Antica Terra Aequorin 2020
Antica Terra Aequorin 2020 – alternate view 2
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Antica Terra Aequorin 2020

Antica Terra
$340.00

Grape: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2020
Type: White

As one of only two wines produced by the estate in this challenging vintage, this chardonnay represents an intense process of barrel selection. Winemaker Maggie Harrison rejected the vast majority of the harvest, isolating only the most untouched, pristine lots from their Eola-Amity Hills vineyards. The chosen components underwent a native fermentation and matured in French oak barrels under close observation. This low-intervention approach preserved a clean, varietal profile that sidesteps the smoke damage that affected the wider region.

It pours a pale silver-straw hue, releasing a refined perfume of pure honeycomb, orange blossom, fennel, and Anjou pear. The palate is full-bodied yet linear, floating across the tongue with a silky, viscous texture that never feels heavy or fat. A crystalline, vertical wave of maritime acidity provides great energy and focus to the orchard fruit flavors. The mouthfeel is seamless and fluid, showing a balanced structure built for long-term cellaring.

Maggie Harrison is a first-generation winemaker, having grown up in the Midwest. With an educational background in International Relations and Conflict Resolution, she fell in love with wine while working in restaurants and set out to follow that passion and create wine. She went on to land the position of assistant winemaker to Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non, where she remained for eight years. She is currently the co-owner and winemaker for Antica Terra, producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay since 2005, and is also responsible for the Syrah at Lillian Winery in Santa Barbara. Initially, it had been her goal to only produce a singular wine, but during blind tastings for blending, she felt the various components would not necessarily complement one another and would overpower or detract from the other. Rather than force them to homogenize, each of the wines bottled today chases the individual and opposing personalities each possesses. Her wines are impeccably expressive and worth seeking out if you can get your hands on them.

I have always found with these wines that I am never compelled to overly coax the wine in tasting. They are distinctive, singular wines that, when given the time to allow the wine to come to you, make the transcendence to art.

- Audrey Frick (9/17/2023) © 2024 Jeb Dunnuck