Yeast Matters

Just a quick dispatch from the 2016 Washington Wine Road Trip.

Yesterday I got the chance to compare two different barrel samples of Champoux Vineyard Chardonnay at Powers Winery on Badger Mountain. Everything about the wines was the same except the strain of yeast used to start the fermentation, and yet the aromatics and flavors were wildly different. The wine on the left had much more tropical fruit and an almost apple cider sense to it, along with more residual sugar. The wine on the right was much more citrus-driven, along with being further along in fermentation. Wild that such a seemingly small difference could have such a profound impact!