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ORIGIN:
The grapes for this appealing Chardonnay came from several elite vineyards on both the Sonoma and Napa sides of Carneros, including Sangiacomo, Beresini, Beckstoffer, McCall, Thornton, Hi Vista, Durrell, and Mitsuko. In addition, our very own Wildcat Mountain Estate Vineyard, high up in the hills on the extreme western edge of the Carneros AVA, played a significant role in the blend, adding character and dimension to the final wine.
VINEYARD NOTES:
The 2006 growing season was long and cool—which is exactly the way we like it. Harvest began almost three weeks later than normal, allowing the fruit ample hang time to develop a medley of rich, fully articulated flavors. The grapes were picked by hand from September 25 through October 17 and showed excellent quality. Overall yields for the vintage were moderate, with the exception of Wildcat, where challenging growing conditions consistently produce small yields of concentrated fruit.
WINEMAKING NOTES:
To maintain and highlight the purity of fruit while ensuring quality, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed immediately after harvest. After settling, most of the juice was racked to French and Hungarian oak barrels for fermentation (20 percent new). To emphasize more delicate fruit and aromatic components, a few lots were tank fermented, and saw no oak. Once dry and finished with malolactic fermentation, the barrel-fermented lots were aged on the lees for six months, with occasional stirring to increase richness and body. The final blend was assembled just prior to bottling, which ran from June 4 through June 20, 2007.
TASTING NOTES:
In the glass, this nuanced Carneros Chardonnay is a beautiful pale gold, offering inviting aromatics reminiscent of baked custard and lemon oil. On the palate the wine reveals balanced layers of apple and tropical fruit, accented by a hint of enticing cinnamon spice. The finish is clean, crisp and refreshing, inviting another sip. Though already drinking beautifully, this wine will only gain depth and texture with a few months in bottle.
This vintage produced 23,750 (750 ml), 803 (375) and 49 (1.5 liter) cases.
The grapes for this appealing Chardonnay came from several elite vineyards on both the Sonoma and Napa sides of Carneros, including Sangiacomo, Beresini, Beckstoffer, McCall, Thornton, Hi Vista, Durrell, and Mitsuko. In addition, our very own Wildcat Mountain Estate Vineyard, high up in the hills on the extreme western edge of the Carneros AVA, played a significant role in the blend, adding character and dimension to the final wine.
VINEYARD NOTES:
The 2006 growing season was long and cool—which is exactly the way we like it. Harvest began almost three weeks later than normal, allowing the fruit ample hang time to develop a medley of rich, fully articulated flavors. The grapes were picked by hand from September 25 through October 17 and showed excellent quality. Overall yields for the vintage were moderate, with the exception of Wildcat, where challenging growing conditions consistently produce small yields of concentrated fruit.
WINEMAKING NOTES:
To maintain and highlight the purity of fruit while ensuring quality, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed immediately after harvest. After settling, most of the juice was racked to French and Hungarian oak barrels for fermentation (20 percent new). To emphasize more delicate fruit and aromatic components, a few lots were tank fermented, and saw no oak. Once dry and finished with malolactic fermentation, the barrel-fermented lots were aged on the lees for six months, with occasional stirring to increase richness and body. The final blend was assembled just prior to bottling, which ran from June 4 through June 20, 2007.
TASTING NOTES:
In the glass, this nuanced Carneros Chardonnay is a beautiful pale gold, offering inviting aromatics reminiscent of baked custard and lemon oil. On the palate the wine reveals balanced layers of apple and tropical fruit, accented by a hint of enticing cinnamon spice. The finish is clean, crisp and refreshing, inviting another sip. Though already drinking beautifully, this wine will only gain depth and texture with a few months in bottle.
This vintage produced 23,750 (750 ml), 803 (375) and 49 (1.5 liter) cases.