Garden Path Fermentation releases 2022 Skagit County Chardonnay!
Garden Path Fermentation is thrilled to announce the release of our first wine in two years: 2022 Skagit County Chardonnay. While most of our production has historically involved beer and cider, Garden Path’s wine program extends back to 2018 and remains very close to our hearts.
Our wine program follows the same ethos as our other fermented products: using only locally sourced ingredients, native yeast, and minimal intervention with fermentation. Local sourcing is, frankly, our biggest challenge with winemaking. While Washington is a fantastic state in which to grow wine grapes, the Puget Sound AVA–with cooler summers and early rain–has proven to be much more challenging than other regions. This is why we don’t necessarily release a wine every year. Sometimes harvest just doesn’t work out as planned.
2022 was bountiful, however. Summer was warm and the rain mostly held off until later in October, so we were able to source a multitude of wine grapes. This particular batch was made from 2000 pounds of Chardonnay grown by our friend Chuck Jackson at Skagit Crest in Sedro-Woolley, and was picked October 24, 2022, right as the season swung from warm late summer days to fall storms and overnight frost. The majority of the fruit was pressed, whole cluster, with a portion of it being destemmed, crushed, and allowed to macerate for seven days before fermenting in neutral French oak barrels for seven months on lees. It was bottled June 1, 2023 without any additional filtration, finings, or sulfur.
Immediately, this wine presents somewhat tight and flinty. As it opens up in the glass, we pick up aromatic notes of honeydew melon (both the flesh and rind), eucalyptus, menthol, and sage. Candied lemon peel and bright, soft acids follow on the palate. The finish is mineral and crisp.
While it’s under a cap closure, this wine is only very lightly effervescent. We do recommend enjoying it fresh, chilled, and immediately. Pairs well with breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Skagit County Chardonnay is available in bottles and by the glass in the Garden Path Fermentation tasting room, The Great Northern Bottle Shop & Lounge, and some select on-premise accounts in Washington, and can also be purchased at our online shop.
