Nose
The lovely aroma of vanillin and hazelnuts from the oak.
Palate
Mouth-coating richness with lovely vanillin and hazelnuts nuances. It is the league with our best Chardonnays. The fruit profile is more melony than Chardonnay and the aromas are more flowery than Chardonnay.
Winemaking
The wine made from this Pinot Gris was more like a Burgundian Pinot Gris or dry Alsatian Pinot Gris than a light, insipid Pinot Grigio style. This rich oily Pinot Gris, blended well with the flinty minerality of Pinot Blanc and the mouth watering acidity from the Aligoté. These three lesser known Burgundian white grapes were aged for two years in new French oak barrels, blended and then released with the name Hildegard. This distinctive blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Aligoté is barrel fermented and gets extra barrel and bottle time. The barrels for this program are all new Francois Frères French oak. Combining a unique blend with long term barrel aging made something special.
