Amoritas Vineyards 2016 Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay: It All Started with Wine Tasting!


Hello Friends,

Many years ago, Michael Goodell and Mary Northcutt met on the campus of a small university in Southern California. They got married sometime after, had a daughter and a son, and throughout the course of many a wine tasting, had a long-standing dream to own a winery and vineyard one day. They eventually settled on a 150-acre estate in Northern Michigan. The land had once been owned by the Amore family but was later abandoned. In 2013, on the gently sloping hills overlooking South Lake Leelanau, Michael, Mary, Emily, and Matthew planted Amoritas Vineyards’ first wine grapes.

Amoritas Vineyards 2016 Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay

The family opened a new tasting room in December of 2017, and while Mary had passed away by then, the Goodells have worked hard to keep her dreams alive ever since. Thirteen sustainably farmed acres are currently under vine, and they produce a range of estate-grown wines. The 2016 Chardonnay featured below is produced from fruit planted in 2013. Most vines require four years or so to produce a full crop of grapes. For a wine produced from the vine's third growing season, this is a rock-solid effort. It’s just a guess, but I’d say it’s due to good vineyard management, a little luck, and an angel in the vineyard. For further information and where you can find this delicious Chardonnay, please see my tasting notes below.
Image by Amoritas—Where one dream ends, another begins …for the Goodell family, on Amore Road.

Amoritas Vineyards 2016 Leelanau Peninsula Chardonnay (SRP $21): Produced from a 2-acre parcel, with an additional 90 feet of elevation called Rose Crest, this is a commendable effort crafted from young vines planted in 2013. It has a light straw color in the glass. This 100% stainless steel Chardonnay is notable for its vibrancy, freshness, and sense of purity. In the mouth, the wine is sleek and racy, delivering bright tree fruit flavors underpinned by citrus blossom, rose water, and shy but appealing mineral tones. This is such a wonderful food wine; for the Goodell family, third year’s a charm. Region: Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan. Other info: ABV 11.5%, stainless steel ferment, cork enclosure. Click here to find this wine.


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