This fine example of American Chardonnay, with its restrained taste and juicy fruit, is a good introduction to Milbrandt’s “Family Wines” series. The wine undergoes partial malolactic fermentation and is stored in a combination of steel tanks and oak barrels.
Colour: Golden.
Scent: Apples, vanilla and lemon peel.
Tasting notes: Slightly creamy and full-bodied, but not heavy. Hints of stone fruit, vanilla and brioche.
Serving suggestion: Enjoy it chilled with dishes with salmon, light meat or as a “terrace wine”.
In 1997, Butch and Jerry Milbrandt planted their first vines in Eastern Washington, to the untrained eye a remote, windswept, high-altitude desert where only gorse and wind witches seem to thrive. But the Milbrandt family have been farmers for many generations, and they have been farming here since the mid-1950s. With the experience also came a conviction that the region’s moderate temperatures, low rainfall and sandy soil were ideal conditions for growing grapes. To help plant and establish the vineyards, they hired the highly respected vintner, James McFerran. After 8 years, during which Milbrandt had sold grapes to some of Washington’s most high-profile wineries, they hired their own winemaker and began making wine themselves from the best plots.
