Winemaker Ondine Chattan
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It's this merger of the established techniques of winemaking with California's native and relentless pursuit of the new which drives Ondine today. As Ondine comments, "Winemaking is a wonderful mix of extreme fields. For instance, we use chemistry everyday, but we also use intuition." To this end, Ondine's interests in sustainable viticulture, vineyard and soil expression and such 'risky' techniques as native yeast fermentations are perfectly intertwined. Ondine is delighted by the opportunity XYZin affords her to explore the history and culture of Zinfandel while crafting distinctive wines. "For me, winemaking is inextricably linked to the vineyard,and the critical elements of fruit character and vineyard expression are in turn inseparable from the history and culture of those who planted the vines. XYZin celebrates the Zinfandel lover’s appreciation for tradition, distinction, and innovation," she says. The foundation of the XYZin Vine Age Series draws equally on these three disciplines to combine the best of the old with the most alluring of the new, in pursuit of the divine.
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