Eloise celebrates simplicity. Eloise is a dry white wine made from 100% Virginia-grown Vidal Blanc grapes. Vidal Blanc is a French hybrid grape variety that is now mostly grown in North America and used to make all styles of wine ranging from bone dry to semi-sweet to dessert-style ice wines. We chose to allow our wine to ferment completely, as it naturally does on its own, leaving no residual sugar.
Importantly, Eloise is a minimal, or low, intervention wine, which is similar to a natural wine*. It means that the winemaker does as little as possible in order to avoid interfering with the grapes' and yeasts' innate character; their essence. In this case, it means no filtering, or clarification, or oak-aging, or blending, or sweetening, or excessive handling, and very, very low sulfite. We essentially just support the wine in becoming whatever it wants to be. In this case, a well-balanced, medium-bodied, approachable wine.
Eloise is reminiscent of a day at a tropical beach. She sports aromas of coconut, lychee, and pear; flavors of honeydew melon, key lime pie, and toasted almonds; and a mouthfeel that is creamy, and warming, with pleasant minerality. Clean, pure, and refreshing, this wine is exceptionally food-friendly and pairs best with fresh seafood and Mediterranean cuisine. Other similar white wines include: unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Seyval Blanc.