Staff Pick

Forlorn Hope "Queen of the Sierra" White Blend - 2021

Name: Forlorn Hope "Queen of the Sierra" White Blend
Brand: Forlorn Hope
SKU: 40335
Price: 24.96 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Item # 40335 750mL

Composed of Riesling, Chardonnay, and Verdelho, the wine shows all of the aromatic complexity and textural presence that are the hallmarks of wines grown on limestone. The fruit for this estate blend was grown on the Rorick Heritage Vineyard in Calaveras County at 2000’ elevation. Hand-picked, foot-trod and co-fermented with native yeast in open tank, then transferred to large neutral barrel and bottled unfined, unfiltered with minimal SO2.

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Color

White

Vintage

2021

Country

USA

Region

California

Sub-Region

Sierra Foothills

Producer

Forlorn Hope

Grape Variety

Riesling

Chardonnay

Verdelho

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Staff Pick Notes

Out of the Sierra Foothills region this is an equally charming and unexpected blend. The strength of bold Chardonnay with the honeyed notes of Riesling, and Verdelho giving it a faint nuttiness. Planted in limestone soil, matured in neutral oak barrels, minimal sulphites added, all make a winning combination. Yellow fruits on the nose meld into bees wax, baked apples, and lemon custard. Forlorn Hope got it's name from a romantic historical reference dating as far back as the English Civil War.Translated incorrectly from a Dutch phrase 'verloren hoop' (meaning literally 'lost troop') the term refers to the group of soldiers who volunteered to fight on the front directly into enemy territory. "Queen of the Sierra" hopefully isn't heading into enemy territory - although California Chardonnay can be polarizing- but she has won me over.

- TD

Glossary

California

California makes more wine than any other state in the United States. Not only does the state grow a variety of noble grape varieties like Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, there are also plantings of lesser-known varieties such as Nebbiolo, Roussanne and Mourvèdre to name just a few.

Riesling

Though the trend is now in the other direction, for many years Riesling was known for producing wines with little alcohol and some residual sugar - too sweet for many modern wine drinkers. Though it's now cultivated worldwide, Riesling is nearly synonymous with German wine, and that country's winemakers have lately begun to produce some very exciting dry versions. They are careful to retain the delightful honeyed, flinty flavors that the best sweet Rieslings have always displayed. Alsace, of...

Chardonnay

From Champagne to Chablis, it's hard (not to mention unpleasant) to avoid this famous white variety. During a huge popularity surge beginning in the late 1980s, Chardonnay plantings have increased dramatically -- not only in California's wine country, with which the variety is nearly synonymous, but also in Burgundy (its original, Old World home) and just about everywhere else in the winemaking world. It is a flexible, eager-to-please grape, responding well to just about anything a winemaker...