Gravity’s Pull 2020

is very much in keeping with our other 2020 whites—bracing, mineral, and sharp, with a sheen of reduction that delivers a flinty nose and nervy palate. This hails from Dion Vineyard and its ungrafted, 30+ year-old Chardonnay vines, planted in windblown loess soils. It’s telling that across Europe, producers who are lucky enough to have ungrafted vineyards prize them supremely for the je ne sais quoi they seem to provide. Every time we taste Gravity’s Pull, we think that must be happening here, as well, and are grateful to get to work with the vineyard.

Inspired by Burgundy and the great Chardonnay of the Colli Orientali del Friuli, this wine was fermented with its native yeasts in older oak barrels. It matured there undisturbed for eleven months until we racked it into stainless steel for a final six months of elevage before bottling.

As in the past, we elected to delay its release to give it time to open up, though this will definitely reward a half-decade in the cellar, if you have the patience.