If you like big, voluptuous Chardonnays the Arsonist is for you. There is enough sumptuous fruit and toasty oak to satisfy the classic-California Chard lover.
91 points from Tasting Panel magazine! "Smooth and creamy with nice depth and balance; rich, complex and subtle with vanilla new oak and ripe - but not heavy - fruit; long and generous."
Matchbook’s 2018 The Arsonist Chardonnay is a luscious blend of the best barrel lots of estate-grown fruit. A beautiful golden straw color opens to aromas of toasty oak, crème brûlèe, brown sugar and mango. Dense flavors of pineapple, caramel apples and baking spices are layered over creamy buttery notes and a touch of vanilla. This is a full-bodied Chardonnay loaded with opulent flavors that are well-integrated and balanced.
We picked our Chardonnay clones 4 and 124 (Dijon) at night. The estate fruit went from vine to crusher in less than 30 minutes, arriving well before sunrise to ensure the fresh, fruit flavors were preserved. We used a yeast cocktail (a mixture of our winemaker’s favorite compatible yeasts) in all of the lots to ensure that complex fermentation characters evolved. These lots were barrel fermented, with frequent stirring of the lees. 100% of the barrel lots went through malolactic fermentation. We then select 10% of the finest barrel lots and allow them to age an additional five months while maintaining a frequent stirring program. The barrels were evaluated again and only half of the original top 10% were selected for the final blend of the 2018 Arsonist Chardonnay
Pairings
The Arsonist Chardonnay has enough depth of flavor to hold up to lobster, pasta with a cream sauce and, for the adventurous, a well-marbled steak.
