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“A classic contemporary expression of Napa Valley.”
- Appelation:Sonoma Coast, Gustafson Vineyard
- Varietal Composition:100% Chardonnay, Clones 96
- See Tasting Notes
BACKGROUND
The 2016 comes from one of the only ‘dry-farmed’ Chardonnay vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. Ripening is constant and uniform. The intensity of fruit flavor we obtain with this vineyard is unique. The juice is concentrated with massive tropical fruit impact right off the vine. Minuscule yields leave us wishing we could make more.
WINEMAKING
We picked the 2016 vintage at 3am, the coldest part of the morning. The harvest was sorted in the vineyard and arrived at the winery before day break. Whole cluster pressed straight to barrel for resting and fermentation. Each individual barrel is kept separate and not racked together until immediately before bottling to ensure barrel to barrel variations can be trialed prior to blending this ensures only our very best barrels make the cut. Sur lees stirred every week until fermentation completed. Partial malolactic fermentation helped create an elegant, creamy Chardonnay. 100% barrel fermentation in only the best cooperages: Rousseau, Taransaud, Francois Freres.
TASTING NOTES
The nose shows ripe peaches, honeydew melon, Asian pear, piña colada, and a hint of almond.
A crisp and balanced entry leads to a medium bodied wine full of tropical fruit flavors, a hint of caramelized sugar, jasmine, and citrus on the finish.
TECHNICAL DATA
pH- 3.59
TA- 0.60 g/100mL
RS-Dry >0.1g/L
Alc.- 14.2%
Winemaker: Brian Graham
