Antica Terra Aequorin 2019
Antica Terra Aequorin 2019 – alternate view 2
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Antica Terra Aequorin 2019

Antica Terra
$340.00

Grape: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2019
Type: White

This small-production white wine comes from select chardonnay parcels in the Eola-Amity Hills, chosen for their structural precision. Winemaker Maggie Harrison employs a strict blending methodology, tasting through individual barrels to isolate components that offer a seamless combination of density and lift. The grapes are natively fermented in a cold cellar and aged for over a year in French oak casks. This zero-makeup winemaking approach lets the volcanic geology of the Willamette Valley voice itself clearly without synthetic alterations.

It pours a pale straw color, opening with layered aromas of fresh hazelnut, orange oil, Anjou pear, and white flowers. On the palate, the full-bodied structure feels weightless, balancing a soft, elegant mouthfeel with a sharp beam of natural acidity. Clean flavors of melon and yellow apple integrate with a low-toast oak frame. The texture is silky and viscous, yet it remains fluid and fresh across mid-palate.

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