Having that first sip of Antecedent after a long day pretty much feels like stripping off all your clothing and jumping into Lake Champlain after running a half-marathon in the middle of July. Needless to say, if you’ve never had Antecedent before, you’re in for a treat. This wine is 100% Vermont Grown Riesling.

Winemaking

These grapes were planted at our Meach Cove Site right off of Shelburne Bay in 1999, and since then we’ve made some pretty great Riesling under our Shelburne Vineyard label. However, we took it to the next level with Antecedent. These grapes were destemmed, crushed, and pressed for an extended period of time before they went to rest in a neutral barrel for 7 months on their lees where the wine went through malolactic conversion. Bottled without fining or filtering, the layers came together beautifully to create just 92 cases of lip-smacking perfection.

Vine Management

Growing Riesling in Vermont is no easy feat. When we first planted these grapes 21 years ago, we were looking west towards the Finger Lakes. The Finger Lakes Region found huge success with Riesling. The grape variety is considered to be cool-climate Vitis vinifera, which means that out of all the European grape varieties, Riesling would probably be our best chance for success because of its ability to tolerate colder temperatures. However, it has been a challenge to keep these Riesling vines happy in Vermont. Pretty much every year, we see dieback of the trunks and buds. We take extra care to partially bury the vines in the winter to keep their feet warm, but year after year the yields continue to be small. The struggle to grow even cool-climate Vitis vinifera grapes here in Vermont eventually led us on the path to pursue cold-climate hardy hybrid grapes. (Learn more about our grapes here, and be sure to check out this awesome article by Jamie Goode on why hybrid grapes are the future of winemaking!) But, we still get really excited about this small planting of Vinifera grapes!

Tasting Antecedent

Antecedent is really a beautiful wine. It’s got tons of bright acidity, some grapefruit, and really nice nuances of honeycomb, almonds, and wildflowers. I get a bit of butter croissant too, which is probably because the wine was aged on its lees. There’s a really nice softness to the finish, which compliments the acidity on the front end. The color is actually super interesting because it’s got this pale salmon pink glow, but this wine is not at all a skin contact wine. The neutral oak barrels the wine rested in had previously held Marquette, so a little bit of color actually imparted onto the wine. I’m about to enjoy it with some Tiny Thai Takeout. It definitely holds up to the spice and citrus in Asian food. I’d also suggest a nutty-rich cheese, maybe like Jasper Hill Farm’s Cabot Clothbound.

You can find Antecedent in our online wine shop! Check it out before it’s gone.

Happy Drinking!

Taylor

Head of Marketing and Events

The Antidote For Your Palate Fatigue: 2018 IAPETUS ANTECEDENT